Testimony of Salvation By Faith in Jesus Christ: I was raised in a Catholic home. I remember going to church regularly on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on what was most convenient. I don’t remember getting much out of it other than learning to recognize when mass was nearly completed by the memorized prayers.  We usually would leave right after Communion to beat the traffic and get on with our lives. My parents tried to force me to attend Sunday school, but I became real good at skipping the class, hiding in the house or quietly crawling into their bedroom at night to turn off the alarm clock. I finally completed all the required Catholic ceremonies and probably had some foundation placed in my mind, but still didn’t really know Jesus as Lord and Savior in my heart. Christian values and the Bible were not taught or lived out in our home outside of going to church once a week.

In grade school, I wasn’t very popular. In an effort to find acceptance, I turned to alcohol, drugs and immoral behavior. The college years only intensified the lusts into addictions of all three. Everyday I woke up dissatisfied, only to seek more of the same in an effort to fill the hole in my heart. My life was on a path of death and destruction. This behavior continued through much of my 20’s and 30’s leading to diseases, financial issues and the memory of murdering two of my own unborn children through abortion before marriage.

Time proved that a well paying professional career, girlfriends and daily happy hours were only temporary satisfactions. I was so unfulfilled and empty, I started finding myself on walks during lunch to seek an open church door where I could just go sit and ask God why I’m alive and isn’t there more to life than this. At the age of 38, I decided to take a new job, in a new field, with a pay cut. The person assigned to train me was a Christian who was very patient with my lack of experience in a new technology. He invited me to join him at a group Bible study held during lunch time within the company. After resisting for a while, I decided to give it a try. The Bible says “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” How true it is! A hunger for more of the Word grew in my heart and I quickly became a regular attendee. It was an evening in June of 1998, while watching Billy Graham on television, when I said a prayer of salvation and invited Jesus Christ into my heart as Lord and Savior. My wife Melissa, had a similar experience one month earlier being led to Christ at a new job while trained by a Christian woman.

Since that day in 1998, I have been growing in my faith and knowledge of the Lord and the Word. Despite my sinful past, God was still gracious enough to bless me with two wonderful sons and a beautiful wife. We serve as a family at Love Joy as Greeters, event volunteers and after church cleanup. Our family is scheduled for a second Missions trip. The first trip was to rural Tennessee and this one is to Mexico City where we can share the love of Christ to a lost world. We have attended and hosted small group studies. Additionally, I meet with my sons regularly for our own mentor and Bible study time in an effort to “train a child in the way he should go.” I am very grateful to be currently attending a mentor group at church hosted by Pastor Ron. I continue to hunger for more of the Lord in my life who has filled the hole in my heart that couldn’t be filled by my own sinful efforts. Glory to God!

I was raised Episcopalian.  Went to Sunday School, got all those Attendance Pins, sang in the Junior Choir, First Communion and Confirmation.  The whole nine yards.  Never did drugs, get drunk, whatever.  But when I got into my teenage years, I began to think,”There’s got to be more to this God/Christianity thing than going to church for an hour on a Sunday morning.”  Singing the same hymns (depending on what time of year it was), reciting the same prayers and creeds every service.  I knew nothing about “feeling” the presence of God, but there had to be more than what I was experiencing.  I discovered a small storefront church in Kenmore called the House of Life.  In attending a Sunday morning service at “The House,” I saw people there singing, praying, “SMILING” and just enjoying God.  And for the first time in my life, I felt the very presence of Almighty God.  It was probably a couple of weeks later that I actually prayed the Sinner’s Prayer, but I consider that first Sunday Service at the House of Life is when I was born again.  That was June 27th, 1971.  Since then, I’ve attended four churches, The House, Williamsville Christian Fellowship, The Bread of Life and Love Joy Church.  I’ve been involved in motorcycle club ministry with the Righteous Riders Christian Motorcycle Club and the Buffalo Chapter of the Sons of God Motorcycle Club.  Since leaving motorcycle ministry I’ve become more involved at Love Joy Church as a backup singer on the Worship Team, and with my wife, Shirley, become Home Group Leaders and heading up the Altar Ministry.

