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.