[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 111 (Friday, June 27, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E630-E631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING PASTOR WARREN STEWART, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREG STANTON

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 27, 2025

  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a remarkable public 
servant, leader, and civil rights trailblazer, Pastor Warren Stewart, 
Sr., on the occasion of his retirement as Senior Pastor at Arizona's 
First Institutional Baptist Church.
  God called Pastor Stewart to Arizona 48 years ago, and he has been 
speaking truth to power in the state ever since. Each Sunday, Pastor 
Stewart's sermons and service work inspired Arizonans to better their 
community and uplift their neighbors. From the helm of Phoenix's oldest 
African American Baptist church, Pastor Stewart used his platform to 
advance justice and civil rights across our state. His guiding 
principle: Jesus and Justice work together.
  His advocacy is well illustrated by the battle to establish Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Day as a state holiday. 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, 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 historic, long 
overdue vote.
  As the longest-serving leader of the First Institutional Baptist 
Church, Pastor Stewart has traveled extensively, preaching in 39 states 
and territories and 60 countries, and has received 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 from 
mental health issues.
  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, all created under Pastor Stewart, 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 
across Africa.
  Pastor Stewart's impressive academic and public service record led to 
roles as Chair of the National Immigration Forum and President of 
American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest. He was proclaimed a 
``State History Maker'' by the Arizona Historical Society. Under 
unanimous direction of the Phoenix City Council, the street in front of 
the First Institutional Baptist Church was renamed ``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.
  I have personally been blessed to know him as a friend and trusted 
advisor. He'll be the first to tell you he couldn't have enjoyed such a 
long career without the love and support of his wife, Reverend Dr. 
Karen Stewart, and their children and grandchildren. We thank the 
entire Stewart family for sharing him with us.
  I thank Pastor Stewart for his decades of service to our community, 
and may your quest for moral justice continue in your next chapter. 
Godspeed.

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