Buffalo United Interview

Matt Crouch (on drums) and band at last year's Buffalo United event hosted at Resurrection Life Church in Cheektowaga

Interview with Buffalo United founder, Matt Crouch

What are you believing God to do through this year's event?
I'm believing that God is going to make a huge impact in the Buffalo/WNY area. However, He is going to move through us, His church. And we need to start getting united as a body, not as a denomination, to ALWAYS be prepared for what God has in stored for His children.Buffalo United is one of those resources to get Christ's church working and united as One, just as Jesus prayed in John 17.

What can people expect who are coming out for the first time? Speaker? Music? Etc?
The speaker, (Demeris Johnson) is an incredible speaker whose heart is for the churches of Buffalo to get united and truly disciple young and old believers like in the days of the early church.
The music is going to consist of contemporary Christian, but also some rock, and hymns. We wanted to bring a wide variety to the event because we know there are all different types of people coming, so we wanted to not just create a comfortable environment, but also express the diversity of the buffalo region.The worship team consists of 8 different Christian musicians, going to 8 different Christ worshiping churches.

Great and after the event is over what takeaway or action would you love to see as fruit of the event? Ministries partnering? Black and white reconciliation? Etc

Well, I think a lot of the fruit is going to be produced by God. When He tells us to humble ourselves and to come together and work as One, HE will heal our land, He is in the midst of us... So I totally believe that as soon as we take that effort to come worship and pray to our God as different believers, and different churches, and different pastors...that God is going to do things in Buffalo that we've never seen before. And His word promises us that. So the main thing is just, Getting us all together!
As far as fruit from the church, I would love to start a network on-line through the wearebuffalounited.com website (and other social media sites) that will be able to help churches not only connect, but work, help, worship, pray, financially support, etc. with other churches like the  Apostles did in the early church. They didn't care about denominations or differences. They cared about exalting Christ. And I think as the church as a whole, we've missed what they started. Most support almost always comes from within ones own denomination.
     Through this network, I want to create a place where churches can help other churches, maybe connect through worship, maybe join youth groups for a night, maybe help out ones food pantry, etc.. If our mission as the church is to have Christ be exalted and to reach the hearts of God's people, then I believe we need to strive for what God wants us to do. And that's to do that as a Body.
"I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to COMPLETE UNITY. THEN the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me." John 17:23