Honorary Doctorate, 2007
Rev. Dr. H. James “Jim” Hopkins
Rev. Dr. H. James “Jim” Hopkins is retiring after serving as Senior Pastor at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church since 1989! Rev. Dr. Hopkins earned his Master of Divinity in 1983 and received an honorary doctorate in 2007 from Berkeley School of Theology.
Additionally, he served on BST’s Board of Trustees from 2007 – 2015. For 37 years, Pastor Jim served LABC as a preacher, teacher, and writer, offering pastoral care and leadership. Pastor Jim also serves as Pastor of LABC’s partner church, Oakland First Baptist Church. His dedication to his congregation and the wider community is a core part of his calling. In addition to his pastoral duties, he has held several key leadership positions, including President of the Lakeshore Avenue Business Improvement District, President of the American Baptist Ministers Council of Northern California, Co-Chair of the Faith In Action East Bay Board, Vice President of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, faith leader in the Oakland Ceasefire Partnership, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Before his tenure at LABC, Pastor Jim served as the Associate Pastor of The First Baptist Church of Los Angeles. Please join us in celebrating Pastor Jim’s retirement and his decades of dedicated service and leadership!
Doctor of Ministry, 2014
Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George
Congratulations Rev. Dr. Barbara Jim-George, classes of 2010 (M.Div.) and 2014 (D.Min.)! Dr. Jim-George was recently elected as Assistant Dean of the Congress of Christian Education at the Progressive National Baptist Convention’s Southwest Region’s conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dr. Jim-George serves as Executive Pastor for the True Faith Community Baptist Church in Antioch, California, and is Dean of the Ministers and Lay Leaders Development Institute. Previously, Dr. Jim-George lead Transforming Ministries Group, a 501 (C)(3) nonprofit organization that taught girls aged 11-16 on methods to avoid human trafficking entrapments; and consulted congregations and faith-based organization leaders on forming faith responses to human trafficking of children in their congregations and communities. She has served at all three board levels for the American Baptist Churches, USA Ministers Council, and graduated with honors and awards for both of her degrees from BST.
The Honorable Dr. Barbara Lee
The Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Lee (2014 honorary doctorate) first became involved in politics in 1972 while working on Shirley Chisolm’s presidential campaign and served as a delegate from California at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from Mills College, she earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley. While in graduate school, Lee founded Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education (CHANGE), a mental health services organization for underserved communities. After serving as chief of staff for U.S. Representative Ron Dellums, Lee was elected to the California State Assembly, serving from 1990-1996, and subsequently the California State Senate from 1996-1998. In 1998, Rep. Lee was elected to Congress and will retire at the end of this term. Rep. Lee has been a member of BST’s Board of Trustees since 2017 and has served faithfully on various committees. At a Board Meeting, BST honored Rep. Dr. Lee for her many years of service and her positive impact on our country.
Rev. Dr. Shane B. Scott
On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, Rev. Dr. Scott formally began as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to this position, for 12 years Rev. Dr. Scott served as Senior Pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, in Watts (Los Angeles), California. A native of Franklin, Louisiana, and raised in Richmond, California, Dr. Scott graduated from Berkeley School of Theology in 2008 with a Master of Divinity degree. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy from Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and a Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary in New York City, New York. Dr. Scott also holds a certificate in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Rev. Karen Yee
Rev. Karen Yee is BST’s 2023-24 Alum of the Year! Rev. Lee is Senior Pastor at New Life Christian Fellowship, Castro Valley and is the English-speaking pastor at the Iu-Mienh Friendship Baptist Church in Richmond. She graduated in 1997 from Berkeley School of Theology with her Master of Divinity. Among her many accomplishments, she is on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS), and a liaison to the Office of the General Secretary. She served as a Trustee for Rainbow Acres, a community for developmentally challenged adults and as the Treasurer of the Executive Council of the Ministers Council of the Greater Bay Area. She was part of the Convener of the Missionary Partnership Team for Ingrid Roldan-Roman, an AB missionary serving in Panama. For 15 years, Rev. Yee was the Associate Pastor at the First Baptist Church of Alameda, an American Baptist church, serving a multi-ethnic, intergenerational congregation of Christ followers, and also served as an active lay leader at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
