Buffalo NY

Patrick is married to his wonderful wife Olivia. They are both active at Caz Church and active members of the recovery community. Patrick had struggled with alcoholism and addiction from a young age. As his struggles progressed, he found that he could not break free on his own. He tried various methods of recovering, but none enabled him to overcome his addictions. In 2014, Patrick found himself incarcerated and cried out to God for help. God answered and his eyes were opened to the person and work of Jesus Christ. His life has never been the same since! He was then introduced to the 12 steps which have enabled him to grow closer to Christ and find complete freedom from the bondage of drugs and alcohol. His continued involvement in a recovery program led to deep involvement in the local church. He remains an active member of the recovery community and serves Caz Church as a Pastoral Assistant. He has studied at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is pursuing a degree at Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary. Patrick and his wife have a deep love for the City of Buffalo and a desire to see others find freedom in Christ.

​Craig Udell is one of our Leaders - He has overcome addiction and has quite a story. We all have different tolerances for pain and some need to go to greater extremes than others before they find the hope they need, and Craig was one of those stories. Philippians 4:13 “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”. One would think that there was some sort of crazy background to my story of addiction, but honestly, I had it really good growing up. I made some bad decisions at a very early age, and it led me into darkness. I was using drugs and alcohol in one form or another for 20 years. In the beginning it was fun, then I developed a habit, and soon it was necessary for survival. At the end of the road, I was homeless, jobless, penniless, and hopeless. I walked away from my family and children and soon was facing 16 years in prison for drug related crimes. On Jan 8th, 2012, many prayers were answered. I was arrested, or as I see today, I was rescued! I have since turned my life around. I found myself through working the 12 steps. I also found God and reclaimed my relationship with Jesus Christ. I would be doing a disservice to the Lord if I did not share my testimony with others (Luke 8:39 “Return to your own house and tell what great things God has done for you”). I have shared my testimony on various platforms, and if sharing my experience of pain helps even one person, it was worth the suffering. I am currently married, regained custody of my 2 children, and brought another one into the world while clean. I now own a home, and run a successful business, and most importantly I regained myself. I have always had a passion for helping others, and God has opened so many doors. I am looking forward to this journey and helping others.

By God's amazing grace I was pulled out of the torment and toture of alcohol addiction. From a place of utter surrender I completely worked the twelve steps and now try to live them out each day by the power of Christ Jesus. Romans 1:16