BuffaloChristian.com

Kingdom Bound is a Christian music festival and a year-round ministry located in Western New York. While you'd expect something like it in the Bible Belt, for over two decades Kingdom Bound has been going strong in an area not generally known for "born again" Christians.

Buffalo is blessed with many talented musicians, and Brotha Perry is one of them. He produced a CD called "Lawd Ha' Mercy," a collection of instrumental inspirational songs, with unique takes on "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," "Precious Lord," and other Gospel classics. If you like smooth jazz, chances are you'd appreciate this album and Brotha Perry, who also keeps busy producing music for other artists when he's not creating his own. BuffaloChristian.com had a chance to catch up with Brotha Perry and find out more about him. Enjoy the interview!

Q) If you had to sum yourself up to someone in two sentences, if they asked, "Who is Brotha Perry?" then what would you tell them?

A) I'd tell them I'm every bit of a Pisces and a hopeless musician that loves the Lord.

Q) Is the keyboard your main instrument? Talk about your musical capabilities-- what instruments do you play and what's your favorite and why?

A) I dont consider myself a keyboard player; I'm a church organist... I know the general term of today is keyboardist. I've been an organist for over 30 years so I guess that a Hammond B3 is my main instrument of choice. 

I started out playing guitar when I was 5-years-old. I found an old cigar box and some rubber bands and I made a guitar out of it. I don't remember what it sounded like but I was playin' it everyday. I started playing a trumpet in the 3rd grade. I didn't do good at all with it cause I didn't really understand the concept, so I just never played the right notes with the right fingering.

In 5th grade I started taking drum lessons-- I had a pair of sticks and a practice pad. The teacher gave me a rhythm method book, and I had weekly lessons. I did better at that.

When I got to junior high I started playing tenor sax, and I got pretty good at it, so I made it to the All-City Orchestra back in the 1960s and a few of us kids started an all-brass band-- we knew two songs-- "Green Onions" and "Tell Mama"-- and we played them in the school talent show. Jerry Livingston, a Buffalonian known as a bass player today,  played trombone back then, and I played tenor sax in this band.

I went to high school and the music teacher wouldn't give me a sax-- they made me play a trombone. I didn't really care for it, but I played it anyway, and got into the all-high band.

I think I got my first guitar when I was in the 8th grade, and that's when music really started to take shape; I played guitar for many years as my main instrument. When I was 17 I started picking out little tunes on a piano-- we didn't own a piano, so I would sneak into the Salem United Church across the street from my house, and learn to play songs I heard on the radio-- these weren't gospel songs either, but the pastor didn't say anything and they knew I had snuck in. I guess God touched their hearts and they let me practice, now that I think about it. So I played guitar while learning to play organ, and I played drums at a local church during my teenage years. So to sum it up, I started with guitar, then drums, and then organ, which has been my main instrument for years.

Nathan Salter runs a music school, is a music minister at his church in Buffalo, heads up a youth music camp each summer, and still finds time to record his own original music, touring around the world.

The thirtysomething dad is known in Western New York as someone who ushers in the presence of the Lord when he preaches, plays drums or keys, and directs singers and fellow musicians in a powerful, anointed way.

To experience a "concert" of Nathan's is to enter into a direct pipeline to God, whereas he encourages you to lift up your hands, to cry out to God, to ask Him for whatever is pressing on your mind-- help with your health, finances, relationships, etc.

If you leave a Nathan Salter concert unchanged then you chose not to take part; you chose not to connect with God.

For Nathan, music is a way for us to connect with the Almighty. With that in mind, he writes and performs different types of music in order to connect with all sorts of people and help them praise, worship, rejoice, and personally declare their faith.

Nathan is unique because he attracts every color and age there is, from inner city black youth to grey-haired white suburbanites. His multi-cultural praise and worship music ranges from clap your hands/stomp your feet black Gospel music to ethereal smooth jazz, and then some. Once in a while, guitars are featured, or other instruments like the violin or harp.

If you're familiar with Donald Lawrence or Martha Munizzi, then you'll have someone to compare Nathan and his music to; if not, know that he's uniquely suited for such a time as this whereas he can adapt to different audiences all the while staying consistent with who he is.

