An honorary street naming will be held at 10 am on Thursday, October 17, at the corner of Phelps Street and Madison Avenue to honor Pastor Richard K. Hammonds, a pastor who has served the community for 45 years and founded the Gospel Experience Church.
The location was chosen due to its proximity to the Gospel Experience Church, 3101 NE Madison Avenue.
Speakers at the event will include Mayor Rita Ali, Councilman Tim Riggenbach, Gospel Experience Church Administrative Assistant Ocelee Qualls, and Pastor Hammonds.
Pastor Hammonds began the Gospel Experience Church in 1979, where services were held at the YMCA. From there, the church moved to a location at 511 Spring Street. Over the years, the church grew and moved to its current location, 3101 NE Madison Avenue. Pastor Hammonds has been in the ministry preaching for 45 years.
When Pastor Hammonds is not preaching at the Gospel Experience Church, he’s preaching at various engagements around the City and out of town. Hammonds is an advocate for the community, having promoted food drives, established scholarships for Peoria High School seniors, and beautified the community with several projects.
A video of the event will be available on the City of Peoria YouTube page.