Rev. Robert Lester McFarland

Robert Lester McFarland was born in Akron, Ohio, September 23, 1923, to Lester and Ethel McFarland. At twelve years of age, he moved with his family to a farm in Lynn, Indiana, where he later assisted his father in starting a Pentecostal church, and preached his first sermon at fifteen years of age. At age sixteen, he helped pioneer and pastor a church in Greenville, Ohio. He served as the vice president for the Indiana/Michigan District Pentecostal Young Peoples Association (PYPA) in the early 1940s, prior to the merger forming the United Pentecostal Church International (UPCI).

While attending Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota, he pastored two congregations: Baronett and Spooner, Wisconsin. He married an ABI student, Marjorie Guinn of St. Louis, in 1944. They moved to Richmond, Indiana, where Robert began pastoring a small congregation. Here they were blessed with three children: Robert Lee, Lois Marie, and Edward Ray. New property was purchased, and with the help of his father, Robert, and the congregation he constructed a new church building and experienced steady growth during the next thirteen years. Brother McFarland resigned the pastorate in 1957 to become a full-time missionary to the Middle Eastern Arab nations.

In 1961, due to unrest in Jerusalem, he returned to the states and was unanimously elected as pastor when his father resigned in Marion, Indiana. Under his capable leadership, the congregation built and dedicated a new church facility, debt free. As the first Indiana District Bible quiz master, he established a strong Bible quizzing state.

In 1975, Brother McFarland was elected to serve full time as Indiana district superintendent, and moved to the Indiana parsonage on the campground. In addition to pastoring, he gave over half his life in faithful service to Indiana, by serving as youth secretary (1944-1953), district secretary (1953-1957; 1969-1970), Foreign Missions representative (1957-1961; 1967-1969), Home Missions director (1962-1967), and district superintendent (1970-1976). He was also an honorary member of both the Indiana District Board and the General Board (1990-2002).

In 1976, he was elected to serve as the general secretary of the United Pentecostal Church, in St. Louis, Missouri. His stewardship skills once again were rewarded by the mortgage on the World Evangelism Center being paid off seven years ahead of schedule. In 1981 he resigned as general secretary to become the regional director for Europe and the Middle East.

He returned to Indiana in 1991, and continued ministering anywhere God led. Pastor Dennis Croucher of Marion, Indiana, installed Brother McFarland as pastor emeritus of the First Pentecostal Church. Brother and Sister McFarland traveled several months presenting the cause of Mothers Memorial. He was involved in the formation of the Veterans of Foreign Missions for the UPCI and served as their first secretary.

He passed from this life on July 22, 2002.