“Character is made of duty and love and sympathy, and above all, of living and working for others” — Robert Green Ingersoll

The Rev Dr Carmen Stewart, OJ was an extraordinary woman who was a source of great inspiration to me and I wish to document my reflections on this woman of God who touched thousands of lives with her love and humility and who departed this life on March 8, 2020, aged 95.

She lived her life with the purpose of living and loving God and carrying out His work through Jesus Christ, always presenting herself as a catalytic woman belonging to something larger. Her life-changing work in the church and in civil/national and international affairs will be etched in the anals of history.

Rev Carmen was a trusted humanitarian who remodelled and transformed how justices of the peace (JPs) carried out their commission and the roles they were assigned. It was in this capacity that I met her, while new to the role of JP. I will never forget her warm, delightful and peaceful smile, while not accepting anything but pillars of excellence from those who served with her. When I think of her I remember Phillipians 2:5: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”

All the communities with whom she interacted recognised that Bishop Carmen Stewart was a woman of integrity and purpose who lived the Pentecostal mission to serve God and Jesus in word and deed.

Her life of service began over 50 years ago, in the 1960s, when she joined her late husband Wilbert at Pentecostal Gospel Temple on Winward Road in Kingston which he founded. Together they built the ministry which embedded itself in the life of the community, contributing to welfare, education and family life counselling, among others.

She assumed the leadership of the ministry three years after his death and led it for some 44 years thereafter. She served as custos of St Andrew from 1992 to 2010 and was the first female custos of the parish. In 1996, she also became the first female deputy governor general.

Bishop Stewart chaired the National Religious Media Commission from 1995 to 1996 and played a major role in the development of Love 101 FM.

However, it was as pastor of Pentecostal Gospel Temple that she made perhaps her greatest contribution, and in 2006 she was honoured for 50 years of pastoral work by the church. She played a significant role in popularising and gaining acceptance for the Pentecostal Church in Jamaica.

Rev Carmen was also a director of the Bureau of Health Education in the Ministry of Health, and founded Wilbert Stewart Basic School in Mountain View, St Andrew, named in honour of her late husband. She also served for many years as an honorary tutor at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

Lieutenant Commander John McFarlane, OD, former acting custos of St Andrew, who worked with Rev Stewart for many years, notes that she was “very sensitive to the needs of her JPs and was always active in leading and inspiring communities to realise their best possibilities”.

“Her directness always impressed me; she would lead from the front while always supporting the JPs. Under her leadership the numbers of JPs increased and via the Justice Training Institute, in which she played a critical role, training was ramped up enabling them to be better prepared for leadership,” notes the renowned tenor and musician who stewart often requested to sing at her many functions for over 30 years.

“She was transformative and always positive,” he affirms.

Bishop Stewart made an indelible imprint on many lives. One such was Norman Grant, a former senator and a champion of Jamaica’s agricultural sector who notes: “The late Rev Bishop Carmen Stewart, former custos of St Andrew and deputy governor general, commissioned me as a justice of the peace when I was only 28 years old, which was over 27 years ago, and at that time she referred to me as ‘Baby JP’. I benefited from her tremendous wisdom and training at the Justice Training Institute, which she led.

“I recalled when I was president of the Kingston and St Andrew Association of Branch Societies of the Jamaica Agricultural Society we reintroduced the Agricultural Parish Show on the Jamaica College grounds in 1996, after a 25-year absence, she was there to support the show and the farmers of Kingston and St Andrew. She supported this event annually, either in her personal capacity or representing the office of the governor general of Jamaica,” he points out. 

Her Mission

Long-time aide Jacinth Campbell witnessed up close the work of Rev Stewart and is well situated to outline the scope of her work. “As a servant of the people she directed and managed a board of management; equipping and spearheading the development of 11 outstation churches; instituted a skills training centre, specialising in training in hospitality skills; was responsible for the establishment of a basic school and the construction of a multi-purpose building,” she outlines.

“The church she led adopted as community projects, Sirgarny Housing Scheme, Manley Meadows and Rae Town, and established the Montamil Home for Senior Citizens. In addition she was responsible for organising a Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade group which assisted young people to become followers of Christ and to be involved in community service.

“At one time she organised the setting up of a thrift shop which served the community with food items and clothing. Her skills in entrepreneurship also saw her setting up a hat shop, which was named Carvel’s Hat Shop and which provided employment for the members of the church,” she pointed out.

The work of this awesome Jamaican woman is an inspiration to mankind everywhere and her memory shall live on to the greater glory of God.