A house RESOLUTION

 

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. BOBBY G. HANKERSON FOR HIS FORTY-TWO YEARS OF EXEMPLARY PASTORAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE.

 

Whereas, it is with great pleasure that the South Carolina House of Representatives honors those individuals who give tirelessly of themselves to nurture the souls of men; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Bobby G. Hankerson, pastor of Hammond Grove Baptist Church Word Power Ministry in North Augusta, stands among their number as an outstanding minister of the gospel, one much admired in his roles as pastor and community leader; and

 

Whereas, a native of Augusta, Georgia, the young Bobby prepared himself for the gospel ministry by taking his bachelor's degree magna cum laude from the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee. In furthering his education, he attended Erskine College Seminary in Due West and received his bachelor's degree in theology and his master's degree in pastoral counseling from the Andersonville Baptist Seminary in Camilla, Georgia. He also studied at the College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy at Walden Correctional Institution and received his doctorate in theology from the Andersonville Baptist Seminary; and

 

Whereas, Pastor Hankerson retired from Gracewood State School and Hospital after serving more than thirty-one years as a physical therapy technician. Prior to his work with Gracewood, he served as an organizer of the local Weed and Seed National Crime Prevention Program. A past president of the Barton Chapel Progressive Neighborhood Association, he also served as Augusta-Richmond County commissioner for District 5 (2002-2005); and

 

Whereas, Reverend Hankerson has forty-two years of pastoral experience. In 1991, he was installed as pastor of Hammond Grove Baptist Church Word Power Ministry in North Augusta, and he has served there as pastor for more than thirty-two years. He also serves as dean of the Augusta Theological Seminary in Georgia, where he has extended the program to serve in Richmond, Burke, and Aiken counties; and

 

Whereas, the church purchased 22.6 acres of land in 1996 and paid off the loan in 2005. Hammond Grove entered into an agreement with Walton Rehabilitation Hospital in 2000 to purchase 9.67 acres of land on West Five Notch Road under the condition that the ministry obtain a capital advance from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop a forty-unit housing complex. This agreement resulted in Vincent Village, a senior-citizen housing complex. In addition, under Reverend Hankerson's leadership his congregation dedicated a new church building in 2008; and

 

Whereas, a certified law enforcement chaplain, Dr. Hankerson is a graduate of the Richmond County Citizen Police Academy and a member of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, Chaplains' Division. Previously, he had served for five years as chaplain at the Augusta State Medical Prison. He currently serves as senior chaplain at the South Carolina Department of Corrections, where he has received numerous awards, and he is also a chaplain for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Augusta, Georgia. Most recently, he organized a certified class in clinical pastoral education for ministers interested in chaplaincy; and

 

Whereas, Pastor Hankerson has a great desire to serve his community and continues to be active. He loves people and enjoys preaching the gospel. Most of all, he loves God with all his heart and continues to serve the Lord every day of his life. Within his family, Dr. Hankerson serves as husband; father of three; and delighted grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather; and

 

Whereas, the House, cognizant of his many years of spiritual nourishment of the people of South Carolina, offers grateful thanks to Dr. Hankerson for his faithful ministry and wishes him God's best as he continues to run the race the Lord has set before him. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Dr. Bobby G. Hankerson for his forty-two years of exemplary pastoral and community service.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Bobby G. Hankerson.

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