Not everybody gets a chance to live and work in New York City, a place of glitz and glamour, art and culture, poverty and crime. A place where millions of people need to hear about their Savior.

"I'm just blessed that we have this opportunity," says Amanda Bourman, wife of Pastor Timothy Bourman of Sure Foundation, Woodside, N.Y. "It will be something that I will carry with me forever.”

Amanda was engaged to Timothy in 2008 when he was assigned to Sure Foundation, the only WELS church in New York City. They were married nine days later and soon left for Ecuador for Spanish immersion to prepare them to minister to the Latino population. This was difficult for Amanda, who didn't know any Spanish. "It was not easy, but I'm glad that I ended up going down there and learning it so I can communicate with the people here and relate to them," she says.

Amanda and Timothy joined Dan and Katie Olson, who were assigned to Sure Foundation in 2006.

While Katie and Amanda lead different personal lives—Amanda works full time in Times Square and Katie stays at home with her three daughters—they are both involved in Sure Foundation's ministry. Katie plays piano, teaches Sunday school, and helps with canvassing. Amanda plans monthly fellowship activities and helps tutor at English classes held twice weekly at the church. They both organize Art in the Park, Sure Foundation's form of vacation Bible school. "One thing that we found out is that people out here don't know about Jesus—at all. You're starting from scratch," says Amanda. "It's a great opportunity and very exciting."

Katie agrees that it's exciting, but also difficult. She says. "It's hard to get your name out there and to be recognized and to stand out. It's easy to get caught up in thinking that we need to come up with something new and fantastic instead of remembering that the Word works and God promises to bless our work."

And God is blessing that work. The congregation, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, is steadily growing. Starting out with mostly WELS transplants, the congregation now is attracting more from the area, including Latinos.

And although the church is a storefront on one of the busiest streets in Queens and more than 150 languages are spoken in the vicinity, that congregation is becoming a family. "You can just get lost and blend right in to the Manhattan crowds," says Katie, "but when you come to church you know everyone's names, and it's like you've 'come home' to your family."

Sure Foundation is the subject of this year's "Walking Together" emphasis, an annual celebration of the work accomplished by God's grace through our church body. Learn more about the congregation in September's WELS Connection.