Name: Bob & Karen McFarlane
From: Guyton, GA
Phone: 609-415-4366
Email: rcmc1951@gmail.com
Sending Church: Faith Baptist, Guyton, GA
AGM Start Year: 2022
Mission Verse: 1st Timothy 1:12
Family: 2 adult children & 2 grandchildren
The Testimony of Karen Kirk McFarlane
When I was six, my parents sent me to a Catholic School because it was walking distance from my grandparents' house. That is the first place that I learned about God and how He could see everything that I did and even read my mind. I wanted to have a good relationship with God and was taught that becoming a Catholic would be necessary. nuns said that I could not become a Catholic because my parents were not Catholic. I
The thought that I was doomed to go to hell. The next-door neighbors took us to a Methodist church at that time but I did not learn anything about God from sitting in tic the back. It was a marathon effort to try to be still and quiet for an hour every Sunday. I concentrated on that and not on the preaching.
When I was ten, my parents built another house, and my mother decided it was time for us to be in church as a family. We began going to the local Methodist church for Sunday school, church, and junior choir. I learned how to understand the KJV Bible but not how to be saved.
When I was sixteen, my father decided to go to a new independent Methodist church that had formed and was meeting in a local community center. There, for the first time, I heard the gospel preached and realized that I was a sinner and needed to be saved. I remembered my desire to know the Lord and was glad to find out that I did not need to be a Catholic. It took all of the courage that I could muster to go down to the altar at the altar call. I spent weeks trying to work up courage. When I finally went down, the pastor was away and a young man my own age was preaching. He patted me on the head but did not talk to me about being saved so 1 went back to my seat as lost as when I went up. Later, I heard a message on the radio by Oliver B. Green. He said that anyone could bow his head and ask Jesus into his heart anywhere. I knelt down by my bed and asked Jesus to come into my heart and to take over my life according to Romans 12: 1 & 2. He did and I have never been sorry.
I prayed for a Christian man to date and three weeks later I met Bob McFarlane. He had prayed a similar prayer about the same time. We were married in 1970. We planned our married life around serving the Lor‹ In 1971, we were stationed in Washington, D.C. where we joined a Free Methodist Church. There a visiting pastor brought out Romans 6:4 that we are “buried with Him by baptism.” He pointed out that immersion was the only kind of baptism where we are “buried” under the water and then raised up like the resurrection unto newness of life. I knew immediately that I wanted to be baptized by immersion. The Free Methodists only baptize by immersion. I think I got baptized that summer at the Free Methodist camp meeting in northern Maryland. We taught Sunday school and went door — to —door soul winning. We later changed to a church that had a bus ministry and worked on a bus route. We worked at the bus route ministry most recently in New Jersey. We also taught Children's Church, kept the nursery, and conducted a once-a-month worship service at an assisted living facility, plus many other ministries positions.
We have moved many times due to Bob's job. When we moved to an area, we looked for a Bible-believing church and got busy serving in it.
Karen K. McFarlane
Testimony Of Bob McFarlane
I was born in a rural community of South Alabama. My father was raised Catholic and attended the Catholic services twice a year. My mother was raised Southern Baptist and regularly took my brothers and me to a small Southern Baptist Church. The pastor of this Church had a kind spirit and lived what he preached. I remember one special trait about Bro. Simpson; he was always inviting folks to “come to Christ and come to church”. Because my mother required us to attend all the church services and she always required us to behave properly, I felt, “me and my family were good Christians”.
One Sunday morning, when I was eight years old, I began actually hearing the message my pastor was preaching. His message on sin began to point to me and I became ashamed of the “good boy facade” that I was wearing. I suddenly became very afraid of hell. So, when the pastor came off the podium and begged anyone to come shake his hand and believe on the Lord Jesus, I was the first one there. I acted upon the scriptures that morning and believed on the Lord Jesus.
I knew that I had to be different, and I felt different right then. When I was sixteen years old, with family problems at home and difficulties at school, I decided to leave it all and ran away from home. By the Grace of our Lord, many days later, my father found me and came and asked me to come back home. He promised me, “things would be different” ifI would come home. He also promised me that he would attend church every time I did. I agreed and returned home with him that night. He kept his promise and after some time, my dad asked Christ to be his savior.
