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| Sylvanus Scarlett |
On September 19, 1917, Sylvanus Scarlett was born to Solomon and Elizabeth Scarlett in the village of Watt Town, St Ann, the community that also produced well-known Jamaica Baptist ministers such as Azariah McKenzie, Arthur Edgar and Allan Walker. These men grew up in the Watt Town Baptist Church and benefited from the leadership of distinguished JBU pastors and leaders, William Webb and especially Ivan Parsons.
Scarlett trained for the ministry at Calabar Theological College and, upon graduation, he was ordained to the ministry at Christchurch, Jones Town on July 13, 1945. Rev. Thomas Powell, Calabar College President, officiated. Rev Menzie Sawyers delivered the charge and Rev. Ernest Askew, Calabar College Tutor offered the ordination prayer. Scarlett answered the call to serve in Freeman’s Hall in the parish of Trelawny. Afterwards, he became pastor of the Buff Bay Baptist circuit in Portland.
In 1950, when 32-year-old Sylvanus Scarlett was pastor in Buff Bay, the Jamaica Baptist Missionary Society invited him to commit to serving as a JBU missioner in Panama. His primary place of ministry was to be First isthmian Baptist Church, Cristobal. Scarlett and his wife set out to make the best of the opportunity to serve God’s mission in Panama.
Many West Indians had gone to Panama to work on the construction of the Panama Canal and Jamaicans, like other Caribbean nationals, who had gone there in search of economic opportunity, were in need of spiritual care by people who understood their culture. As the Panama Tribune of August 7, 1971, stated:
The
U.S. Government provided the equipment, engineering skill and economic
resources – the Panama Government gave and provided the treaty rights but it
was the labour of the West Indian Negroes and their ability to survive the
fierce hardships of the tropics which eventually made the Panama Canal a
reality.
Caribbean nationals faced enormous challenges in Panama. They worked under very harsh and unhealthy conditions. Discrimination and segregation were rife in Panamanian society. There were schools for Black students and schools for White children; shops for Whites and shops for Blacks; the residential communities were segregated. In addition, the immigrants did not adapt well to the existing Panamanian religious culture.
Arriving in the country with a desire and intention to make a transformative contribution to the spiritual and social life of the people, Scarlett set out to establish new churches, patterning their life off church life in the immigrants’ country of origin. The church played a crucial role in the life of the West Indians living in the Canal Zone. It helped them to adapt to their new situation. Apart from helping to meet the people’s spiritual needs, the churches established schools, colleges, seminaries, and pursued other educational projects for the development of the people. In the process, the churches helped break down racial discrimination in the society.
In October, 1976, the Jamaican Government bestowed on Scarlett the Order of Distinction “in recognition of outstanding and important contribution in the field of cultural relations in the Canal Zone.” That same year, the Panama Canal Company (PCC) bestowed on him the Panama Honorary Public Service Award for his tireless efforts over the years to help the poor on the Atlantic side of the country, especially those from the West Indies.
Scarlett spent most of his working life in Panama, where he was pastor of the First Isthmian Baptist Church for 36 years. He also served as Moderator and Treasurer of the Central Association, as lecturer at the Panama Baptist Theological Seminary, and as President of the Panama Baptist Convention for three terms. Scarlett was one of the founders of the Hogar Atlantico and was on its board until his retirement. Among other honours, Scarlett received was the key to the City of Colon and the Panama Canal Zone.
The Scarletts retired and returned to Jamaica in 1986 after 36 years of service in Panama. They established their retirement home in Mandeville. Eleven years later, on September 5, 1997, Scarlett passed away leaving behind his wife, Hazel, and many grateful followers of Christ.
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