Hawkinsville Church, 7463 Pinewood Dr., is honoring Dr. Bobby L. and Patricia T. Hampton, Sr for 34 years of "dedicated service as a senior pastor, visionary, community leader and servant of the city of Chattanooga and beyond." The celebration will be held on Sunday, July 22 at 10 a.m.
"This event is open to the public to come and celebrate a living legend of our community," officials said. "The celebration marks a milestone of Dr. Bobby L. Hampton, Sr many accomplishments.
"Pastor Hampton became the senior pastor of the Hawkinsville Missionary Baptist Church in 1984, while Pinewood Road and Gunbarrel Road were still considered a rural area. However, in August 1987, Hamilton Place Mall, considered the largest in Tennessee, opened its doors.
This caused a mega boom in the growth of the East Brainerd and Tyner areas. Pinewood Road was paved, and that gave a gateway to the location of the church.
"The Hawkinsville Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1910 in a small home in what was considered rural Tyner. Today, Volkswagen, Amazon and Enterprise South occupy the land. In the early 1940s, the families that lived there were forced out by the United States government in order to build the Volunteer Army Ammunition TNT Plant for World War II. The families created the land and woods to build a community five miles from what is known as Enterprise South.
"As the Gunbarrel Road vicinity, East Brainerd and Tyner began to blossom, under the leadership of Dr. Hampton, there was the construction of two new church facilities. Pastor Hampton had a significant vision for another construction - the building of a large, new modern facility to handle the rapid community growth of East Brainerd, Tyner and Gunbarrel Road. The future generations had no idea of the 2008 announcements of Volkswagon, Amazon, new jobs, housing growth, new schools, etc. would change the future. Hawkinsville Church's new worship facility opened in 2006 in the center of the center of the fastest growing area."