As the years passed, I again began looking more like the world around me, rather than a Christian. One day, after work I was in a restaurant eating supper and a co-worker came into the restaurant. He was obviously drunk. His clumsy actions and loud, coarse language made me hope he would not see me. Of course, he did see me and came and sat at my table. I remember how uncomfortable and embarrassed I felt and wanted to leave immediately. Suddenly, I heard a small voice urge me to tell him about Jesus. I felt very uncomfortable and embarrassed at the thought of such a task. I made many excuses in my mind why this was not the proper place or time to talk “religion”. Three distinct times I was urged to speak to this man about Jesus, but each time I refused. I felt unqualified to do what I thought was a preacher's job and justified my refusal, thinking that the man was too drunk to hear what I might say. I finished my meal and rushed out of the restaurant and away from such an obnoxious display of drunkenness. Later that afternoon, this same man was killed in a horrific auto accident a short distance from the motel where we stayed. I was unfortunate enough to see the scene before it was all cleared.
My mind immediately remembered the urges to speak to him about Jesus. I began to hear the cries of a man in hell, like the Luke 16 account. I cannot describe to you how I felt the first few days after the man's death, and the memories of being urged to tell him about Jesus. The feelings of regret almost overwhelmed me and these feelings became even heavier at his funeral. As I listened to the cries and mourning of his wife and children, it was obvious to me, they had no hope. God's Grace helped me through those feelings of regret. I soon began attending another Bible-believing church where I met a beautiful girl. The stance of separation from the world the pastor preached and displayed in his life, along with the desire to live for the Lord that this girl displayed in her daily life, made me want to attach myself to this church. God's grace put me in the place where HE wanted me, so HE could teach me how to be more like Him. I began to want to live so that my life showed me to be a Christian.
Karen and I married in 1970. The experiences of our lives and the good preaching of God's Word, has brought us to the point where we realize that our lives need to be lived in service for Christ.
In 1972, I attended a Sword Of The Lord Conference. It was at this Conference that I was introduced to personal soul-winning and decided to live my life actively in the ministry of the Gospel. It became clear to me at this Conference that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to speak to a drunk- man many years before. I determined then to act upon the prompting of the Holy Split and offer a clear presentation of salvation at every opportunity.
ust as God used life experiences to prepare and train Joseph and Moses for HIS service, I know that HE has also used our life experiences and ministries to train and prepare me for HIS service. Karen and I believe 1st Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful” and we have tried to fashion our efforts toward being found faithful
in every facet of our lives.
Our ministry experiences include:
• Teen and youth group leader, 1971 - 1972
• Bus captain and driver, 1972 - 1973
• Licensed Minister Of The Gospel, 1976
• Pastored a small church in Mobile, Alabama in 1980 to 1982.
• Served as Sunday School Teacher of children 1st high school grade through and various other positions of ministry, in many different churches as we have moved about the country.
Most Recent Ministries and Responsibilities:
• Bus Captain; built route from 19 riders up to average of 47 riders. Single high-day attendance of 61 riders, 2001 - 201 I
• Lead and conducted nursing home ministry, 2004 — 2011
• Lead 1* and 2nd grade Children's Church, 2003 — 2011
Karen and I are in the ministry together and are committed to winning souls. When I enter the gates of Heaven, I would like to gladly answer the question, “How many others have you influenced for Christ?”
I enjoy the verse in 1 Timothy 1:12, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
God's plan has placed Karen and me where we are supposed to be, just as God's plan placed Joseph where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be there.
Bob McFarlane, December 17, 2011
What does it mean to work with AGM?
When I arrive in Heaven, if the Lord asks me "how many did you bring with you?" I want to show a large number of names written in the Book of Life.
Testimony Of Bob McFarlane
I was born in a rural community of South Alabama. My father was raised Catholic and attended the Catholic services twice a year. My mother was raised Southern Baptist and regularly took my brothers and me to a small Southern Baptist Church. The pastor of this Church had a kind spirit and lived what he preached. I remember one special trait about Bro. Simpson; he was always inviting folks to “come to Christ and come to church”.