Every Saturday evening an RV travels the streets of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York, searching for people in need. It moves up and down drug infested areas of the inner city seeking men, women, and children whose lives have been abused by drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, and prostitution. The RV carries prepared food, bags of toiletries, clothing, blankets, kids’ toys, and other things, to meet people’s needs where they’re at in life.

This is “The Magdalene Project.”

The mission of the Magdalene Project is to seek out people who have lost hope; the purpose of the project is to share the love of Jesus with them. At the heart of the Magdalene Project is Joanne Lorenzo, who got the idea for the ministry while driving around Niagara Falls, praying one Thursday night years ago.

“I saw a girl walking down Eighteenth Street and it was quite obvious that she was working the streets. She had her face set like flint so I knew in my heart she was putting on a false front for a broken heart,” says Lorenzo. “My heart went out to her and I decided to talk to her. I opened my window and said, ‘I'm praying for you.’ Amazingly, she started to cry, and she said, ‘thank you,’ and walked away in tears. Her name was Karen.”

When he’s not the judge in Corfu, New York, dealing with people who sped through Pembroke and on other roads near Darien Lake, Robert Alexander is also an ordained minister and popular author. His book, “Half Heaven, Half Heartache,” was named after a Gene Pitney song he used to sing as a teen.

“The part where Gene sang ‘take away this heartache and make my life a Heaven on earth’ always reminded me of how good my life once was and how it had been torn to shreds,” says Alexander.

Heartache started for Alexander, who was adopted at birth by a Christian family, when his stepfather abandoned his mother, running off to New Mexico. That was when Alexander's life started to unravel.

Life got worse when Alexander became a biker. Looking back, he remembers that everything he experienced as a biker was “bad, sin at its reprobate worst.”  The biker culture he used to be a part of it was something he can now say was “dark, dark, dark,” adding “the spirit of Antichrist prevails and the best part of it was leaving it.”

Everything changed for the better when Alexander became a born-again Christian.

“I have never had a bad day in Jesus,” he says. “I lost my big high profile job, all my money, all my play things, cars, vans, boats and almost every other worldly thing and I love it. I have to trust God for everything I have and He never fails. He is also the father who never abandons me.”

2) How has the event grown over the past two decades? Over the years this event has grown to be citywide, community expected, with a large diversity of participants. It brings together people of different nationalities, as well as several organizations, youth groups, businesses, politicians, and anyone who wants to see a change in the community for the better. The event offers an alternative to the negativities that take place in the community with on-site counseling to combat drug abuse, help teach parenting skills, and connect people with job training and more.

3) What sets this event apart from other area summer festivals? Since the Rally is held during the back-to-school shopping time there are free food (non-perishable) and clothing give-a-ways. Approx. 60% of the families in that area are headed by females-- some are jobless and have a hard time of it and look forward to our help. The clothing is donated by various stores and community members. The food is donated by community members and anyone who will hear and respond to our plea.

4) I've been to the event several years in a row and one thing that stands out to me is how many kids attend. Why do they like coming? There have been free pony rides and Zoomobile visits for the children. I keep these treats free because I am certain that many children in the area have never ridden a pony or experienced a visit to the zoo due to low income or neglect.

5) You're a nurse by trade, and medical care is very important to you. How does 'Streets' incorporate health/medical topics? There is a health fair that offers various testings-- cholesterol, blood glucose, hearing, blood pressure...counselors talk with people about weight control, HIV prevention, and other pertinent topics. This all takes place during the event.

6) How can people help you make this annual event the best it can be? We are always thankful for volunteers, as well as donations. We are looking for 3,000 donated Bibles this year, to distribute freely at the event. Plus, we'd love for you to attend the event just to see what takes place-- come to Martin Luther King Jr. Park August 14th and 15th and bring your friends and family.

7) If someone wants to donate their time, how should they connect with you? Potential participants-- please feel free to contact me. Drill, step, and drama teams, along with choirs, musicians, and soloists are welcome to participate. Vendor space is available, too. To connect with me, call 716-891-4760. Let me know you read about 'Streets' on Buffalo Christian.

