Petersen Benjamin (Wife Lori Benjamin)
Elder
Hello friends!
Welcome and thank you for checking out Calvary Chapel Alpharetta. My family and I have been a part of the ministry team here for 7 years. Lori (she is my wife and has a bio around here too, you should read it, it’s probably better) and I have been serving in various capacities primarily with the children and youth. This fits in well with our life as we have six amazing children, thus, we have a vested interest in raising up the youth of our church to love Jesus and to know His Word. For the last two years we have teamed up to serve as student ministry leaders for the middle and high school students. We love having that time to dig into God’s Word and learn alongside the students every week. For me, I think I have grown more in my walk with Jesus and in my knowledge of the Word while serving than in any other time of my life.
Coming to know Jesus as my Savior in middle school, I have known the importance of that commitment and I know how much He loves me for a long time. It was not until I started attending a Calvary Chapel that I really began to dig into the Word and truly understood the importance of scripture to solidify my beliefs and draw closer to our amazing creator. This, I feel, is what I try and communicate to our students so they will know how the infallible Word of God should be a part of their everyday life, strengthening and preparing them for whatever this world will throw their way.
My Calvary Chapel journey started in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida back in 1999 while I was in College. Some other students I got to know, one of which was my future sister-in-law and another my future wife, had been going to Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale for a few years so I decided to tag along. Eventually I was hooked, and after 9 years in South Florida, work moved us to Tallahassee where we were privileged to be part of Calvary Chapel Tallahassee. In 2013 when work moved us again to the Atlanta area, the first thing I did was search for a Calvary. Calvary Chapel Alpharetta came up and I went here first and have never left. We are not quite as large as Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale, but we are a church that loves God’s Word and each other like family.
I am a husband, a son, a father, an uncle, a son-in-law, a former athlete, an engineer, a servant, a lover of Jesus and a student of His Word. I would love to tell you more in person. Look forward to seeing you soon.
By His Grace,
Petersen
Hello!
I am so glad you are here. My name is Lori Benjamin and I have been living here in north Georgia since the summer of 2013. My husband, Petersen and I moved here from Tallahassee, and before that, south Florida. We have six gifts from the Lord: Hannah, Samuel, Bethany, Lucy, Sarah and Joy. I was a former collegiate athlete, high school teacher and coach and now am a homeschool mom.
I was raised in a home where love abounded, and encouragement flowed. I was brought to church every Sunday without fail. I have always believed in God, yet it was religion that I knew—not my Savior, Jesus. In high school, there were a few Christian girls who loved on me and encouraged me to share in their devotion time during study hall—reading this little booklet called Our Daily Bread. I loved it. I was curious about reading the Bible—because I never had. It wasn’t done in our home. In fact, we did not even own a Bible. So, I bought my own. Slowly, the Lord started to chip away at my hard, cynical and wayward heart. In college I prayed for the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins, come dwell inside my heart and start to change me. There was (and still is) much work to be done. But, praise the Lord, He is working!
I think that because I failed so much as a young teenager, I have this incredible love for youth. I want to love them, I want to care for them, I want them to truly know their worth and value—and they can only have that perfect peace with knowing Jesus.
I have had the privilege of serving our church since January 2014 by teaching the youth middle school and high school girls. We do a variety of studies. Often times, we work our way through a book of the Bible, other times we have done character studies, and still other times—through specific Bible studies—either video based, or workbook based. I try very hard to discern what the Lord would say and what He wants us to do.
I would love to meet you, get to know you and have a face to face conversation.
Looking forward to that time,
Lori Benjamin