BATON ROUGE — After serving as pastor at both New Hope Baptist Church and Second Baptist Church for nearly 50 years, Rev. Leo D. Cyrus Sr. is officially retiring. 

The reverend served as pastor at New Hope for 48 years and at Second Baptist for 41 years.

Cyrus will be honored with a pair of events at New Hope, which is on Greenwell Springs Road. Both events aim to celebrate his legacy and contributions to the community.

Saturday, March 22 is being deemed as a day of service in the pastor's name with members of the church picking up litter and volunteering at the food bank. On the following Sunday, parishioners are invited to attend the Culminating Worship Experience event, which will be a tribute to Rev. Cyrus featuring music and testimonies from community members.