Beloved Tuscaloosa Pastor Roy L. Ferguson Passes

Get our free mobile app

Beloved Pastor and SCLC leader Roy L. Ferguson passed away Thursday April 15th at the age of 76. Pastor Roy Ferguson was the senior pastor of the St. John Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa for 38 years.

Pastor Ferguson was born in 1945 and attended Mississippi Valley State College, Itta Bena, Mississippi, where he majored in Physical Education.  He continued his education by attending Birmingham Bible College, Birmingham, Alabama and later Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama.

Pastor Ferguson surrendered his will to the Lord and accepted the call to ministry in 1978 under the leadership of Dr. J. C. Curry Pastor Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Flint, Michigan.

His employer, Rochester Products, a division .of General Motors transferred him to Tuscaloosa and in late 1982, Pastor Ferguson accepted the invitation of Rev. Willie L. Scott and the St. John Baptist Church members to become associate minister. Rev. Scott set in motion ordination for Pastor Ferguson and on July 3, 1983 he was installed as the fourth pastor of the church.

Pastor Ferguson was born in Pickensville, Alabama July 16,1945 to and raised in Fulton, Mississippi, and he is the second oldest son and fourth child of ten children of the late Mr. Dabb and Mrs. Annie Bell (Pope) Ferguson. He is married to Coleen (Hudson) Ferguson of Flint, Michigan. They have seven adult children and are the proud grandparents of fourteen grandchildren.

Noted for his contributions to Civil and Human Rights, Pastor Ferguson was President Emeritus of Tuscaloosa County Chapter Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), currently a board member of SCLC, Former President of the Tuscaloosa Ministerial Alliance, and Mentor for the Tuscaloosa Juvenile Detention Center.

Pastor Ferguson was dedicated to living by example and encouraging men and women to live up to their full potential in Christ.

In my encounters with Pastor Ferguson, he was a very humble man who loved sharing the message of Jesus Christ. He would often visit the radio station on Sunday Mornings for the SCLC broadcast and his thunderous powerful voice would ring through the airwaves. He assisted me in my life and one his youngest daughters, Kortney is one of my classmates and lifelong friends. I would always comment and adore his Ford truck.

Pastor Ferguson preached his last sermon on April 11, 2021 at the St. John Baptist Church.