From one group of teenage boys who followed him around the beach handing out tracts nineteen years ago, has come a number of representative Christian men. Orville Pollard is a staff worker for the Christian Work er’s Service Bureau. Garry Demarest, attended the Uni versity of California and was president of the student body, after which he graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has been a successful youth director and is active in a national organization promoting the testi monies of Christian athletes. Bob Smith graduated from the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and has for many years used his technical knowledge in photography promoting world missions. Ralph Covell, who maintained a straight “A” record through high school, college, and seminary, went to Western China where he began translation among the Nusu tribal people. After being held prisoner for a year by the Chinese Communists, he recently re turned with his wife and family for the second time to Formosa where he is now busily engaged in translating the Bible into the language of one of the mountain tribal people. Charles Corwin, after spending time in Japan as a naval officer during World War II, returned to that land with his wife and family and is now located in Tokyo. Paul Walker was active in many areas of Christian service. He was a member of the board of Culter Aca demy, the Tokyo Evangelistic Center, and president of the International Fishermen’s Club. He held various offices with Christian Business Men’s Committees, and in his local church he served at different times as trustee, deacon, chairman of the Christian Education board, and
I t was one of Paul Walker’s Fishermen Club boys who aptly said, “It seems that there was no place more appropriate for the Lord to choose to take him home than in the mountains. Mr. Walker was always climbing higher with and for his Lord!” The time of Paul Walker’s last earthly climb with the Lord was Saturday, February 27th, in the mountains of Idylwild, California. He had been enjoying the week end with a group of 25 young men from his church and Bible club at Manhattan Beach. Paul’s home going took place along the same trails that he started to explore when he was just a boy. Evidently, this servant of Christ lost his footing on an icy, slippery rock, and in falling, his head struck a stone. As was reported in the last issue of THE KING’S BUSINESS, the funeral for Paul E. Walker was con ducted March 3, 1960, at the Community Baptist Church in Manhattan Beach with Dr. C. T. Walberg officiating. Born July 7, 1889, Paul Walker had spiritual grand children in all areas of the globe. He was bom in what is now the central business section of Los Angeles. Ac cepting Christ at an early age, he was greatly influenced as a young man by Dr. T. C. “Daddy” Horton, co-founder of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Daddy Horton’s life was dedicated to personal evangelism and to the in struction and encouragment of young men in the Chris tian walk of faith. Paul followed Daddy Horton’s steps, and in turn, he greatly influenced the lives of many young men throughout Southern California. Actually, Dr. Horton (father-in-law of Mr. Walker) died the very same day twenty-eight years before. For over thirty years, Paul Walker conducted Bible study meetings for teenage boys in his own home at Manhattan Beach every Monday night. Attendance at the Monday night club averaged thirty boys each week. One of the names recorded in the attendance book kept through the years was Dawson Trotman, who later founded the Navigators. Basing their name of the Fisher men’s Club on Matthew 4:19, the young boys were en couraged to win others to Christ. Each week just before club time, Paul would be out in his car providing trans portation for those who would not or could not otherwise attend the meeting. His first objective always was to see the boys saved, and then to encourage them to move on doing something vital with their lives for the Lord. He encouraged and challenged the boys to give up their Sunday afternoons of beach fun and to join him in giv ing out gospel tracts to those along the shores. The casual observer would be hard pressed to dis cover the qualities that linked more than 3,000 boys to him and to his Lord. To know him was to know the secret, however, for Paul Walker talked plainly of Jesus Christ and of his personal faith in Him. Monday nights were faithfully reserved for his boys in the Fishermen’s Club, regardless of the cost. While prominent ministers and laymen often spoke at the club meetings, the boys were frank to admit that they had come to hear and to be taught by Paul Walker. His interest in boys carried over into their activities. He took part in the sports which they enjoyed. In the game as player, or as umpire, or re feree, or score keeper, he had a boy’s heart with all of its enthusiasm and optimism. In this way, too, he won the hearts of the boys to himself, but more important he won them to the Lord Jesus Christ. 16
A Fisherman Goes HOME Paul E. Walker— "Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord"
Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Walker
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