Because my mother required us to attend all the church services and she always required us to behave properly, I felt, “me and my family were good Christians”.
One Sunday morning, when I was eight years old, I began actually hearing the message my pastor was preaching. His message on sin began to point to me and I became ashamed of the “good boy facade” that I was wearing. I suddenly became very afraid of hell. So, when the pastor came off the podium and begged anyone to come shake his hand and believe on the Lord Jesus, I was the first one there. I acted upon the scriptures that morning and believed on the Lord Jesus.
I knew that I had to be different, and I felt different right then. When I was sixteen years old, with family problems at home and difficulties at school, I decided to leave it all and ran away from home. By the Grace of our Lord, many days later, my father found me and came and asked me to come back home. He promised me, “things would be different” ifI would come home. He also promised me that he would attend church every time I did. I agreed and returned home with him that night. He kept his promise and after some time, my dad asked Christ to be his savior.
As the years passed, I again began looking more like the world around me, rather than a Christian. One day, after work I was in a restaurant eating supper and a co-worker came into the restaurant. He was obviously drunk. His clumsy actions and loud, coarse language made me hope he would not see me. Of course, he did see me and came and sat at my table. I remember how uncomfortable and embarrassed I felt and wanted to leave immediately. Suddenly, I heard a small voice urge me to tell him about Jesus. I felt very uncomfortable and embarrassed at the thought of such a task. I made many excuses in my mind why this was not the proper place or time to talk “religion”. Three distinct times I was urged to speak to this man about Jesus,
but each time I refused. I felt unqualified to do what I thought was a preacher's job and justified my refusal, thinking that the man was too drunk to hear what I might say. I finished my meal and rushed out of the restaurant and away from such an obnoxious display of drunkenness. Later that afternoon, this same man was killed in a horrific auto accident a short distance from the motel where we stayed. I was unfortunate enough to see the scene before it was all cleared.
My mind immediately remembered the urges to speak to him about Jesus. I began to hear the cries of a man in hell, like the Luke 16 account. I cannot describe to you how I felt the first few days after the man's death, and the memories of being urged to tell him about Jesus. The feelings of regret almost overwhelmed me and these feelings became even heavier at his funeral. As I listened to the cries and mourning of his wife and children, it was obvious to me, they had no hope.
God's Grace helped me through those feelings of regret. I soon began attending another Bible-believing church where I met a beautiful girl. The stance of separation from the world the pastor preached and displayed in his life, along with the desire to live for the Lord that this girl displayed in her daily life, made me want to attach myself to this church. God's grace put me in the place where HE wanted me, so HE could teach me how to be more like Him. I began to want to live so that my life showed me to be a Christian.
Karen and I married in 1970. The experiences of our lives and the good preaching of God's Word, has brought us to the point where we realize that our lives need to be lived in service for Christ.
In 1972, I attended a Sword Of The Lord Conference. It was at this Conference that I was introduced to personal soul-winning and decided to live my life actively in the ministry of the Gospel. It became clear to me at this Conference that the Holy Spirit had prompted me to speak to a drunk- man many years before. I determined then to act upon the prompting of the Holy Split and offer a clear presentation of salvation at every opportunity.
Just as God used life experiences to prepare and train Joseph and Moses for HIS service, I know that HE has also used our life experiences and ministries to train and prepare me for HIS service. Karen and I believe 1st Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
faithful” and we have tried to fashion our efforts toward being found faithful
in every facet of our lives.
Our ministry experiences include:
• Teen and youth group leader, 1971 - 1972
• Bus captain and driver, 1972 - 1973
• Licensed Minister Of The Gospel, 1976
• Pastored a small church in Mobile, Alabama in 1980 to 1982.
• Served as Sunday School Teacher of children 1st grade through high
school and various other positions of ministry, in many different
churches as we have moved about the country.
