Teachers / Volunteers
our staff
At Emerald Beach Church of Christ, we are blessed by faithful Christians who generously share their time, talents, and knowledge in service to God and others.
Children's class teachers
Jodi Hendrix
Jodi Hendrix
Jodi Hendrix
Jodi has faithfully served as a Sunday School and Wednesday evening Bible class teacher since 2010. She began teaching in the nursery alongside an experienced Sunday School teacher and, over the years, worked with several different age groups before finding her place teaching children ages nine through twelve.
Joy Riggs
Jodi Hendrix
Jodi Hendrix
Since 1979, Joy has shared God's word with young children throughout the Southeast and Oklahoma. She has taught all preschool age groups, from cradle roll to five-year-old's. Guided by the belief that training up a child is a vital responsibility for both parents and teachers, Joy pours her heart into foundational faith education. She invites any women interested in this rewarding ministry to step into her classroom and observe a class in action.
Sunday Morning Auditorium Class
Mark Riggs
Ben Balentine
Ben Balentine
Mark brings over four decades of dedicated ministry experience to our community, having begun teaching adult Bible classes in 1983. Throughout his journey, he has invested in believers of all ages, teaching Junior High, Senior High, and adult classes.
As professional opportunities moved his family across the Southeast and Midwest - including Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma - Mark consistently plugged into local body life. Over the years, he has faithfully served various congregations as a song leader, deacon, and elder bringing a wealth of diverse leadership experience and a deep love for the local church.
Ben Balentine
Ben Balentine
Ben Balentine
Ben is a retired teacher and coach from Huntsville, Alabama. After moving to Panama City Beach in 2018, he continued his passion for education by teaching in Bay District Schools.
Ben enjoys teaching at Emerald Beach Church of Christ, where the knowledge and active participation of fellow members create meaningful class discussions and encourage him to spend even more time studying God’s Word.
He believes Scripture is best understood through careful study of its context and by allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, seeking to understand the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
Jeff Potts
Ben Balentine
Jeff Potts
Jeff Potts has been a member of Emerald Beach Church of Christ since 2018. I was active duty in the United States Army from 1981 till 2001. I’ve been involved in the Church of Christ from an early age. My father was a minister, retiring a few years back at the age of 90. During my time at Emerald Beach, I have been involved in many church functions as well as church secretary. I am a part of the Adult Class teaching staff.
Adult Teachers
Marie Patterson - Women's Studies
Marie Patterson - Women's Studies
Marie Patterson - Women's Studies
Marie has been a faithful member of Emerald Beach Church of Christ since its earliest days, when the congregation gathered for worship in the Hutchinson Elementary School cafeteria. Throughout the years, she has shared her love for God’s Word by teaching Bible classes for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students, as well as serving in Vacation Bible School. Since retiring, Marie has devoted her time to leading a weekly Ladies’ Bible Class, creating a welcoming place for women to study Scripture, grow in faith, and encourage one another. The class also supports meaningful projects that provide assistance to members of the congregation and others throughout the community. This ministry continues to be a source of inspiration and encouragement—not only to Marie, but also to the many women and individuals whose lives it touches.
Ron Hatchet - New Christians
Marie Patterson - Women's Studies
Marie Patterson - Women's Studies
Ron graduated from Freed-Hardeman College with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 1977 and received his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama in 1985. He worked with children in foster and adoptive care during his career. He and his wife are retired and moved to Panama City Beach in August of 2023 from Nashville, where they had lived for 38 years.
SONG LEADERS
Ron Hatchet
Thomas V. Hendrix "Van"
Ron Hatchet
Ron graduated from Freed-Hardeman College with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 1977 and received his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Alabama in 1985. He worked with children in foster and adoptive care during his career. He and his wife are retired and moved to Panama City Beach in August of 2023 from Nashville, where they had lived for 38 years.
Mark Riggs
Thomas V. Hendrix "Van"
Ron Hatchet
Mark brings over four decades of dedicated ministry experience to our community, having begun teaching adult Bible classes in 1983. Throughout his journey, he has invested in believers of all ages, teaching Junior High, Senior High, and adult classes.
As professional opportunities moved his family across the Southeast and Midwest - including Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma - Mark consistently plugged into local body life. Over the years, he has faithfully served various congregations as a song leader, deacon, and elder bringing a wealth of diverse leadership experience and a deep love for the local church.
Thomas V. Hendrix "Van"
Thomas V. Hendrix "Van"
Thomas V. Hendrix "Van"
Van’s service as a song leader at Emerald Beach Church of Christ began in 2005. Although he did not live in the area at the time, he traveled from Columbus, Georgia, whenever the congregation needed him. During those early years, Van had the privilege of worshiping alongside many of Emerald Beach’s “first families” at the elementary school, before the church building was constructed on Alf Coleman Road.
AUDIO VISUAL / LIVE STREAM
Ron Hatchet
Irene McKellar
Irene McKellar
Irene McKellar
Irene McKellar
Irene McKellar
Brandon Suitt
Brandon Suitt
Brandon Suitt
Jodi Hendrix
Brandon Suitt
Brandon Suitt
“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”
— Galatians 5:13
Service Times
SUNDAY
Bible Class: 9:00 AM
Worship: 10:00 AM
WEDNESDAY
Bible Study: 7:00 PM