Reverend Kenneth Hammond

Reverend Kenneth Hammond

Reverend Kenneth Hammond bears witness to the success of East Carolina University’s mission to inspire service-minded graduates in a host of career fields and the possibilities open to those with the dedication to pursue a dream with tenacity. A native of Winterville, North Carolina, Hammond enrolled at nearby East Carolina University alongside a growing number of African American students on campus as the school continued its initial period of racial integration that began in 1963. Hammond was a member of S.O.U.L.S. (Society of United Liberal Students), served as the secretary of Minority Affairs, and was a charter member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the first black Greek organization on campus. Hammond also participated in the Lambda-Eta Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 1973. Hammond’s prominence as an undergraduate earned him recognition as one of “Who’s Who among Students in America’s Colleges and Universities” in 1973.

Hammond began working in the College Union as an undergraduate, progressing through roles as a program director, assistant director, and associate director in Mendenhall Student Center. He also directed Minority Arts Programming for the Minority Arts Committee in the 1970s. Hammond continued to work for the university until 1991, but his work obligations did not prevent him from continuing his education. Hammond earned a master’s degree in education from ECU in 1983; a certificate for advanced study from ECU in 1985; and a Master of Divinity degree from Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh. After finishing his education, Hammond began a transition toward full-time Christian ministry. His father had been a successful pastor during Hammond’s childhood. While in his sophomore year at ECU, the young Ken Hammond embraced full-time ministry as his own calling.

Hammond worked as a youth pastor at Mount Shiloh Baptist Church in Winterville, pastor of Cedar Grove Baptist Church in Greenville, and pastor of Mount Shiloh Baptist Church in Williamston while continuing his work on campus at ECU. In 1991, Hammond left East Carolina to become the senior pastor of Union Baptist Church in Durham, fulfilling his long-held dream of focusing solely on his new role as a clergy. A modest-sized church of about 1000 members and 150 regular attendees when he arrived, Reverend Hammond oversaw a period of unprecedented, explosive growth for Union Baptist. By 2008, the church’s membership stood at 4,500: an increase of more than 3000 members under Hammond’s leadership. The church’s staff swelled to keep apace with the growth. During Hammond’s tenure as senior pastor, Union Baptist partnered with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School to start Global Scholars Academy, a K-8 school dedicated to providing excellent education for at-risk youth in Durham’s poorest communities.

Hammond has been recognized on several occasions for his outstanding work. In 2008, he was named an ECU Outstanding Alumni and in 2016, ECU awarded him with the Dr. Andrew Best Trailblazer Award. Hammond has served as a pastor mentor at Duke Divinity School and taught as an adjunct professor for United Christian Bible Institute. Hammond’s daughter, Dr. Kennetta Hammond Perry, forged her own path at ECU as a professor in the History Department from which her father graduated. Outstanding in her own way, Dr. Perry accepted a readership at De Montfort University in Leicester, England in 2018. Rev. Kenneth Hammond’s legacy of activism, service, and compassion for others continues through his consistent investment in the mission of East Carolina University and in the countless lives touched by his faithfulness to his community.

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Additional Related Material

Ken Hammond and ECU
Ken Hammond and ECU

Citation Information

Title: Reverend Kenneth Hammond

Author: John A. Tucker, PhD

Date of Publication: 6/25/2019

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