Bennett Bio
Site last published: 2/9/12
My wife, Anne, and I have been happily married for 34 years and have been privileged to serve in ministry for over 25 of those years. Early in our marriage, we knew that God was calling us to work with His Church and church planting became our passion and joy. I grew up in a military home and consequently lived throughout the United States. Anne grew up with missionary parents in Pakistan. We have three grown children, Heather, Julie and Jon. We both love jogging with our dogs, Graham and Truly. Anne enjoys writing and I love to take pictures. We frequently escape to San Diego to get our beach fix and be with both of our families.
We were married in 1973 and both attended Cal Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, California. I majored in Biochemistry and Anne in English. I later also obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from San Jose State University. At that point, Anne and I felt a strong call to full time Christian ministry. We enrolled in Westminster West in Escondido, California, where I completed my M.Div. and Anne her M.A.R. During our time at Westminster, I interned at First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in downtown San Diego for five years. I developed a youth program from Junior High through the college level, doing discipleship training, leadership trips, retreats, working with inner city youth and participating in Mexicali mission trips through Azusa Pacific University.
It was during this time that Anne and I discovered the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and accepted a call to Christ Community Church in Walnut Creek, CA, where Corty Cooper was the Senior Pastor and I was the Assistant Pastor to youth and families. A few years later, Anne and I were asked to be part of the church plant team that birthed Canyon Creek Church in San Ramon, CA, working with Lewis Ruff. After helping Lewis establish his church, we prayerfully began another church plant in Pleasant Hill, CA called Oak Hills PCA. We most recently have been a part of birthing Desert Palms Church, PCA in Chandler, Arizona, which is just completing their first building! During my time in Arizona, I have served as the MNA/Mission chairman for the Southwest Presbytery for five years and have been on the Executive Committee of the Southwest Church Planting Network for six years. I also have had the privilege and delight of serving on the board of East Valley Habitat for Humanity, serve on another non-profit board called ICAN (Improving Chandler Area Neighborhoods), in addition to being on my Home Owners Association Board and now presently serve as president. We also are involved with Neighborhood Ministries, Rebuilding Together of AZ and Valley of the Sun Habitat for Humanity.
Anne and I now feel called to start something new for us, a multi-cultural church in the ethnically and socio-economically diverse Baseline corridor of Phoenix. There is an overwhelming amount of need in this area of Phoenix and we feel that the harvest is ripe and waiting for a creative, Reformed, Spirit-directed work that would provide hope and transformation to this community, impacting the very heart of the City of Phoenix. Anne and I would like to invite you to join us in an adventure. We believe the Lord is calling us to be part of a church planting effort targeting the inner city of Phoenix. Because of the tremendous change that is presently taking place in this area, with new yuppies moving in beside the old, drug- infested neighborhoods, we hope to establish a church that would inspire and motivate Christians to live out the Gospel in their neighborhoods in order to bring about a total community transformation. We want to be the Salt and Light that challenges the spiritual darkness, breaking down the barriers of race, socio-economics, education and poverty. We believe this will happen through God’s amazing grace and mercy. Our prayer is that the Lord will use New City Church Phoenix to bring together many individuals and churches to partner in bringing the Gospel to the center city of Phoenix to see lives transformed and the transformation of the city socially, spiritually and culturally.
We were married in 1973 and both attended Cal Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, California. I majored in Biochemistry and Anne in English. I later also obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from San Jose State University. At that point, Anne and I felt a strong call to full time Christian ministry. We enrolled in Westminster West in Escondido, California, where I completed my M.Div. and Anne her M.A.R. During our time at Westminster, I interned at First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in downtown San Diego for five years. I developed a youth program from Junior High through the college level, doing discipleship training, leadership trips, retreats, working with inner city youth and participating in Mexicali mission trips through Azusa Pacific University.
It was during this time that Anne and I discovered the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and accepted a call to Christ Community Church in Walnut Creek, CA, where Corty Cooper was the Senior Pastor and I was the Assistant Pastor to youth and families. A few years later, Anne and I were asked to be part of the church plant team that birthed Canyon Creek Church in San Ramon, CA, working with Lewis Ruff. After helping Lewis establish his church, we prayerfully began another church plant in Pleasant Hill, CA called Oak Hills PCA. We most recently have been a part of birthing Desert Palms Church, PCA in Chandler, Arizona, which is just completing their first building! During my time in Arizona, I have served as the MNA/Mission chairman for the Southwest Presbytery for five years and have been on the Executive Committee of the Southwest Church Planting Network for six years. I also have had the privilege and delight of serving on the board of East Valley Habitat for Humanity, serve on another non-profit board called ICAN (Improving Chandler Area Neighborhoods), in addition to being on my Home Owners Association Board and now presently serve as president. We also are involved with Neighborhood Ministries, Rebuilding Together of AZ and Valley of the Sun Habitat for Humanity.
Anne and I now feel called to start something new for us, a multi-cultural church in the ethnically and socio-economically diverse Baseline corridor of Phoenix. There is an overwhelming amount of need in this area of Phoenix and we feel that the harvest is ripe and waiting for a creative, Reformed, Spirit-directed work that would provide hope and transformation to this community, impacting the very heart of the City of Phoenix. Anne and I would like to invite you to join us in an adventure. We believe the Lord is calling us to be part of a church planting effort targeting the inner city of Phoenix. Because of the tremendous change that is presently taking place in this area, with new yuppies moving in beside the old, drug- infested neighborhoods, we hope to establish a church that would inspire and motivate Christians to live out the Gospel in their neighborhoods in order to bring about a total community transformation. We want to be the Salt and Light that challenges the spiritual darkness, breaking down the barriers of race, socio-economics, education and poverty. We believe this will happen through God’s amazing grace and mercy. Our prayer is that the Lord will use New City Church Phoenix to bring together many individuals and churches to partner in bringing the Gospel to the center city of Phoenix to see lives transformed and the transformation of the city socially, spiritually and culturally.
