Andrew Rohan Bennett was born in the inner city of Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies, the first child of Derrick Bennett and Martha Clarke. He had the opportunity to complete his high school education at the Vauxhall High School (formerly the Vauxhall Secondary School) and later attended the Jamaica Theological Seminary, Jamaica and Summit Christian College in the United States of America.
In 1995, during his tenure as a pastor in St. Elizabeth Jamaica, he fell in love and married Dyonne Barnes, in Kingston Jamaica. The union was blessed with five beautiful children Monique, Ruth, Sarah Andrew Jr., and Zoe.
Andrew worked with several secular agencies prior to entering the ministry. While working at the Bunny Beckford Esso as an accounting clerk, the Lord laid the burden of winning lost souls to Him on his heart. As a result in 1988, he obeyed the call to resign his job and sought theological training in the halls of the Jamaica Theological Seminary. As the Lord would have it, in 1990 he was selected as an exchange student to Summit Christian College to represent the Jamaica Theological Seminary. This accounted for his first introduction to the United State of America.
After completing Jamaica Theological Seminary in 1992, Rev. Bennett received his ministerial credentials from the Missionary Church Association in Jamaica and was posted as pastor in the parish of St. Elizabeth. There he aspired to be an ordained minister. In St. Elizabeth he served in several other capacities. Pastor Bennett, as he is affectionately called, was employed by the Ministry of Education as a Guidance Counselor at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School. Later, he was also employed by the same ministry as an Adjunct Professor at the Bethlehem Teachers’ College, lecturing in Religious Education Methodology.
As he served in the secular arena he was highly sought after by many civic and professional groups. Realizing his love for people, and his effective leadership skills Rev. Bennett was elected by his peers in the counseling profession as President of the Guidance Association of Jamaica, a position he held for five consecutive years. In a similar fashion, he served as chairman of the Prison Chaplaincy Services of Jamaica, chairman of the AIDS Advisory Committee of St. Elizabeth, chairman of the Santa Cruz Ministers’ fraternal, and Police chaplain of the Santa Cruz police department.
Currently, Rev. Bennett serves as Chairman and commissioner of the Urban Enterprise Zone Advisory Board in the City of Paterson. He is a religion columnist, with the Weekly Gleaner, a Caribbean Newspaper which circulates New York, Canada and the UK.
With all his civic and professional involvement his family and colleagues know
Rev. Andrew Bennett foremost as an Evangelist. As a covenant evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Amsterdam 2000 Conference-Holland, Pastor Bennett’s primary purpose and life ambition is to win lost people to Jesus.
He currently serves as pastor of the BridgeHope Community Church, a responsibility he assumed in the year 2000, responding to the call of God to come to the mission field of Paterson New Jersey. He has also had the distinguished privilege of serving as the Director of Discipling Ministries on the District Executive Board, Eastern District of The Missionary Church and former Director of Passaic County Future Lives Initiative Program.
Rev. Andrew R. Bennett, Sr. enjoys Reading, Golf, Chess, Basketball, Soccer, Table Tennis and Weight training. He holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theology (BTh.) and a Masters in Theological Studies from Palmer Theological Seminary.