We’ve also gone on three missionary trips together and have developed hearts for missions.  We are looking to become full time missionaries.

I grew up Catholic in Germany, but by the age of 14 I refused to go to church with my mother. I partied and drank almost every day. I met Bob and we got married when I was 20. After we moved to the states I was very lonely. I began work at a travel agency. Two years later I was offered a manager job in another travel agency. I was the only person in the office who was not a Christian. The Christians there loved me and prayed for me. They encouraged me constantly.

After a few months I realized that I didn’t have the same source of mercy and love that my coworkers had in Jesus. I read their tracts and shyly asked some questions. On July 29, 1979 my boss invited Bob and me to an FGBMFI dinner. I was deeply touched by the worship and the testimonies. Though I didn’t go forward at the altar call, I prayed the sinner’s prayer sincerely. That night, in my own bed, I had a spiritual encounter with God where I felt his love and his holiness. I prayed for the first time. I said, “Lord, whatever you want from me, I will give You. And whatever You have for me, I will receive.”

I began to feel like God was always speaking to me in my heart. My boss gave me a Bible, and I devoured it. My coworkers took me to a Benny Hinn meeting, and I was hooked. I went to church with them and attended Bible studies. Bob got saved 6 weeks after me. Bob and I had been together for 7 years before we had our first child. I was so grateful for the wisdom and strength God gave me for raising my children. Having asthma and COPD I had many struggles to stay strong physically, emotionally and spiritually. Faith in God kept me from despair. I found God’s purpose for my life and I live in His love and strength every day.

Two weeks ago I fell and after X-ray results the doctors said I had a “scaphoid fracture” in my left hand/wrist. For two weeks I have had it in a half/cast – splint! Over the past two weeks this area of my wrist has been prayed over around 30 times and that’s only the actual prayer that touched it as they prayed. I know a lot of others who prayed, including healing prayers as we were away at the Love Joy ladies retreat just the weekend after it happened. During communion Pastor Judy Burgio prayed for healing over all the ladies at the retreat and believed healings would take place. Today I left the Orthopedic’s in complete and utter amazement . Yesterday they did an MRI of my wrist, today I went in to get the results. Previously they had been saying things like surgery and a pin put in my wrist. Today as the Doctor looked at the MRI he looks at me and said, “It’s not broken, I don’t see it, it’s not there.” I walked out with no cast, no splint and simply a referral for therapy because it still is bruised and sore and he thinks I should do a little therapy with it. I myself saw the break on the X-rays! I tell you all “faith of a mustard seed” that’s all it takes! I can’t even begin to thank all those who prayed! I am blessed to have God’s faithful and dedicated servants around me, who trusted, believed and prayed. Our God is Awesome!

Nicole Salzman

On Palm Sunday, Mark and Shirley Krampen prayed for me. I have had pain in my left shoulder for 2 years. When I went home I started feeling something starting in my thumb. All week something was happening. Good Friday morning while I was still in bed , my shoulder started cracking and popping, and now the pain in my shoulder joint is all gone. I have a little pain in the muscle, but am believing God to repair me fully.

Praise God, Praise Jesus, Thank you Lord. Amen. Joe Marciniak

JoAnn had missed the Sunday sermon because she worked in Kid’s Church. The next Sunday she picked up a CD of the service. When she popped the CD into her player in the car she had a terrible head ache. On the CD she heard Pastor Ron pray for people with head aches. She decided to make it personal and layed her hand on her head. The head ache didn’t completely leave but it was much better. On the CD Pastor Ron asked the people he prayed for if it was better. Some said yes some said that it was still there. He prayed again, and JoAnn prayed again in her car. JoAnn’s head ache was completely healed.

