PHOENIX — For Reverend Doctor Warren Stewart, Sr., changing society for the better has always been intertwined with his faith in the good news.
Now, with retirement on the horizon, the civil rights icon is looking back on the difference he has made.
Before his love of preaching helped him become the senior pastor at Phoenix's oldest black Baptist church, Stewart had to overcome a big challenge.
“I went to speech therapy all of my elementary school and in junior high because I had a terrible stutter and stammering,” said Stewart, the senior pastor at First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix.
At 16, Stewart came to faith. A year later, he decided to preach a trial sermon which changed everything.
“One of the old deacons came up to me and said, ‘Boy, the Lord done surely called you to preach because I didn’t know how you were going to preach because you couldn’t even talk,’” said Stewart.
That voice took him on a journey and into new battles for justice, equality, and civil rights, with the weight of an unshakable doctrine pushing him forward.
“God created everyone equal, regardless of the color of your skin, regardless of your class, regardless of your status, your wealth… everyone is created equal in the sight of God,” said Stewart.
That fight crystalized in Stewart’s efforts to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day an official holiday in Arizona.
It was a tough time for the pastor, who frequently faced hateful pushback.
“We press forward. There are some things you have to be willing to die for, and justice is one of those things,” said Stewart.
In November 1992, with the help of voters, the MLK Jr. holiday was recognized and Stewart’s fight became a victory.
“Oh, it was amazing,” said Stewart.
Now, after shepherding his congregation for 48 years, it is time to pass on the staff and retire.
And while he will not be fully gone from his church, he leaves behind a legacy resounding far beyond its walls.
“‘If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living will not be in vain.’ If I helped somebody in these 48 years... thank you, Lord,” said Stewart.
