SALVATION TESTIMONIES OF
MCFERRIN MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH MEMBERS
December 2025


Permission granted by members with signatures
Copy of signatures on file
Testimonies compiled for this project
By Janet B.

Liz H. 30 years old
I was 30 years old when the Lord saved me. I had searched for many years for that peace and love that only comes from above. I grew up the middle-child of seven. I had good parents; however, we did not attend church. My grandmother was Missionary Baptist, and during each wonderful summer, we would visit her for several weeks and she would tell us of Jesus and we would swing on the front porch and sing “Victory in Jesus.” The years passed and I married and had my two wonderful children. I was not yet saved, but I had joined many churches. They “baptized” me and I was deceived many times. I had never heard the truth about being saved until I visited Hendersonville Missionary Baptist Church with Betty and Tommy Fairchild where I heard: Luke 13:3 Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish. 2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. Romans 2:4 The goodness of GOD leadeth thee to repentance. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Luke 19:9 And Jesus said unto him, this day is salvation come to this house. John 6:44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him. I could not get enough of the truth and today it’s still the same. I went to that church three times a week and learned and prayed. Then around Thanksgiving in November, I surrendered and fell on that altar. I had heard that the apostle Paul had fallen in the dust on the road to Damascus and was saved. The Lord gloriously saved me that day, just like he did Paul and many others, and there was not one drop of water on there, except for my tears. Of course I did get scriptural baptism to show the world I had died to sin. I did not “accept Christ,” He accepted me. I was not confirmed, I was conformed. I did not repeat a prayer, I prayed and wept, and I was saved that day. I work with my husband, Dr. Brad Hagan. We own a Medical Software company in Hendersonville. I have two children: a daughter, Debbie Overstreet and a son, Tony Overstreet. We also have six grandchildren, Brad, Chad, Joli and Jeremy, Miller, and Hunter. Brad and I love to teach the children to ride the horses. We also enjoy music and NASCAR. We love making dinner on Sunday for a big crowd. I would just like to say how exciting it is to come to McFerrin. Everyone here has made us feel so at home, and it is a church active in trying to win souls to the Lord. I’ll never forget one Christmas we came here and we knew it was special. The first time we came, the Lord spoke to me then to come and be a part. I’m so thankful for our good and faithful and knowledgeable pastor. I love the way he tells people up front how to be saved. No bypasses on the knee-route way. Bro. Carver was a great help to Brad and myself while he was seeking the Lord.

Paul H. In My Vehicle on My Way to Work, Age 29
One day, approximately 21 years ago at the age of 29, I was going through some troubled times and was at work one day when a man I knew asked me if I had been saved. Having never been to church but a 127 few times in my life, I didn’t know how or what to say. I was upset that someone would have the nerve to ask such a question. He proceeded to tell me about Jesus and what He had done for me and why I needed to be saved. Needless to say, I didn’t know what to say or what to do. He made me feel so bad and I couldn’t get past the bad feeling that he had left me with. A few days later as this feeling would come and go, I got in even worse shape. I was on my way to work one night about 11:15 PM (at the time I worked for DuPont), and as I passed through the Rivergate area on Myatt Drive, this was on my mind again. I was in as bad a shape as you can get. I remember crying and saying to myself, “Lord help me, I had rather be dead than feel this way.” Something came over me and I felt different. I had such a good feeling. I went to work and everything seemed different, but I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t even realize I had been saved. I do remember saying, “Lord, give me a Christian wife to help me raise my children and a church to go to.” I don’t even know why I asked the Lord for this because I had never prayed in my life, much less ask the Lord for anything. Not realizing what had happened to me, I never told the man that asked me about my salvation. A few months later, I met Shila and she asked me to go to church with her. My first thought was to say no but I didn’t, I said yes. The first time I attended a service at New Bethel, I felt that Bro. Vanderpool was preaching the sermon directly to me. I started attending church on a regular basis and later married. My mother-in-law asked me if I had been saved. I answered her by saying “I don’t know, I don’t feel lost, as a matter of fact, I feel good when I’m in church and hear the Lord’s word.” I related the experience to Shila on my way to work that night. At this time, I realized that was when the Lord saved me. She told me I needed to join the church and be baptized. I was shy and didn’t know anyone at the church but with the help of the Lord, when the doors of the church were opened I felt something pick me up from my seat and I was telling my experience with eyes full of tears. Through the years, I have had more prayers answered and I know that I’m not worthy of one, but I’m glad Jesus saved my soul.

