Gospel Folio Press
Box 2041 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501

Dedicated to the Lord
in memory of John Walden
by his wife Nan

I wish to thank all those who helped get this material together among whom are
Mrs. Dorothy Kellogg, John’s sister, who designed the cover, Lt. Col. Clifford H. Franz, Mr. Jack Hardwick, Miss Elaine Nelson, and Peter J. Pell who wrote the Foreword.

—Mrs. John Walden

Copyright 1980 by
Mrs. John Walden
Colorado Springs, CO

John Walden —Servant of God

Born— Sept. 1, 1905

Born again— Dec. 31, 1911

Began preaching at age 15

Laid aside his armor June 6, 1979

Servant of God, well done! Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle fought, the victory won, enter thy Master’s joy.

The pains of death are past; labor and sorrow cease;
And, life’s long warfare closed at last, thy soul is found in peace.

Rest from thy labor, rest, soul of the just, set free;
Blest be thy memory, and blest thy bright example be.

Now, toil and conflict o’er, go, take with saints thy place;
But go, as each has gone before, a sinner saved by grace.

Soldier of Christ, well done! Praise be thy new employ;
And, while eternal ages run, rest in thy Saviour’s joy.

—James Montgomery, 1771-1854

Foreword

Our beloved brother John Walden of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was one of God’s choicest gifts to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. He served not only his own generation well, but he faithfully and uniquely served the next.

Saved at the early age of six, John immediately manifested a desire to serve the Lord. When he was 15, his brethren showed their confidence in him by making him Sunday school superintendent. He began preaching the same year. For more than thirty years he taught the Colorado Springs city-wide Bible Class.

“Brother John” excelled in the preaching of the Gospel, speaking with great clarity and authority. He left no doubt as to where he stood on matters that effected the truth whether in the Gospel or in the Doctrines of Scripture. He was also a recognized student of the Word of God which was evidenced in his lifelong ministry to the people of God. Like the Apostle Paul, our brother shouldered the burden of the care of the assemblies in the Colorado Springs area. Giving himself unsparingly to the work of the Lord, he accepted many invitations for special meetings and conferences in other places.

Another important part of our brother’s service for the Lord was the radio work and the cassette lending library ministry. The messages contained in this book are printed very much as he spoke them. You will enjoy reading them. At the time of the printing of this booklet his taped messages, through the years, are still being broadcast, as well as his “Minute with the Bible” telephone messages which are changed daily and enjoyed especially by the elderly and shut-ins. Thus, “he [John Walden] being dead yet speaketh.”

In spite of suffering much from physical difficulties, for many years, our brother persevered in his multiple services for the Lord. Every ounce of strength or surge of energy was applied to the furtherance of the work he loved so well.

Due to migraine headaches and increasing deafness, our brother’s activities- among the young were somewhat curtailed in later life, but not his interest. Is it not his work among the young that has made him the unique servant of the Lord in the minds of all who knew him?

His stories and apt illustrations, his down-to-earth manner, and his hearty way of talking, opened the hearts of all ages to him, and God blessed his efforts.

Well do I remember the first time “Brother John” and I met. It was at a Chicago conference many years ago. My age prevented me from hearing him speak on that particular occasion, for he was speaking to the boys and girls—a thing he loved to do.

Later on, and for many years, as one of the contributors to “The Sunday School Teachers’ Lesson Manual” he was .able to exercise that gift in teaching adults to reach the youth with divine truth. The initials J.W. first appeared in the Teachers’ Manual in 1949. Our brother was a faithful contributor until 1977, providing the magazine with a wealth of material.

It was not only my privilege to be associated with Brother John in the service of the Sunday School Teachers’ Manual and in various parts of the country, but it was also my privilege to have visited the work in which his wife Nan shared an important part, and which started in their own home—the cares and responsibilities of the Christian Home for Children in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This work was begun five years after their marriage in 1936 when they helped a needy boy by taking him into their heart and home. Later it was another child and then a few more until it resulted in caring for more than 600 children—as many as 56 at one time.

The outreach of this service is beyond our comprehension. The way God worked, and is still working, in answer to the prayers of His people on behalf of this work brings forth much praise and thanksgiving to the One whom our brother found to be faithful in and through it all.

In closing this brief tribute to my dear brother and co-worker in Christ, it seems as though I can almost hear the words of commendation sounding forth from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself as John Walden entered His presence:

“WELL DONE… GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT… ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD.”

—Peter J. Pell