Center For Cultural Events

Christian singer returns for concert

Written by By Dave Kurtz dkurtz@kpcnews.net   

Thursday, 23 July 2009 01:00

AUBURN — Before he became a nationally known Christian singer, Jeoffrey Benward lived in Auburn for a couple of years in the early 1970s.

His son, Aaron, was born at DeKalb Memorial Hospital in Auburn in 1973. Nearly two decades later, the father and son formed a duo known as Aaron Jeoffrey and recorded nine No. 1 Christian music songs, including their biggest hit, “He Is.”

Friday night, Jeoffrey Benward will return to Auburn to sing in a free concert at 7:30 at the DeKalb Outdoor Theater.

His concert will introduce the world to a new Benward duet — featuring Jeoffery Benward and his grandson, Luke, 14.

“I’ve asked him to do a song. It will be a night to remember for me,” grandfather Benward said. “This is the first time, so it’ll be fun. I’m just looking forward to hanging out with him. He sure can sing. He’s a delight. I’m so proud of him.”

To the younger generation, Luke Benward is likely to be better known than his grandfather. The teen Benward played Charlie in “Minutemen,” a Disney Channel original movie, and starred in a 2006 theatrical film, “How to Eat Fried Worms.”

Luke Benward also has become the third generation of his family to record a CD album. His musical group, I Shine, tours churches across the nation, encouraging tween-agers (11-12) to accept themselves for who they are, Jeoffrey Benward said.

Luke’s next acting role will be portraying an autistic boy in “Dear John,” a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, which is scheduled for release in theaters later this year. Luke is the great-grandson of Beverly and Richard Dove of Butler.

Luke’s father, Aaron Benward, manages the young actor’s career and sings in a country music duo, Blue County.

“I’m blessed. I really am,” Jeoffrey Benward said about his talented family.

The elder Benward also has branched into managing a Christian band known as Family Jones, consisting of two parents and their five children. Jeoffrey Benward is planning to record his own album of Christmas songs soon, he said.

Benward is coming to Auburn at the invitation of longtime friends from New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo — Pastor Ralph Diehl and Anita Diehl and their son, Pastor Adam Diehl.

New Hope’s choir will open Friday’s concert. Adam Diehl said he asked himself, “What can we do that’s just awesome and big? I like big ideas.” He answered his question by arranging for Benward’s performance.

The New Hope Choir features 30 voices and a live band. Diehl said it performs both “timeless” and modern songs.

Friday will bring a climax to the choir’s performance tour, which made stops this week at Bluffton, the Noble County Fair and Steuben County Fair.