The Rev. E.H. Hopkins, Pastor Emeritus of the Mother Easter Baptist Church, will be the guest speaker at Pleasant Hill M.B. Church of Funston, Ga., as they  celebrate their 14th Annual Church Banquet on Saturday, May 17, at 6 p.m., at The Funston Community Center.

Hopkins is one of ten children born to the late Deacon Ananias and Mother Arletha M. Hopkins. He grew up on a farm in Thomas County, Ga. He has always been involved with church work and is a life-long member of the Springhill Missionary Baptist Church of Thomas County, Ga.

He graduated from Douglass High School in Thomasville, in 1953.  Realizing the importance of continuing his education, he worked his way through institutions of higher learning. He received a bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State College in Fort Valley, Ga., in 1957. After spending a year in graduate school at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Ill., he was invited to return to Douglass High School, his alma mater, to teach mathematics. One year later, he enrolled in Atlanta University in Atlanta, Ga., to complete his master’s degree in mathematics.

Hopkins community involvements are many, including The Ministerial Alliance, life member of the Georgia Retired Teachers Association, life member of the Fort Valley State University Alumni Association, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

In June of 2009, he retired as pastor of Mother Easter Baptist Church after 47 years of dedicated, committed, continuous, and loving service.

Upon his retirement, he became Pastor Emeritus of Mother Easter.