A Far Rockaway-based pastor has received one of the nation’s highest civilian honors directly from the White House.
Reverend Marie Berbick, a Jamaican-born pastor, motivational speaker, and life coach, was awarded the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in January by the administration of then-President Joe Biden.
The award, established by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, is the highest recognition a U.S. president can bestow on a civilian for their lifelong commitment to volunteer service. Recipients must have completed at least 4,000 hours of service to their community or country.
Reverend Berbick was honored for her dedication to public service through her ministry and her nonprofit organization, SUPHER, which focuses on empowerment and support for underserved communities.
The award celebrates individuals across fields such as religion, philanthropy, education, and politics who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to civic engagement.
The multi-faceted pastor spoke to QNS about her journey from her island country to being recognized with one of the highest civilian honors at the White House.
Berbick said she was shocked when she received confirmation that she would receive the highest service award. “ I was like, oh my God. This is amazing. Based on the fact that I have been in the United States of America only since 2018, she said. To be able to do work that is recognized at this level within that short space of time was truly, truly an honor. I’m still processing it, to be honest,” Berbick said.
Berbick said she felt overwhelmed with honor the moment she received the award.
“ It was absolutely amazing. I cannot explain. I felt so honored to be in that room with men and women from across the world who have done superb work here in the United States and their own countries,” she said.
Before migrating to the United States in 2018, Berbick and other women in her church founded a women’s support group in Jamaica called SUPHER (Sisters United through Prayer Healing, Empowerment, and Restoration) in 2013. The goal of SUPHER is to support divorcees in need.
At the time, Berbick was a journalist at the Jamaica Observer, writing an advice column for women in relationships.
“I used my column to empower women who were going through abusive situations, women who were at a crossroads in their lives, women who had gone through divorce,” Berbick said. “So all of that together was putting together a community of women we began to serve. So, women began to reach out for advice,” As the women continued to reach out for advice, Berbick realized that there was a need for practical support, hence the formation of SUPHER.
With some of the women facing life-threatening situations being in abusive relationships, Berbick and SUPHER founders began to work to remove survivors from their homes.
“So we started that in Jamaica in 2013 when the men were not at home, we would go arrange with our little team,” Berbick explained.
“We had a team of guys who had experience either in the police force or some kind of security, and they’d assist in getting these women away from these homes once the men were not there. So we call that initiative Save a Sister,” she said. “Apart from that, we also provided counseling advice to these women regarding legal matters.”
The services expanded to provide food, clothing, and other social services for women in Jamaica. When Berbick came to the United States, SUPHER continued, minus the need for extraction; as Berbick explained, the legal system here was much more stringent than Jamaica’s regarding domestic violence.
Services are still provided in Jamaica, including scholarships for young Jamaican students in need and barrel donations of clothing, food, school supplies, and other care items. The organization has also expanded globally to the U.K., Canada, and countries within Africa.
For New Yorkers needing support, Berbick said that services in the Big Apple focus on training women in skillsets that can help them earn money without a college degree. “ We have been doing social media training with them so they can establish their own social media businesses, and all of this is free,” Berbick said.
Most of SUPHER’s funding comes from women who have come through the support system or are supporters of the organization. Berbick said she considers their generosity a full-circle moment. Since its founding, at least 800 women have participated in SUPHER.
Berbick did not begin her career as a pastor. For over 20 years, her calling was journalism. At just 17, she responded to a newspaper advertisement seeking trainee reporters, which got her start in the newsroom at the Jamaica Herald.
After working for the Jamaica Herald, Berbick eventually transitioned to work with a newly established political party, and from there, she started her own public relations business.
“ I started freelancing and so on, and then assisting the Herald again as a freelancer and several other media entities across radio and newspapers back in Jamaica,” she said. “So the history in terms of the experience has been rich. I won two Press Association of Jamaica Awards. The period. And I was also the first journalist in Jamaica to win an award for excellence in online journalism.”
Berbick said that many of her life experiences led her to a spiritual awakening of becoming a pastor. Despite coming from a family of pastors and growing up in the church, Berbick said she never saw herself as a minister.
It wasn’t until she started receiving prophetic messages in 2016 from others that she began to believe it. At that time in her life, Berbick revealed that she was going through a tumultuous divorce and custody battle.
”When the call came to me about ministry. It was the furthest thing from my mind. I’m like, I’m looking to rebuild my life, get back where I was financially and everything. I’m not looking to preach to anybody,” Berbick said.
Berbick said she focused on starting two businesses- a feat that usually reaped success for her when they failed; she sought solitude in the church. “ I lost millions of dollars. I went broke. At that time, I remember going to church, and not only am I broken by the divorce, but I’m broke financially. So put those two together, and you’ll see where I was emotionally,” she said.
Berbick said that eventually, it was revealed to her in prayer that she should call a bishop living in Queens who was connected to her mother’s church. After she had sent him a text, they built a spiritual connection, and she eventually came to the United States, where she was ordained as a pastor in 2018.
Berbick said that shortly after being ordained, the bishop passed away in 2019, leaving Berbick feeling alone in her spiritual journey. She began preaching online that same year and, over time, amassed a following of over 100,000 supporters, with many coming forward during the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, Berbick’s work as a pastor has allowed her to create an online platform to mentor developing pastors, deliver inspiring sermons, and create prayer-focused e-courses. She’s authored four books, including Young Believer’s Guide to Effective Prayer, Arise, and the soon-to-be-released Baptism of Fire, which speaks to the challenges she experienced upon entry into ministry and the lessons she has learned that can help other pastors.
Berbick has also been a motivational speaker for over 10 years; she is a Les Brown Certified Legendary Speaker and a member of his speaker’s academy.
