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| Mamby Park Baptist Church |
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| Joseph N. Edwards |
On November 20, 1993, hundreds of persons from across
denominational lines filled the pews and overflowed into the parking lot of
Mamby Park Baptist Church on Constant Spring Road, St. Andrew, to pay their
last respects to Joseph Newton Edwards, who had given 39 years of service to
the Baptist ministry.
Pastor of Mamby Park Baptist Church for 16 years, until his death on November 4, 1993, Edwards was a man who had impacted many lives in a ministry that spanned six circuits, and more than twelve churches.
Visionary, gifted leader, wise counsellor, prolific builder ran the descriptions from the tributes to the man who would soon be laid to rest in the cemetery attached to the last church where he served. After tracing Edwards’ illustrious career, Luther Gibbs, JBU general secretary said concerning the deceased, “He was a forceful preacher, a strong leader and a trusted friend…. His prowess as a builder is evident in this beautiful and spacious chapel in which we are met today.”
Born in Ulster Spring, southern Trelawny on April 20, 1926 to Sytrequilla Edwards and her husband, Baptist minister Joseph Augustus Edwards, Joseph Newton Edwards was the sixth of nine children, the last of four boys, three of whom became Baptist pastors.
Edwards received his secondary education at Lincoln
College, operated by Baptist minister Ivan Francis and he later trained for the
ministry at Calabar Theological College, where he was enrolled from 1950 to
1954. While attending Calabar, he qualified for the London University
Certificate of Proficiency in Religious Education. Later, he undertook post
graduate studies leading to double Masters degrees in Divinity and Christian
Education at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in 1967, when this
seminary enjoyed a high academic reputation globally.
In 1954, he was ordained to the ministry at the Jones Town
Baptist Church, with JBU President Stephen James, officiating and Joscelyn
Leo-Rhynie as preacher. He then eagerly
set out to fulfil his calling as a preacher of the Gospel and a servant of
God’s Church.
His ordained ministry began in Point Hill Baptist circuit in 1951 and he ministered consecutively in the following circuits: Point Hill, 1951 to 1954; Mount Hermon, 1954 to 1960; Stewart Town and Gibraltar, 1960 to 1970; Yallahs, 1970 to 1972; Morant Bay and Leith Hall, 1973 to 1977 and Mamby Park, 1977 to 1993.
Not surprisingly, Edwards’ ministry contributed significantly to the decision of three young men to respond positively to the call to the ministry. Today they are graduates of the United Theological College. Neville Callam, one of these persons, delivered the sermon at the service of thanksgiving for Edwards’ life. He challenged the congregation to learn from the late pastor's stewardship as a Christian and a transformative leader who had entered into a life of well-deserved rest.
Under Edwards’ leadership some seven church buildings and mission houses were either built from scratch, or completed: Today, these church buildings still serve the church communities at Madras, Watt Town and Keith in the Stewart Town/ Gibraltar circuit and at Mamby Park. The mission houses were constructed in Mt. Herman, Stewart Town and Morant Bay.
“The work of the Lord has to be done through sacrificial giving,” Edwards told his Mamby Park congregation when he was about to mount what seemed an overambitious task of replacing the old, small, unattractive church building with a larger and more imposing structure — that caps the Edward’s career in “building for Christ.”
In seeking a partner for life, the then young, robust minister, was fortunate to receive the nod from Margaret Greaves, daughter of the Rev. Edmund and Mrs Muriel Greaves, of the Mt. Carey Circuit, St James. God gifted Joseph and Margaret Edwards with three daughters and a son, Margaret-Lu, Norma, Donna and Scotty. In Margaret, Joseph Edwards, like his father, found an able musician and a wonderful partner in ministry.
Speaking at Edwards’ funeral, Rev. Alfred B. Johnson, then pastor of the Clinton Avenue Presbyterian Church, New Jersey, U.S.A. recalled: “He was a good family man who exuded much joy and laughter; a laughter that was contagious.”
Other tributes presented at Edwards’ funeral came from churches locally, and abroad, from local institutions he served, as well as from pastors and friends like the Rev. Dr. Horace Russell and the Rev Dr. Cleve Grant.
A representative from Ardenne High School, where Edwards taught religious education, conveyed the positive impact the minister had on the hundreds of young people who came under his influence and praised the quiet, subtle, yet effective approach that characterised him.
Edwards’ passion for young people’s holistic development was reflected in his persistent effort to facilitate for the youth of his churches gaining exposure to camps and conferences at the Baptist Conference Centre in Duncans and in Parish Association youth rallies. It was also reflected in his sacrificial engagement in the quest to help lift the educational standard on display in the communities he served as a pastor. He was at one time or the other a member of several school boards in St. Catherine, St. Ann, Trelawny and St. Thomas.
Horace Russell paid tribute to the Edward’s contribution to the development of the youth ministry of the Jamaica Baptist Union and made note of the goodwill he left as a student at Southern Baptist Seminary. He also recalled the warm personal friendship they both shared, and the late pastor’s capacity for extending himself to friends: "He never forgot anyone nor declined to help where he could,” Russell said.
Edwards made a valuable contribution to JBU ministry. During his time at Mt Hermon, he served effectively in the JBU Youth Department, of which he was Secretary. In 1958, he represented the Department at the Fifth World Youth Congress of the Baptist World Alliance held in Toronto, Canada. While working in the Stewart Town/Gibraltar circuit, he served diligently as Clerk to the Executive Committee of the Jamaica Baptist Union, performing this role efficiently over several years.
Rev Edwards made a valuable contribution to the improvement of the educational standard of children in the communities where he fulfilled pastoral ministry. He served on several school boards in St. Catherine, St. Ann, Trelawny and St. Thomas. In the latter part of his ministry of 39 years, he also taught Religious Education at the Ardenne High School.
From Gibralltar, he went to minister in the Yallahs circuit from 1970 to 1972 and then, the Morant Bay and Leith Hall churches, 1973 to 1977, before completing his ministry at the Mamby Park church, where he served from 1977 until the time of his death in 1993.
Wherever he served, Joseph Edwards was loved, admired and respected by especially young people, on whom he made an indelible impression with his easy-going style in both church and in school. In church, he had a passion for forming youth for Christian discipleship and service. He gave them many opportunities to serve in the church and helped build up their self-confidence.
His pastoral example and encouragement influenced several young men, including Neville Callam and Devon Dick to become ministers of the gospel.
Rev Edwards taught the members of the churches he led how to take pride in the sacred spaces where they were formed in faith. He also devoted much time in inspiring them to make their church facilities suitable for the worship of the Lord. He led seven congregations in planning and implementing a building programme. Under his leadership, church buildings were either built from scratch or completed. The following churches – Madras, Watt Town, Keith, and Mamby Park benefited from his stewardship. Mission houses were erected at Mt. Herman, Stewart Town and Morant Bay under his watch.
It was while he was vacationing in the U.S.A. with his wife Margaret that Edwards fell ill. Three months into this illness, he died in hospital in Kingston.
On his death on Thursday, November 4, 1993, my pastor completed 39 years of service as a minister of religion associated with the Jamaica Baptist Union. Although he was well into his sixties, “Gone too soon” was the cry on many lips.
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