A dedication service honoring the late Rev. Dr. James O. Pope Sr., former pastor and founder of True Life Missionary Baptist Church, recently was held at the church in advance of a street-naming ceremony.
The speaker for the occasion was the Rev. Dr. Ed Parker, who recently retired as pastor of the Berean Baptist Church. His topic – taken from John 13:31-35 – was “By This Sign … Thou Shall Know.”
After the service, members of the congregation drove to the corner of Raines Road and Neely Road, for the unveiling of a sign denoting Reverend Dr. James O. Pope, Sr. Boulevard. It was unveiled by the new pastor of True Life MBC, the Reverend Antonio M. Smith.
Dr. Pope was a 1956 graduate of Hamilton High School and attended LeMoyne-Owen College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science in 1973. He received a Master of Religious Arts in Theology in 2000 and his Doctor of Theology in 2001 from Jacksonville Theological Seminary.
Dr. Pope was one of the first Blacks to serve as a supervisor for the Memphis Area Transit Authority. He pastored in Whitehaven for 45-plus years. His first pastoral assignment was Mt. Joyner Baptist Church, where he served for 15 years.
Later, Dr. Pope organized True Life Missionary Baptist Church on Raines Road, where he served for 32 years. He taught in the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education for 20 years on “The Miracles of Jesus.”
A Man of service and leadership, Dr. Pope served as a dean of the Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association, chairman of Transportation and co-chairman of the Memphis City-Wide Revivals, and executive treasurer and moderator of the Whitehaven District Association. He provided free after-school tutoring services for students requesting additional support and worked with the juvenile justice system to provide children with a second chance.
The street naming was approved by the Memphis City Council, with primary sponsorship by Councilmembers Cheyenne Johnson and Jamita Swearengen. It affixes the honorary designation for Neely Road between Raines Road and Shelby Drive.
