ew Champion-Old Vision,
e. • e 0 e JU...,. ........ O ermso
e
The piril of the Lord is upon
• because h hath anointed
me 10 preo h th« gospt!/ to th«
poor. ht! hath nt me to heal th«
bro enheartea, to preach
deli ra ce to Ih capti , and
recoverin of ighl to the blind,
10 I 01 libert them that an
brui d. to prmch Ih accep-
tabl. or of Iht! Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
hen the ational Bapti t Conven­
tion U.S.A., Inc. elected the Rev. Dr.
Theodore Judson Jemison its 13th
pr ident at its 102nd Annual ion
in iami in 1982, Baptists ere sur­
prised and relieved. any persons
thought that .B.C. U.S. . "could
ne er hold an orderly election." Others
surmised that if they did, the long time
incum bent president, Dr. J . H.
Jac son, ould surely . in-or if he
did not, then this most po erful and
largest of all the Blac church group
on earth ould split into f ctions a ain
for th third tim in its hi tory. To the
pleasure and joy of observer and sup­
porters, not only did Dr. Jemison in
b a sub tantial margin, but the con­
vention also joyously rallied behind
him and his pro ram for a "conven­
tion that cares" as the mandate to
begin its second century.
·or­
t Prop t
... Yt! ill rely soy unto me
this proverb, Physician, heal
Ih 1/: whalSOt! r ha e
heard don in Capt!mflUm. do
also hen in thy country.
... Vt!rily I say unto you, 0
prophet is tHXeptNl in ltis own
country.
t.uk« 4:13-14
The Rev. Dr. T.J. Jemison, pastor
of t. Zion Fir Baptist Church in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as born in
hi oric Se rna, Alabama 62 year a o.
He raised in obile, the cit del of
the "Old South!' Li e Dr. Martin
Luther , Jr. he i the son of a
famous pioneering BI pr er, Dr.
David V. Jemison, who incidentally had
ew Focus
•
Tilt! Rev. Dr. � Judson Jmtiso", �ent
himself served as .B.C. U.S.A.'s 11th which ould rna e him a pioneer in
president from 1940 to 1953 and was defining the leadership of the Blac
succeeded by Dr. Jackson, hom Dr. church as a liberating fore in the
Jemison succeeded in 1982. larger Black community by organizing
an AACP chapter there and the fir t
Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops in a
Blac church.
A graduate of Alabama State
University, Dr. Jemison received his
theology degree from Virginia Union
University and did further graduate
study at Yor Univer ity.
EI ated to pastorate of Baton
ouge's historic Mt. Zion Fir t Baptist
Church, Dr. Jemison immediately
began to practice his vision of an in­
volved e ample-settin home ministry
by building a new, revitalized, com-'
Called to the pastorate in Staunton,
Virginia, he immediately began to
pr ctice the clive community ministry
LA C /TO -Oc1oIwT. I
prehensive church service center hich
embraced education, recreation
religious outreach and community ser­
vice.
In 1954, on year after hi fath r
retired from the leadership of .B.C.
U.S.A., Inc., Dr. Jemison led the first
major. boycott in Am rica hich as
not co ered by th media-and thu
as not nationally recognized. His un­
precedented initiati e and it success
became the model for Dr. ing
ontgomer mo ement t 0 ear
later-and his honest, un lfish, peo­
ple-centered pa torate ha made him a
counselor and mentor to city and tate
leaders throughout Loui iana for thr e
decade.
Mrs. Coretta Scott in often
mention ho artin dre from the
experience of Dr. Jemi on' success in
Baton Rouge" and of the in aluable
contribution it m de to the trategy
and tactic in ontgomer, hich a
the city here the .B.C. U.S. . it elf
as founded in 1 O.
m
And Jesus bein full of the Hoi
Ghost return d from Jordan,
and led b the Spirit into th
wildem .
Lu e 4:1
hen Dr. Jemsion's predec sor
Dr. J.H. J son, ucceeded hi f ther
president of the Con ention, Dr.
Jemison as elected to rve as general
ecretary. This fulfilled the dream and
prophecy of his father ho had
labored Ion and hard to help him
de elop the I der hip skills and 10 e
fo the Convention hich ould allo
him to do an out tanding job in thi
po ition and Ultimate! ucceed hi
father a future presid nt of . B. .
U.S ..
Like Peter t Dr. Jemison ed
faithfully in d . th com-
petence, distinction and 0 . He
(Continued on page 23.)
JJ
