Osheta and I hail from very different corners of the US. Osheta is a southern girl from the gulf coast of Texas, near Galveston. I'm a midwesterner from a campustown surrounded by cornfields in central Illinois. We each came to know and trust Jesus in our respective worlds amidst loving communities of believers who nurtured our faith and provided a solid foundation upon which we continue to build. We are both deeply indebted to these churches who walked along-side us in the early years of our faith, discipled us, and continue to provide guidance even now.

Osheta and I met, fell in love, were married, and began our family in New Orleans. We were both visiting a small Bible college that I would go on to later attend. She was visiting the school as a part of a short-term missions team from her home church's College and Career young adult's group. We met in the context of ministry and have been a ministry team ever since. We began a relationship on a path to marriage in 2001 and were married in 2004. Tyson, our oldest son, was born in New Orleans, and after I graduated from Bible college we lived and served in an economically-depressed, Uptown neighborhood called Hollygrove. It was in that context that God gave us a passion and love for serving the city, and opened our eyes to all the many, complex needs unique to cities.

We love New Orleans dearly, developed incredible friendships there, and were heartbroken when in 2005 hurricane Katrina forced us to relocate. The evacuation we hoped would only last a weekend resulted in a cross-country move. Due to the flooding, the city was closed even to residents for several weeks. Eight month's pregnant, Osheta and I needed to be somewhere stable to resume seeing a doctor and preparing for the birth of our second son Terrence (T. J.). With our apartment rendered unlivable by the flooding, we faced the realization we were now homeless. Our faith was severely tested. But God met us in our hour of greatest need and provided for us through his body the Church. We prayed, sought wise counsel from our spiritual mentors and leaders, and sensed God calling us to Boston. Neither of us had ever been to Boston before even to visit. As we drove from southern Texas up through Illinois, stopping off to spend time with friends and family, we placed our future in God's hands believing this adventure was the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

We've now lived in Boston for 6 years and God has made it our home. God has blessed us tremendously. T. J. was born in Cambridge shortly after we arrived, and less than a year later Trinity was born, adding a daughter to our family. Osheta and I have both been privileged to serve in churches throughout the city, and I have had the opportunity to pursue a masters degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Boston campus: The Center for Urban Ministerial Education (CUME).

In 2010, we embarked as a family on an epic roadtrip vacation around the country. In 21 days, we drove over 6,000 miles stopping off in 17 different cities from New York to North Carolina, Disney World in Orlando, New Orleans, southern and northern Texas, as well as Illinois and Pennsylvania. We affectionately dubbed the trip "Moore Tour 2010." All along the way, Osheta and I intentionally scheduled time with our spiritual mentors who have faithfully advised us over the years. At each leg of the trip, as we sat, spoke, and prayed with these men and women of God, they each asked us what our plans were for the future after seminary. We shared that we were uncertain, seeking God, but had several different ideas. We thought perhaps I could continue on in theological studies, completing a doctorate, so that I could teach theology. We also thought about founding a Christian parachurch ministry. Each time we shared our hearts with the friends and mentors we trusted most, they asked if we had ever considered planting a church. At first, the idea seemed strange. We hadn't given that idea any real thought. But as each one of our mentors, who didn't know each other, all asked us this same question and shared with us that they felt we were gifted for church planting, we began to sense God speaking to us through them once again. The long distances between stops on our epic road trip vacation (when the kids were all sleeping) gave us ample time to process what we sensed God was saying. The more we talked and prayed together, the more Osheta and I felt God's peace surrounding this new adventure. By the time we arrived safely back in Boston, we were convinced God had spoken to us and called us to plant a church.