Dr. Rex McPherson

Rex began attending New Light Baptist Church when his neighbor, Tommy Kuykendall, who had recently returned from Vietnam, got a burden for the boys of his neighborhood. Rex trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior when he was 13 years old after attending one year without missing a Sunday.

He drifted away from the Lord for a while, but after he and Jessica were married in Dec 1973, they committed their lives to the Lord and began their walk with the Lord.

He was an automobile mechanic and soon came on staff of Shiloh Hills Baptist Church in Kennesaw, GA, as the bus mechanic for their fleet of just under 30 buses. He worked a bus route bringing boys and girls to church, taught Sunday school, and worked with the teens. On New Year’s Eve 1976, Rex surrendered to the call of God to preach the Gospel. Jan 1979 Rex was ordained at Shiloh Hills Baptist Church and left in February with three other young preachers with a burden to start a Bible-believing church in Lexington, KY. They founded Lexington Baptist Tabernacle which later merged with Clays Mill Road Baptist Church where he was pastor and Christian school administrator until 1988.

In 1988 he once again obeyed the call of God to go to Wales, UK, as a missionary. He rebuilt and pastored Bethany Baptist Church in Ynyshir and founded a Bible institute for training national pastors. He established the Gospel Preacher Association Bible Convention in Wales for encouraging and strengthening churches and published their Journal. He served as Welsh director of the GPA and later the General Director for the mission organization.

He is the author of the book The Grand Pillars of Salvation and has published numerous sermons and articles. He has also written three songs.

He was associate pastor of Galilean Baptist Church, Lawrenceville, GA 2007-2009 and Senior Pastor from 2009-2020 when he retired from the pastorate because of Parkinson’s disease.

He then became the chairman of the committee for the Unicoi Springs Chapel in Helen, GA until once again he had to retire with health conditions.

He earned his Bachelor of Theology degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary in 2004 and was working toward his master’s degree when Pensacola Christian College gave him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 2007.

Through it all, Rex will be best remembered for his pastor’s heart. He loved people and wanted to do all he could to help them walk with the Lord. He wanted to share their burdens and rejoice in their victories.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jessica, his daughter and son-in-law Christine and Jake Gaither, and his favorite grandchildren, Angel (Viktor) Gemeleva, and Drew Gaither.

He is also survived by his siblings, Jerry McPherson, Linda Stanton, Nelda Adams, Kathy Motti, and Donna Strickland as well as many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in memory of Rex McPherson to GPA Missions, PO Box 520, Oxford, PA, 19363. It will be used for Spanish ministries in Central America.