As I was leaving the Lovers and Warriors worship and prayer service, I felt severe pain in my right achilles tendon. The next evening at worship practice , Mark Krampen prayed for healing . The pain had not subsided by Thursday so I was seen by a doctor and found out I had tendonitus. They wanted me to go for physical therapy right away. The following Sunday morning at the end of service, the holy spirit directed me to march around the sanctuary. After a few moments hesitation, I marched. I decided it was more important to obey God than to worry about looking foolish to others. I was immediately healed and have had no pain since then. Thank You, Lord! Victoria Busch

Dear Love Joy Church,

Thank you for the love you shared with me on January 1, 2011 in the Sunday morning service. . This was my first visit to Love Joy Church and I am so glad to have attended. I felt welcome and loved. 

My testimony:

During worship on January 1, 2012, Johnathan Burgio gave a word of knowlege that the Lord wanted to perform a miracle for those who had back pain, lower back pain problems, arthritis, nerve and vertbrae problems. He said to sing the stance of the worship song as a prayer to the Lord and recieve the miracle. When I did so, I recieved my miracle! There was not a tingleing feeling or warmth. However, I did see the Lords hand pour oil from a horn over my head in the spirit while he looked down upon me with pleasure, though I did not see his face, I knew it was him. As the oil ran down over my body, my back was healed. I felt the love of Jesus and his compassion spreading over and in my chest area as if my heart cavity had been enlarged. Tears welled up in my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Afterwards I tested out my back, I could and can bend and twist etc. NO PAIN!!! Glory be to God!!!!!!! 

I had suffered from great lower back pain for the past year and it had affected every area of my life until now..  

Linda Armbruster

by Dr. Ron Burgio

My first fulltime job in the ministry started in 1978 as co-pastor of Williamsville Fellowship. For several years I enjoyed working alongside Paul Brenton, the founding pastor, but in the spring of 1984, Judy and I both had a sense that God was preparing us to pastor our own church.

I had met Tom Brazell, the founding Pastor of Love Joy Gospel Church, once or twice and I had been at his church on Clinton Street in Buffalo. While sitting on the steps of his platform I had told him, “God is going to do some great things in this place.”

When Tom went on a short-term missions trip to Zaire (now the Congo), the Lord called him to minister in Zaire as a missionary. He told the Lord that he would be glad to, as long as the Lord would both provide a shepherd for Love Joy and also speak to his wife about moving to Africa. The Lord immediately gave him my name as the next pastor. The Lord also spoke to Judy Brazell. Not only was she prepared to go to Africa by the time Tom came back home, she also knew that I should be the next pastor. A few days after Tom’s return, we met for lunch, and he offered me the pastorate at Love Joy Gospel Church. I was speechless.

Judy and I took some time to pray and fast about our decision. At the end of our three-day fast we received our own word from the Lord. He gave us not only an inner witness, but also the following Scripture: “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off” (Isaiah 55:12-13). Paul Brenton was gracious to release about ten adults and ten children to help us grow Love Joy Gospel Church which had twenty-five members at that time.

On the morning of Sunday, July 29, 1984, the first day I was to preach as pastor of Love Joy Gospel Church, God gave me a clear mandate for the church. In a vision, I first saw a map of the Buffalo area, and then I saw streets and houses, and then people. God said, “Let’s work together to win Buffalo for Christ.” I knew that this vision was not just an opportunity for me to cooperate with God, but that God, myself, and other pastors and churches would work together to win Buffalo and Western New York for Christ.

One day, while reading Psalms 31:8, God told me that He would set my feet in a large place. We saw our church grow from twenty-five to a hundred within three years. In 1987 we outgrew our facility and purchased a banquet hall on Walden Avenue in Cheektowaga. When we prepared the sanctuary on Walden, I was amazed at how large it was. God was not that impressed. He told me clearly, “This is not the large place.”

In 1990 we became an elder-led church and developed a church constitution. We did this through a cooperative effort with Elim Fellowship and Elim Bible Institute. A copy of the constitution is available for you today.

