05/30/2026
Pat Bennett Traveling to Brazil
When one thinks of mission work, it usually conjures images of debris clean up or rebuilding following a disaster, delivering food to those unable to secure it themselves, or providing medical attention to individuals without the resources to pay. And all of the above are usually done under the flag of a church or in the name of God.
However, mission work is not limited to the usual. Mission work can emerge from a variety of skills of the bestower, of which Dr. Pat Bennett is an example.
Pat, the Director of Music at Tifton First Methodist Church, is once again sharing his musical talents as a member of the Celebration Orchestra. The orchestra, a part of Global Missions Project, will be traveling to Sao Paulo, Brazil later this summer to deliver the gospel musically to the citizens of that South America country. Pat will be in Brazil from July 23rd through August 2nd.
According to its website, Global Missions Project is an organization dedicated to giving musicians the opportunity to enter the mission field using their God-given talents as a tool to reach people. Pat has been using his musical talents in the mission field since the early 1980s. This will be his third trip with Global Missions Project, having traveled to Isreal in 2010 and to Budapest, Hungary last year.
“I toured with the Continentals in 1981 and 1982,” Pat recalled. The Continentals consisted of 16 different instrumental and vocal groups that regularly toured the country. Pat, a French horn player, was not only part of the orchestra. He also assisted in directing and arranging music.
“I helped write some of the music for them,” he said, pointing out that several well-known artists were a part of the Continental family, including Amy Grant, Sandi Patti, and members of the Imperials.
Pat’s musical talents have taken him all over the world since his first foray into the musical mission field in 1981.
“I had never been on an airplane before 1981,” Pat said, adding that his first trip was to California. Then in 1982 he flew to New York City before boarding a plane for Zurich, Switzerland. On that trip he not only played in Switzerland, but in Hungary and Yugoslavia as well.
It was on that trip that Pat saw the major effect of musical mission work.
“We spent three weeks in Switzerland, Hungary and Yugoslavia, which was still behind the Iron Curtain, and we saw more than 500 people raise their hands to accept Christ – including our Communist guide,” Pat said.
In November of 1994, working with Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida, Pat was a part of a team of 145 musicians who traveled to Costa Rica to deliver a presentation of the “Living Christmas Tree.” In 1996 he joined 44 others for a trip to Poland and Ukraine. In addition to his mission work, Pat has also performed with orchestras at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.
“I love doing this, it gives the opportunity to minister,” said Pat.
At the age of 69 Pat shows no signs of slowing down.
“A lot of us are in my age group,” he said, pointing out that Celebration Orchestra director Camp Kirkland is 80 and he does 8 trips per year. “A lot of people do two or three of these per year.”
Pat’s enthusiasm for music and world travel is not lost on the congregation or leadership of Tifton First Methodist.
“Pat is one of the most enthusiastic people I know,” said Tifton First Senior Pastor Chip Grantham. “He’s always looking for the positives. Nothing slows him down.
“Pat loves sharing music with others and he wants to continue to take that to other places.”