Pastor Tim Ayers is new to the area, but ready to build an old, small church in East Aurora into the Southtowns' newest thriving megachurch. Buffalo Christian asked him 9 questions; here are his answers...

1) You host a radio show on WECK 1230 AM. When is it, and what's it about? The show runs from 7am to 8am every Sunday. It is on a secular radio station because it is designed to reach the secular audience. The show is called Journey.

2) You're a church pastor? What's the church and where is it? First Baptist Church of East Aurora and it is at 591 Porterville Rd in East Aurora.

3) What is your goal as a pastor of that church in East Aurora? To impact lives for Christ in a big way.

4) How is Western New York different from Chicago and Florida, where you've lived before? Western NY has an East Coast influence that makes it a beautiful and easy place to live. Florida was very transient and everyone came from somewhere else. Chicago, of course, has a more suburbanite, Midwest feel to it. It is a friendly place but I find WNY to be even friendlier. Since I grew up in Western PA I find WNY a lot flatter.

5) What's Western New York's biggest challenge, in your opinion? I think it faces the same battles that the Pittsburgh area faced. Economically, Buffalo needs to recreate itself with new industry and those who live here need to get over the fact that isn't how it used to be. For a church leader, the challenge is the same everywhere. People think they are Christians because they went to a Christian church. Loyalty to the ministries of the church are no longer there. In most cases, we have lost our influence on society. My job is to earn the right to influence the society around me and I have to do that one soul at a time.

6) You know a lot of Christian music artists-- got a favorite story to share? Most people know Rich Mullins' song, Awesome God. Rich was doing an acapella concert with his band for my youth group. They were sitting in my living room when his manager walked in. She had just gotten the finished copy of the video for Awesome God. Rich saw it for the first time in my family room. A month later we did a concert with Rich and sponsored an Awesome God choir contest. People sent their tapes of them singing Awesome God into the Christian radio station. We then selected a group of them. The promo was so good that we sold out the concert times 2 a few days before and couldn't add a show. We had people sitting on the stage, in the band pit, in the aisles, in the back, in the hallway. They were everywhere.

7) If you weren't a pastor, you'd be a ___? Cartoonist

8) How in the world are churches going to reach texting teens? By texting them. Take people where they are and move them towards where Christ wants them to be.

9) Anything else you'd like people to know about you? Authored 17 books including the bestselling series Spinechillers Mysteries for Thomas Nelson Publishing under the pen name Fred E. Katz. Don't ask why that name. I thought it was dumb, but they were paying me.

Here at BuffaloChristian.com we get about 20 emails a day! One of them, from Jesse Holka, had this to say and we liked it so much we thought you should read it.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, just remember...
> >>>
> >>> * Noah was a drunk
> >>> * Abraham was too old
> >>> * Isaac was a daydreamer
> >>> * Jacob was a liar
> >>> * Leah was ugly
> >>> * Joseph was abused
> >>> * Moses had a stuttering problem
> >>> * Gideon was afraid
> >>> * Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
> >>> * Rahab was a prostitute
> >>> * Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
> >>> * David had an affair and was a murderer
> >>> * Elijah was suicidal
> >>> * Isaiah preached naked
> >>> * Jonah ran from God
> >>> * Naomi was a widow
> >>> * Job went bankrupt
> >>> * John the Baptist ate bugs
> >>> * Peter denied Christ
> >>> * The Disciples fell asleep while praying
> >>> * Martha worried about everything
> >>> * The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
> >>> * Zaccheus was too small
> >>> * Paul was too religious
> >>> * Timothy had an ulcer...AND
> >>> * Lazarus was dead!
> >>>
> >>> No more excuses now!
> >>> God can use you to your full potential.
> >>> Besides you aren't the message,
> >>> you are just the messenger. God bless.

Buffalo Christian: Want to help out with a community-enriching event? "Takin' It To The Streets" community rally on Buffalo's East Side is free and open to the public. The annual event offers free food and clothing giveaways August 14th and 15th, 2010, in Buffalo's Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. For two days each August, the park is THE place to be on Buffalo's East Side, with all sorts of wonderful things happening there!