James Picket Wesberry Papers

Collection

Identifier: MU-PP-0137

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Every effort has been made to retain the original order of the papers. Titles were taken from Wesberry’s original folders. Sermons were arranged according to the numbering system used by Wesberry, and titles of folders are approximations assigned by processor.

Dates

Creation: 1927-1987

Rights Statement

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the World Wide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.

Biographical / Historical

James Pickett Wesberry received the A. B. (1929) and A. M. (1930) degrees from Mercer University and the B. D. degree from Andover-Newton Theological Seminary. Wesberry served as a pastor in both South Carolina, his home state, and Georgia, but rose to prominence during his 31-year pastorate at Morningside Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Wesberry also served as president of the Georgia Baptist Convention (1956-1958) and the Southern Baptist Pastor’s Conference (1956), and he also served 17 years on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the longest tenures. In later years, he would serve as recording secretary of the Georgia Baptist Convention (1971-1991) and as director of the Lord’s Day Alliance. Wesberry held several notable public positions, as well. For twenty-one years, he served as chairman of the Georgia Literature Committee, a group created to fight pornography. He served on the Atlanta area draft board during the Vietnam War. Wesberry also briefly served as acting U. S. House Chaplain. He died at age 86 in 1992.