Most Recent Ministries and Responsibilities:
• Bus Captain; built route from 19 riders up to average of 47 riders. Single high-day attendance of 61 riders, 2001 - 201 I
• Lead and conducted nursing home ministry, 2004 — 2011
• Lead 1* and 2nd grade Children's Church, 2003 — 2011
Karen and I are in the ministry together and are committed to winning souls. When I enter the gates of Heaven, I would like to gladly answer the question, “How many others have you influenced for Christ?”
I enjoy the verse in 1 Timothy 1:12, And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
God's plan has placed Karen and me where we are supposed to be, just as God's plan placed Joseph where he was supposed to be, when he was supposed to be there.
Bob McFarlane, December 17, 2011
During the Summer of 2022, I began feeling uneasy over not witnessing to people as I knew that I should be. I felt dry and needing to give out a clear presentation of the Gospel, as I had been called to do and as I had been trained to do.
As I turned the pages in a copy of The Sword Of The Lord newspaper one afternoon, I came across and advertisement that caught my eye. The article asked a shocking question that read, “Are you a soul-winner.? We need your help. The article gave the address and phone number for information
inquiries. I called the number and asked for an information package. All
the while I was
winning souls.
praying for the Holy Spirit to direct me to the mission of
I felt somewhat unprepared, because of my age and employment status, tO
become IIVO)V TI CFU ministry that might cause us to move our
residence and resign my current employment. I was also concerned over
committing to a mission because of my wife's diabetes and established
doctor's care. Upon receiving the package of information, my wife and I
quickly realized that the Amazing Grace Mission is exactly that exact
mission we need to become involved.
This mission ministers at fairs and festivals all over these United States and many events occur within a short driving distance from our home.
Throughout our marriage, my wife and I have enjoyed the calling of the Holy Spirit upon our lives to provoke folks to consider their eternity. We have attended many classes that dealt with the easiest and most comfortable way in approaching a person, in order to share what the scriptures say about knowing Heaven is our eternal home.
We completed the application and soon received a Letter of Acceptance, after the background screening. Since we committed to joining the Amazing Grace Mission, we have learned to be bold and forthright; get to the point. The Holy Spirit is working on a person's heart and HE will cause them to hear the right scripture that may cause them to understand their need of salvation and receive the Lord Jesus as Savior. Our job is simply to present the Word of God according to Romans 10:17, So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If we present a clear presentation of the Gospel, HE will touch the heart of the one we are dealing with. Many folks come to a fair or festival expecting excitement and entertainment. All the while, not realizing that the Holy Spirit has been pulling on their heart about eternity before they ever arrived at the event. The material and signs that are shown in the AGM booth may prick this person's interest to pause and consider.
We have had many special experiences with people from all cultures, religions, and backgrounds to pause at our booth long enough for us to give them what God says the requirements for entering Heaven. I like to use the comparison of entering the fair and entering Heaven. I usually explain to a person that pauses at our booth this comparison; in you came to the fair, you told the 1:icket clerk that you wished to enter the fair. The clerk then tells you to give her ten dollars and she will give you a ticket to enter the fair. At the point, you tell the clerk that you only have seven dollars to give her, expecting her to give you an entry ticket. Will the ticket clerk give you a ticket... ? No, she will not give you an entry ticket, because the owner of the fair says his representative want fee requirement is for entering the fair. So, if you do not meet this requirement, then you simply do not enter tire fair. This poses the question; “Who owns Heaven?” Everyone agrees that God owns Heaven and HE has given us HIS requirements for entering Heaven in HIS word, the Bible. At this point, I ask the person if the can meet God's requirement/s with them.
Many folks will take a few moments to come into the booth to learn of God's requirements. Many of these folks realize their need for salvation and ask the Lord Jesus to save them. Many others realize that they have already met God's requirements, but lacked the assurance of God's word. One man in North Carolina told me that he had been raised in a Baptist church. He was yet currently attending a Baptist church with his wife and two teenage daughters, but had never had the Gospel presented to him in such a clear manner until that evening. This family, all gave an emphatic testimony of know the Lord Jesus as savior and walked away from the booth in a closer relationship with The One that loves them the most than when they came in.
Happiness is serving God as a team.