W.A. Bradfield "Prayer Meeting in Hell, Rich Man and Lazarus" gospel meeting Belle, MO 1964-1966

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Willie Albert Bradfield was born in Wildersville, Tennessee, December 27, 1910. He was baptized by J.R. Stockard in 1926. He married Hazel Wallace September 16, 1934. They had one daughter, Linda Kay Bradfield Speight. He began preaching in Wildersville, Tennessee in 1939. He attended Freed-Hardeman College, and received his B.S. Degree at Memphis State. He received the MA at George Peabody College. He preached at several churches in West Tennessee including Parsons from 1945-1947; White Bluff, Tennessee from 1947-1949; Fulton, Kentucky from 1950 to 1956; and Nance Church in Alamo, Tennessee. He also served churches at Oak Groves, Kentucky and Holladay, Tennessee. As an alumnus of Freed-Hardeman, he edited an alumni paper called Freed-Hardeman Alumnograms. He published 25 gospel tracts, producing 6 million copies, by Laycook Printing Co. In 1964 he produced his book, Bradfield's Sermon Outlines, and reprinted it in 1966. W.A. contributed articles to brotherhood journals such as Gospel Advocate. He also served as principal of an elementary and high school for ten years.

W.A. Bradfield was best known for his preaching skills. Wherever he preached in Gospel Meetings there were many responses. He had a presence in his person and voice that commanded attention to the things he taught. It was generally known that in his meetings he would continue preaching as the congregation sang the invitation song. He would walk up and down the aisles looking into the audience for those who might be persuaded to respond to the invitation. His volume was loud, and the response was always impressive. One couple who heard him when they were children said that they were afraid to flinch during the song else he grab them and "help" them down the aisle. He had a tag on the front of his car that simply said "Bradfield's Coming." This became the oft used phrase in advertising his Gospel Meetings.

From his youth, Bradfield loved Freed-Hardeman College (now F-HU). In addition to attending in the late 1930s sitting at the feet of N.B. Hardeman, L.L. Brigance and others, he wanted to help promote the college as part of his life's work. From about 1949 until his death in 1972, Bradfield was on staff at Freed-Hardeman College. He served in many different offices including: Director Of Public Relations; Member of Executive Council; Chairman of Financial Aid Committee; and member of the Lectureship Committee. He will always be remembered for his love for young people, and his commitment to seeing they were educated. Stories of his love for Freed-Hardeman were sometimes connected to his preaching. One of his closest friends, Robert Witt, said that people joked that when extending the invitation he would invite all who wanted to go to heaven to come sit on one side and all who wanted to go to Freed-Hardeman to come and sit on the other side. Today one of the female dormitories on the F-HU campus is named W.A. Bradfield Hall which opened in 1973.
Among the last gospel meetings that Brother Bradfield conducted was one at Paris, Tennessee. He had been in the hospital in Jackson, Tennessee with what was reported as a heart condition a few weeks earlier. In fact, I was concerned that he would not be able to be with us. He sent me word that he was planning big on the meeting and for us to start advertising and with the help of the Lord he would be here and do his very best.

I had never worked with Brother Bradfield in such an effort even though I had known him for about a quarter of a century. In visiting other places where he was doing the preaching I had heard him preach several times. However, I didn't really know what to expect of him for an entire week until he came to Paris.

Ordinarily, Brother Bradfield wanted to conduct a class for young people before each service. Many conversions came from that class and other types of personal work. Because of his health he asked that we not plan these activities for him. He was required to rest some each day and this he did at home. In the evening he would have someone from Henderson drive him to Paris in time for the evening meal. At that time he had to be very careful about his diet. After services he would ride home in the back seat of the car in order to rest as much as possible. All of this will indicate his burning desire to preach the gospel as long as he possibly could.

Brother Bradfield was known as a hard working preacher. I mean by that, he preached hard, he worked at the job. He believed that the whole gospel needed to be preached now. We talked about this before the meeting began and I suggested that it might be wise for him to exert himself less, at least until he regained his strength. He agreed and I'm sure exerted himself less than he ordinarily did. However, this did not detract from his preaching.
--Most Info For This Sketch Came From Preachers Of Today, Vol. 1,2,3, & 4., Special thanks Extended To Dale Jenkins For Insight