The music business is made up of many different people. There are people who sing; there are people who play an instrument; there are people who compose music; and there are people who lead the various music groups.
Tifton First United Methodist Church is fortunate to have an individual who can do all the above. Dr. Pat Bennett became the leader of the Tifton First music program four years ago and has continued to produce music that enhances the Sunday morning services.
“Pat’s love for music and his knowledge base have helped us rebuild our orchestra, our hand bell ringers, as well as the choir and other music ministries,” said Tifton First Senior Pastor Chip Grantham.
Originally hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Pat has been somewhat of a journeyman musician, both performing and teaching. He has been in front of elementary school students all the way to college-aged learners during his career. And his playing and singing abilities have taken him around the world.
“I first started playing the violin and singing,” Pat recalled. “I did quite a bit of opera work as a kid.
“Then we moved to a little town outside of Tulsa that did not have a string program, so I started playing the French horn.”
His performance resume began to grow when he was asked to be an emergency fill in and sing on a local Tulsa Christian Television show.
“They called and asked if I could help them. I told them I had a box full of tracks and that I was on my way.
“They used me quite a bit after that.”
After earning a degree in Music Education from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, a teaching opportunity led him to the Tampa, Florida area. Then with a couple of years of teaching behind him, Pat made the decision to continue his education and earned a master’s in education from the University of South Florida. In addition, he completed a conducting program and earned a major in French Horn performance.
Not long after that, Pat entered the ministry. It was not his first call.
“I grew up in the church, and even started a Youth Coffee House ministry in Coweta, Oklahoma,” said Pat. “I became a Christian at the end of the revolution.” – referring to the recent success of the feature film “The Jesus Revolution.
For several years Pat served in various churches throughout the South-Central Florida area. When not serving as a church music leader, he was in front of a class or band instructing. In addition, he was playing regularly as his music pursuits began taking him internationally.
“I have led music mission teams to Costa Rica and was part of the Continental Orchestra which did two tours in Eastern Europe visiting Ukraine and Poland,” Pat said. In 2010 he was part of a music mission team that spent 10 days in Israel.
This October Pat will be part of a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as he joins the orchestra which will back the Annie Moses Band.
Despite the world travel and excitement of performing in famous venues, Pat remains grounded in his faith. So much so that in 2008 he earned a Doctorate from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies.
“My number one passion is worship,” Pat said.
“Pat’s most pressing concern is his ministry and leading worship,” said Chip.
Pat added, “I am grateful to be able to do what I do. God has blessed me immensely.”
Pat is married to Terry and the two have one son, seven grandchildren, and three dogs.
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