October 24, 2024
VILLA RICA, GA – Those who attended the annual session of the Georgia Baptist Convention last year will remember that one of the most thrilling aspects of the meeting was the music of the choir of First Baptist Church of Villa Rica, where GBC president Kevin Williams is pastor. Georgia Baptists will gather in Augusta at Warren Baptist Church November 13-15 to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of our state convention and once again the music should be spectacular.
Patty Pritchard, who orchestrates the music of First Baptist Church in Villa Rica recently explained that 107 of their church’s choir members have already signed up to participate in the mass choir being assembled to sing for the 200th anniversary of the GBC.
The Villa Rica choir will be joined by the choir of First Baptist Church of Statesboro, Church on Main (formerly FBC Snellville), and Augusta area choirs. Cliff Duren, Music Minister at First Baptist Woodstock and Dove Award winner, will be leading the worship along with his Praise Team and trio, “Overflow”. Rhon Carter, Worship and Music Catalyst for Georgia Baptist, will also be intricately involved in the music for this special anniversary session of the GBC.
Since the First Baptist Church of Villa Rica is providing the largest number of participants for the Convention’s choir, The Christian Index wanted to interview the driving force behind church’s choir, Patty Pritchard.
Patty began taking piano lessons at age five and at age ten she began playing the piano at church. She recalled, “Frances Shirey, the regular church pianist took an interest in me and wanted me to become the best pianist possible. She had a sweet spirit and encouraged me throughout my musical journey up until 2010 when God called her home.
“I took piano all through high school. My last teacher lived in Roswell, and I traveled twice a month from Carrollton to her home for two-hour lessons. This teacher was molding me to become a piano teacher myself, and I didn’t even realize it at the time. However, I had already started teaching at my house when I was about 14 years old. I charged 25-cents a lesson, but I loved it.”
Patty had planned to go to college, but Spencer Teal, the superintendent of the Carroll County Schools offered me a job as a piano teacher in three of his schools. She reported, “I took the job which started a series of events that resulted in my having my own music store in Carrollton. I taught there and sold pianos and organs.”
In the succeeding years Patty began to write Gospel songs and proofread music which led to a position with Ben Speer Music in Nashville, TN where she put singers together to record “convention” type music. During this time Patty was often in the presence of incredible musicians and learned much from them. Although she didn’t realize it at the time God was preparing her for a career in church music.
In the early 1970s Fred Barr, Minister of Music at West Rome Baptist Church where Jerry Vines was pastor urged her to come to Rome to be the church pianist. For almost four years she commuted from Carrollton to Rome to serve under the ministry of Barr. She stated, “He was one of the most amazing choir directors. The things I learned from him were priceless. His wife, Marjorie was the organist. These precious people poured into my life, and I have been evermore grateful.”
Patty’s journey in the ministry of music took her to Roopville Road, Kansas, Cornerstone and Midway Macedonia (now Midway Church) all northwest Georgia Baptist Churches. At Midway Church Patty served with Bill and Carol Brown who were engaged in the church’s music ministry. Carol played the piano and Patty began playing the organ.
When Bill Brown was called to preach the responsibility for the church music program and other ministry assignments were given to Patty. She reminisced, “On October 4, 1998, as the choir director of one of the fastest growing churches in West Georgia, I realized I was lost and on my way to hell. After the morning service, I met with pastor, Todd Wright, and got my salvation settled forever. I had received all the teachings through the years, so I had plenty of head knowledge, but I didn’t have Jesus in my heart. I am so thankful God didn’t give up on me.”
After a brief stint at North Point Church in Carrollton where Patty taught piano for the Christian school and served the church in leading the music, she went to First Baptist Villa Rica as the interim pianist and eventually as interim music director. She explained, “That was the beginning of what has been an incredible journey. The first Sunday with pastor Kevin Williams we had 23 in the choir. We currently have 147 on roll.
“Mark Camp, who volunteers to lead our congregational singing, is the one who is responsible for my service at First Baptist Villa Rica. He says, ‘Patty plans everything. I just do what she tells me to do.’ Mark is an awesome worship leader. He lives every day what he sings about. He is amazing at getting people engaged in worship.”
Patty continued, “I construct the music for the worship service after much time in prayer. I take very seriously the fact that I am accountable for what we do in our music ministry. Our music should be pointing people to Him, the only One who is worthy of worship. It’s not about drawing attention to us. We must come into the service with clean hands and a pure heart, ready to lead our people in a time of worship.”
“God has blessed our ministry in ways that only He can do. Dream a dream so big that if it happens, you know God did it! That was not only true of our music ministry, but for the entire church. We often travel with our pastor to his speaking engagements.
“We have sung with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir in New York City at their music conference in 2019. Because we had the largest group attending the music conference, we received a call from Brooklyn in February 2020 asking if the Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers could come to Villa Rica. They came in March 2020; and we had a spirit filled evening of praise and worship. That was a worship experience never to be forgotten.
Patty added, “In June this year, we were invited by the Old Paths quartet to accompany them to the Memphis Quartet Show. It was at the Cannon Center of Performing Arts. Elvis performed on this stage. We were the first church choir to ever sing at that venue.”
Patty has had a rich and rewarding ministry and among those who have been a great blessing to her are Sandy Payton, who was music director at Glen Haven in Decatur, Carol Cymbala, song writer, arranger and choir director at the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, Mike Speck and Rodney Brooks who are legendary ministers of music, and Cliff Duren, who has been Patty’s friend for a long time. She added, “I have watched Cliff grow up. It makes my heart smile to see how God is using him through his incredible gift of music.”
Lee Black and Cliff Duren have been commissioned to write the words and music for a song for the 200th anniversary of the GBC. The idea came from a phrase Kevin Williams has frequently used during his tenure as GBC President. The title is “Not Done Yet”. Patty admits that Pastor Williams has inspired her with such statements as “Worship opens the window to the soul so that the Word of God can be poured in.”
While Georgia Baptists can well imagine the Bicentennial Convention to be accented by the necessary business for which the meeting is specifically designed, there will also be great preaching, and significant challenges accompanied by amazing music featuring a very large choir, special music, and great congregational singing. Please plan to be a part of this historic gathering of Georgia Baptists.
