Rev. William David Boyd was born on October 7, 1944, in Memphis, TN. to Rev. William Marvin Boyd and Pearl Terry Ray Boyd, who along with two brothers Emmanuel Boyd of Covington, LA. And Ray Boyd of Memphis, TN. preceded Bro. Boyd in death. Bro. Boyd is survived by his wife of 55 years, Betty Jean Crouch Boyd and his four daughters and their families. Davida Faith Boyd and son David Alexander Boyd of Nederland, TX. Lois Hope Orta and husband Fred and her two daughters Natasha Lace and Sabrina Hope of Waco, TX., Virginia Charity Hubnik and husband Larry of Cameron, TX. and her son Staff Sargeant Courtney David Clary United States Army presently stationed in Germany and Rebecca Ann McElroy of Pearland, TX. and husband Kevin and her three sons Jasper David, Nathaniel James and Austin Kevin. Bro. Boyd is also survived by his two sisters, Sally Barnes of Petal, MS, and Nancy Price of Southaven, MS. Five great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.
Bro. Boyd graduated from L.C. Humes High School in Memphis in June of 1963. He worked at a couple of jobs before going to New Orleans. In New Orleans, he worked and stayed with his brother Emanuel for a few months. Feeling the stir of God, he returned to Memphis and on February 9th, 1964 attended a Sunday night service at the First Pentecostal Church in Millington, TN. where he received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. A few days later his father, Rev. William Boyd, baptized him in the Name of Jesus Christ in Wolf River.
It was a few days later that Bro. Boyd began attending the Church of Jesus Christ in Memphis. It was here, at the Church of Jesus Christ, that he renewed his acquaintance with a young lady named Betty Jean Crouch. It was a love affair that would last for over 55 years. Because of family problems, Betty returned to New Orleans to live with her mother. This didn’t stop their love. Bro. Boyd would take The City of New Orleans every other Friday to visit with Betty. It was also in Memphis that Bro. Boyd felt God was calling him into the Ministry.
It was on one of these trips to New Orleans that Bro. Boyd first attended the Jesus Name Apostolic Church where he and Betty would be married on July 2nd.1964. After just a few months of living in Memphis, Bro. and Sis. Boyd moved to New Orleans where they would live for the next 12 years. All four of The Boyd Girls, Davida Faith, Lois Hope, Virginia Charity, and Rebecca Ann would be born in New Orleans.
It was at the Jesus Name Apostolic Church in New Orleans that Bro. Boyd would allow the Lord to launch his ministry. Bro. Boyd served as Youth Leader, Adult Sunday School Teacher, Bible Teacher and one of the Assistants to the Pastor. He would also preach revivals and serve other pastors in the area by preaching in their absence.
While living in New Orleans Bro. Boyd went to work with Southern Bell Telephone (later South Central Bell) Company and stayed with them for almost 12 years. He went from Lineman to Installation/Repairman to Cable Field Technician and Relieving Cable Splicer’s Supervisor.
In February 1975, Bro. Boyd, Sis. Boyd and the Girls began traveling from New Orleans to Purvis, MS. on the weekends because Bro. Boyd had felt the call to go to Purvis to establish a Pentecostal Church. God blessed and the Boyds relocated to Purvis where they would spend the next eleven- and one-half years. For the first few months, Church was held in their living room and then an old U.S.Army Mess Officer’s tent with a sawdust floor and a few slated benches.
The first four and a half years, Bro. Boyd continued to work with the telephone company and then in 1979 he resigned from the phone company and began serving in the Ministry fulltime. Through the working of the Holy Ghost and under Bro. Boyd’s leadership, the First Pentecostal Church of Purvis was established and began a phenomenal growth from the Boyd family to record attendance of over 120. The first building was erected and dedicated in 1978. The second Church sanctuary was erected and dedicated in 1983.
In 1986 the Boyds resigned the Pastorate of the First Pentecostal Church of Purvis, MS. and began Evangelizing. The Boyds would crisscross America and Canada preaching Revivals, Camp Meetings, Youth Camps, Retreats and Conferences in over 44 states and four Canadian Provinces and seeing thousands of lives changed.
In April of 2000, while preaching a revival in Nederland, Bro. Boyd at the age of 55 became very sick and so the Boyds sold their truck and travel trailer and bought a house in Nederland, TX. This closed the door on another chapter of the Boyd’s life of almost 15 years of pulling a trailer from Coast to Coast. The Boyds began attending Nederland Apostolic Church. Bro. Boyd worked for and with Bro. James Corkran for 15 months as he recovered his health and then in 2001, the “doors began to open” again for the ministry that the Boyd’s could offer. The Boyds once again began traveling in the Evangelist work. This time traveling by car and air, averaging over 30,000 miles a year on their automobile, from California to Florida, from Texas to North Dakota and all points in between. The Boyds traveled preaching Revivals, Seminars, Anniversary Services, and Camp Meetings, doing what they felt God had called them to do....helping Churches.
In January of 2007, Bro. Boyd fulfilled a lifelong dream and made a Missionary trip to Campinas and Porto Allegro, Brazil to visit and preach for the Lambeths and the Apostolic Churches of Brazil. In 2008, Bro. and Sis. Boyd, both were able to make another Missions trip to preach a revival crusade for the late Missionary John Wilkins in Guadeloupe, French West Indies.
Over the years, the Boyds preached revivals in small struggling Home Mission churches as well as many of the largest Pentecostal churches and there are literally thousands that have been encouraged, baptized in Jesus Name and received the Holy Ghost in the Revival Meetings where Bro. and Sis. Boyd ministered in Word and Song.
And then at the age of 66 years, Bro. Boyd began a new adventure in his life when he accepted the pastorship of the First Pentecostal Church in Sulphur, LA. Never ones to shirk from a job, the Boyds gladly took on the position and almost immediately began a complete re-modeling of the sanctuary of First Pentecostal Church. Under Bro. Boyd’s leadership the Church grew and was blessed. Then after almost 2 years because of Bro. Boyd’s health problem the Boyds reluctantly resigned FPC Sulphur and moved back to their home in Nederland, TX. to attend Faith Tabernacle of Port Arthur and try and be a blessing, however, the Lord led.
In July 2014, Bro. Boyd was diagnosed with Uveal Melanoma in his left eye and in September, his left eye was removed and he began his battle with cancer. Treatments were every two weeks and thousands of miles were traveled to and from M.D. Anderson in Houston and through it all Bro. Boyd remained faithful to God and His church.
A service of remembrance will be held on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. at Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church in Port Arthur with Reverend Kaleb Rule officiating, interment will follow at Greenlawn Memorial Park in Groves. A gathering of Bro. Boyd's family and friends will be Saturday, March 7, 2020, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. also at Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Church.
2 Tim 4:7-8
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
KJV