Episode 33 – Wayne Atcheson

Wayne Atcheson became the first Billy Graham Library Director in Charlotte on June 1, 2006. Today, he serves as the Library Historian for Billy Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He also serves in donor ministry and as host to special guests to the Library. He has given over 1,200 tours. 

The 2016 edition of Religious Travel lists the Billy Graham Library No. 1 in the Top Ten of religious attractions in America. TripAdvisor.com lists the Library No. 1 in “things to do and see” in Charlotte for the past six years. Most important are the 35,000 decisions for Jesus Christ that have been made at the Library. 

For four years prior to joining the Billy Graham Library, Wayne served as Admissions Manager of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jerry was co-writer of the blockbuster Left Behind series and the Guild’s purpose was to raise up a new harvest of Christian writers around the world.

From 1983-2003 Wayne served as Sports Information Director for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, and Associate Director of TIDE PRIDE, the football donor program. Through the years, he was part of three Alabama national championships in football. He also served as advisor to the Alabama Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter for 18 years, putting together 550 weekly programs. He was secretary of the Paul Bryant Museum committee for five years before it opened in 1988. 

Wayne spent 28 years in college football beginning with Coach Bobby Bowden at Samford University and Coach Paul Bryant at Alabama. He has the distinction of working with three distinguished Americans in Bobby Bowden, Paul Bryant and Billy Graham.

For 12 years (1967-79). Wayne was on the national staff of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He served as Associate Director of the national FCA in Kansas City and later as Regional Director of six states from Indianapolis. He worked with notable men in athletics such as Carl Erskine, Tom Landry, John Wooden, Roger Staubach, Tom Osborne, Archie Griffin, Dean Smith, Paul Dietzel and many others. In 1999, he served as Chairman of the West Alabama Franklin Graham Festival (crusade) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which led to his position at the Billy Graham Library.

He is the author of eight books. His latest book is entitled The Asbury Revival, the greatest student-led campus revival in American history. Other books include Our Family Was A Team, a family story. Christian biographies include Alabama quarterback Jay Barker entitled In Due Time, Faith of the Crimson Tide and two Fellowship of Christian Athletes history books. He wrote Impact For Christ, the 40-year history of FCA, and Sharing The Victory, the 50-year history. He authored The Victor Marx Story, a Focus On The Family VP story, and published Fifty Years of Crimson Tide Faith, the Alabama FCA history. Altogether, he has spent 33 active years with FCA. He has been a lay speaker since his college days and has taught Bible Prophecy and Revival History in the past 35 years.

He and his wife Barbara, a Kansas native, have been married 48 years. They have two daughters. Elizabeth and her husband Jared Poplin live in Charlotte, NC and have two sons, Jack, 15, and Luke, 12. Amy lives in Charlotte also and has two sons, Cam, 12, and Christian, 9.   

Wayne is a graduate of Samford University (Birmingham) and received his master’s degree from the University of Alabama. His degrees were in journalism. In 2012, Samford inducted Wayne into their Journalism-Mass Communications Wall of Fame, its fourth class. In 2016, Wayne was given the first Belle Tower Award at the Samford Golden Bulldog Alumni Homecoming Luncheon for distinguished service as a Samford grad. In 2018, Samford University established the Wayne Atcheson Christian Ministry Endowed Scholarship for students studying for full time Christian service. After graduate school he served in the United States Air Force National Guard for six years as assistant chaplain. 

Wayne is the son of Rev. Hymon and Lora Deen Chambers Atcheson and was born in Maplesville, Alabama. His father was a street preacher, tent revivalist, radio preacher and small town country bi-vocational pastor/evangelist for 63 years. His youngest brother, Randall, is a concert pianist having performed 14 Carnegie Hall concerts, and others around the world. He studied at the famed Juilliard School of Music in piano and organ for ten years.