Don’t say anything about retirement around 70-year music ministry veteran Dennis Pouncey.
He may have just ended 20 years of service as minister of music at Memorial Heights Baptist Church, Montgomery, Sept. 9, but he still plans to remain active in the church.
He’s focusing on lay ministry, serving as a deacon and teaching Sunday School.
Pouncey, 81, also plans to remain active with Memorial Heights Baptist’s choir, now singing rather than leading. He credits his former pastor W.H. Kamplain for teaching him the basics of music and piano.
Pouncey’s father was also instrumental in instilling a love of music in him.
He began playing the piano in church at 11 for his father, Marshall, who was serving as minister of music at Bethlehem Baptist Church near Sellers.
Playing piano as a youth marked the beginning of Pouncey’s love affair with music and desire to use it to minister to others.
“It began then and through the years, it’s been tremendous,” he said. “Music touched my heart and I tried to relate it to other people.”
In addition to Memorial Heights, Pouncey also served at three other churches in Montgomery Baptist Association — Woodley East Baptist, Westgate Baptist and Southlawn Baptist.
Many people present at a Sept. 9 celebration of Pouncey’s career represented various eras of his music ministry, like The Melody Masters Quartet, a group he founded in the 1950s.
Friends from other gospel quartets Pouncey was associated with during his career were also present to wish him well.
“We all had a good time reminiscing about the old days,” he said.
His departure as minister of music means a team in place at Memorial Heights for 20 years will no longer be intact.
Stanley Holt will celebrate his 23rd anniversary as pastor in April, and Gerry Goram plans to continue serving as pianist as she has for the last 20 years.
Holt said Pouncey’s disposition made it obvious he enjoyed his work. “He was so easy to work with and loved the Lord,” Holt said.
He added that Pouncey sought out the right music for the church’s choir and was able to make it work. “They responded to him well,” he said.
Goram said Pouncey also displayed patience and a willingness to work with singers in the choir who needed a little bit of extra attention.
“The love of the Lord shone through Dennis’ face,” she said. “He is one of the finest Christian men I have ever met.”
Along with continuing to serve as a member of the church, Pouncey leads devotional services and plays the piano at John Knox Manor Retirement Community in Montgomery, where he is a resident. His wife, Edna, passed away in 1998.
Share with others: