This fall, Tamarind Avenue church celebrated 60 years of ministry in Compton.
The congregation can trace its roots as early as 1957 from a seed planted by R. Hope Robertson, then pastor of the Philadelphian church in Long Beach. The former Baptist Church of Compton came the location of Tamarind Avenue church under Robertson’s leadership when the Tamarind congregation was officially organized as a church in 1965.
Leading up to the jubilee celebration were weeknight services from guest speakers whose messages highlighted different attributes of Jesus. James Kyle II, pastor of Living Hope church and former Tamarind pastor (2006-2013), was the speaker on Sabbath morning, with a message entitled “What Has He Done for Me Lately?”
Various people and groups significant to Tamarind’s history participated in the service in meaningful ways. Music was provided by The Ambassador Chorale, a group conceived by Elder Herman Clements in 1986, who traveled from Arkansas to be at the celebration. The Compton Samoan church, for whom Tamarind was the mother church, gifted Tamarind with a check. City of Compton Mayor Emma Sharif and a representative for California Assemblymember Mike Gipson also shared letters of gratitude for the church’s contributions to the city.
The church has celebrated the anniversary throughout the year with community events, including a weekend of service for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, food giveaways for Easter and Thanksgiving, and a food scarcity resource workshop in July.
“For 60 years, Tamarind has been a lighthouse in Compton; not perfect, but faithful; not always full, but always alive,” said Justino Jorge, Tamarind associate pastor. “We honor the past not to stay there but to declare that the same God who started this work is not finished yet. May your next 60 years be filled with revival, reconciliation, and with power.”