And sure enough, our space soon proved to be too small again. Attendance continued to increase, and though we had already expanded the sanctuary once, we still had no parking lot of our own. Sunday school classroom space was very tight and some of the classrooms were located right above the sanctuary. Sunday after Sunday, my sermons were accompanied by the pitter-patter of little feet, which at times sounded like a thunderstorm.

We considered purchasing an existing building, but after searching unsuccessfully, we decided to build. We had a stewardship campaign that ran for three years, and from 1992 to 1995 a total of 116 families sacrificed $ 292,000 toward our new building.

We had a nice church numbering about two hundred. The praise and worship was good, the leadership was good, and the congregation was good, but I felt like there was a famine for God’s presence and for His miracles. I wanted to see what I read about in the Book of Acts and what had gone on in past revivals. For years I had been crying out to God for revival; for years I wondered what it would be like if the heavens opened and God visited us with His glory.

Revival came to us in April of 1994. I had invited a young evangelist to come for a series of meetings. His name was Ray Sell. God used his ministry to bring exactly what I had been praying for: His presence, His miracles, and His glory. It created quite a buzz in the area. Without any advertisement, we suddenly found our sanctuary full to overflowing. When Ray prayed for people, they fell to the ground, laughed, or got stuck to their seats or to the wall. We had an amazing healing happen during the two weeks he was here. A little girl who had liver cancer and was not expected to live, was completely healed. She is now married and has children of her own and has never had any complications again.

Ray Sell had told me that the laying on of hands would transfer the anointing he had to others. I was the first in line to get it. Ray sometimes talked about having a Mack Truck experience with the Holy Spirit. He had explained that when a Mack Truck hits you, you’re never the same again. Well, I was hit that morning. From that day on, God used me to bring His tangible presence to others through the laying on of my hands. He has done some amazing things through me. I truly can say that these supernatural manifestations came as a result of receiving this gift from someone else.

In 1997 we broke ground here in Lancaster. I had previously been involved in building my own home, but nothing could have prepared me for leading our team through a church construction project. It was difficult and stressful. After it was all done, I learned that most pastors quit within a year of church construction. We stuck it out, and we’re glad we did. We moved into this building in December of 1998.

Since then, we’ve had good years and we’ve had difficult years. We’ve had revival and we’ve seen God’s glory and power on display. We’ve also had times of grief and pain where we trusted God in spite of circumstances we don’t understand.

In the fall of 2008 I began to sense that we needed to shift our focus in ministry. The Lord began to impress upon me that there were some areas of our Church that we needed to improve upon. He put a word in my heart and that word was DISCIPLE.

Because of that we started to dig in and do some strategic planning to improve in that area. That’s why we created these Doorway Classes. We want to make it easy for anyone visiting our church to find out what we’re all about. We want to share our history, our vision and introduce you to our leadership. In everything we do, we want to honor God and live according to his Word.

Do you know that the word Christian is only used in the Bible twice, but the word disciple appears 268 times? “Christian” was used as a derogatory term like this: “Those Christians over there…”. We need a re-understanding of the word “disciple” which means “follower of Christ.” To be a disciple means you are a life change agent because of your relationship with Jesus. He told us what to do: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). People who attend a life-giving, vibrant church like ours belong to one of four categories: 1) Explorers, 2) Believers, 3) Admirers or 4) Followers.

We all start out as explorers, seekers of God. Then we become believers. We’re saved and know that we have eternal life. Then we become admirers of God. We go to church, we go to concerts, conferences, and maybe even revival meetings, but we’re not completely surrendered to Jesus in every area of our life. When your relationship with Jesus deepens until it becomes the most important thing in your life, you’re not just a casual believer, you’re not just an admirer, but Jesus Christ is at the center of your life. Then you’ll say, “When a decision has to be made, the first person I think of is Jesus,” and you call out to Him. A disciple is not self-centered but Christ-centered.

We want God to give you a great vision for your life. Maybe God would have you join us to help us accomplish our vision.