 
Shila H. August 1954, New Bethel Missionary Church
I was saved on a Thursday night during the revival in August 1954 at New Bethel Church in Goodlettsville, TN. I had been going to the altar for four years seeking the Lord. Now as I look back, I think I was seeking the Lord with my mind and not my heart. One Wednesday night during the revival, Brother Russell spoke words that got to me; I was truly convicted. I did not get saved that night but the next night I went to church so convicted that I knew I needed the Lord. I was on the altar with others and I was in such a shape that I knew I could not go on in that shape. I was seeking the Lord with all my heart and that night about 11:00 PM I was saved. That night as I went out of the church, I remember how bright the moon and stars seemed to be. I did not know at the age of thirteen how much I would need the Lord all my life. I thank Him every day for that Thursday night in August 1954.

Heidi N. 11:46 PM, October 6, 2020, In Bed in Knoxville, TN Age 7
I was in the bed and I was scared that if I died I would go to hell. I started praying and prayed some more until I got saved. I felt peace in my heart after I was saved.

Layne N. April 4, 2016, At Home Age 8
I had a burden one night and when I got home, I started to pray for a long time. After that I felt the burden go away and I felt peace and knew that if I died right there I would go to heaven. I was 8 years old. Saved on April 4, 2016.

Lindsay N. In the Summer of 1997, Bedside at Home Age 14
I had felt God knocking on my heart for a while. One summer night, when I was fourteen years old, I was lying in bed saying my prayers and just felt that it wasn’t enough. I wasn’t done praying. So, I continued to pray and still didn’t feel that I was done. I got down in the floor beside my bed and started crying and praying more for The Lord to please save my soul. I’m not exactly sure how long I prayed but it felt like a long time. Finally, a peace came over me; I stopped crying and I knew then that The Lord had saved my soul!

Tommy R. N. July 30, 1994, McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church Age 12
My mom carried me to the revival we were having at church. I felt like I might be lost, but did not say anything to anyone. My mom would talk to me on the way home from church, but I would not say anything to her about how I felt. On Saturday night, my dad was off work and was able to come to church. My dad asked me if I felt lost and told me that I should pray. So, I did. I remember my dad, mom, uncle, and granddad being there and talking to me. Someone said something to me about going up to the altar. I was busy praying in my seat. Then, I felt joy. The first person I saw was Brother Massey. I remember hugging him and he asked me if I wanted to join the church. I was baptized on Sunday night in the baptistery with some other people.

Penny W., At Home Age 9
The Lord saved my soul one Wednesday afternoon at home. Mother and I had been talking about church and being saved. I can remember not sleeping at night, rolling back and forth in my bed. I knew I was lost. That Wednesday, Mother and I were washing dishes and singing church songs when I went into the living room and knelt down in the floor and prayed. God saved my soul that day.

Dee W. Early 1952 Rutland Baptist Church Age 12
In early 1952, Brother G. A. (Gladdis) Gregory came to pastor Rutland Baptist Church in Mt. Juliet. I don't know how long he had been there, I only remember the Sunday that I first came under conviction. Every word he preached on this particular day seemed to be aimed directly at me. I tried to pretend to be distracted by my little sister, reading the songbook and did all the things one does when they feel condemned and are trying to hide it. When Brother Gregory finished his sermon and an invitation song was given, I knew it was for me but I didn't make a move until Brother Gregory stepped out of the pulpit and headed to where I was standing. I remember his words very vividly. He said, "Little lady, are you lost?" I think I nodded my head and he led me to the front of the church where I sat on a bench with church members gathered around me. I don't think I quite knew what I needed to do although I had heard my father's testimony of being saved so many times. I wasn't able to shut out the people praying around me and my father sitting with his arm around me crying and praying so I left church that day unsaved. However, the burden got heavier as the week progressed. I didn't want to go to church on that Sunday night or on Wednesday night but staying home was not an option for my family. I don't remember how much I prayed that week all I remember is the heaviness I felt in my heart and the dread of knowing that I would have to go to church the next Sunday and that everyone would be looking at me because they knew I was lost. I don't remember much about Brother Gregory's sermon that Sunday but I knew when the invitation was given that I would have to go. I stepped out of my pew and started to the altar but when I got down to where my father was standing at the front of the church, I no longer needed to pray for my salvation. My burden was gone. It took a while for me to understand what had happened. But when I stepped out into the aisle, God recognized that I had totally surrendered to His will and He gave me, at twelve years of age, what He knew I would need to carry me through the rest of my life. I praise the Lord for what He did for me on that Sunday and I praise Him for always being faithful.