[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 110 (Thursday, June 26, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2980-H2981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING PASTOR WARREN STEWART, SR.

  (Mr. Stanton of Arizona was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a remarkable public 
servant, faith leader, and civil rights trailblazer, Pastor Warren 
Stewart, Sr., on the occasion of his retirement as senior pastor at 
First Institutional Baptist Church in downtown Phoenix.
  God called Pastor Stewart to Arizona 48 years ago, and he has been 
speaking truth to power in our State ever since. Each Sunday, Pastor 
Stewart's sermons and service work inspire Arizonans to better their 
community and to uplift their neighbors.
  From the helm of Phoenix's oldest African-American Baptist church in 
Arizona, Pastor Stewart used his platform to advance justice and civil 
rights across our State.
  His guiding principle is Jesus and justice work together. His 
advocacy is well-illustrated by the battle to establish Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Day as a State holiday in Arizona. By 1992, Arizona was the 
last State refusing to recognize MLK Day, despite the Federal holiday 
being signed into law nearly a decade prior.
  Pastor Stewart fought to correct this injustice, leading multiple 
movements to get the holiday initiative on the ballot. He mobilized 
coalitions across political spectrums, religions, and cultural 
backgrounds to come together to win this long overdue public vote.
  As the longest serving leader of the First Institutional Baptist 
Church, Pastor Stewart traveled extensively, preaching in 39 States and 
territories and in 60 countries. He has received many, many accolades 
for his contributions to our community and beyond.
  Following the teachings of the Gospel, his work always focused on the 
poorest and neediest immigrants, unsheltered people and veterans, and 
those suffering with mental health challenges.
  Pastor Stewart and the church turned Christian values into action. 
FIBCO Family Services, Samaritan House for Homeless Families, Ujima 
House for Unwed Teenage Mothers and their Infants, and the Broadway 
House were all created under Pastor Stewart. They minister to those 
most in need of compassion and care. FIBCO has become a hallmark in 
Phoenix's nonprofit scene and has even taken their mission abroad, 
expanding into Africa.
  Pastor Stewart's impressive academic and public service record led to 
roles as chair of the National Immigration Forum and president of the 
American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest.
  He was proclaimed a State Historymaker by the Arizona Historical 
Society. Under unanimous direction of the Phoenix City Council, the 
street in front of his church was named ``Dr. Warren H. Stewart Way.''
  Today, all of Arizona congratulates our very own living legend on his 
well-deserved retirement. Pastor Stewart's career and contributions 
have cemented him as one of Arizona's greatest religious leaders and 
greatest overall Arizonans.
  I personally have been blessed to know him as a friend and trusted 
adviser. He will be the first to say he couldn't have enjoyed such a 
long and stellar career without the love and support of his wife, the 
Reverend Dr. Karen Stewart, and their children and grandchildren. We 
thank the entire Stewart family for sharing this great man with all of 
us.
  We thank Pastor Stewart for his decades of commitment to our 
community. May his quest for moral justice continue in whatever he does 
next. Godspeed.

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