Walter Weber, 87-year-old Biola graduate from the class of 1956, will walk onto the platform to receive his diploma this coming Friday. Weber left for Canada with his biblical studies degree and wife directly after classes ended in ‘56 in order to plant a church and begin his ministry deep within the forest of British Columbia. Weber lost the opportunity at the time, however, to officially walk out and graduate with the rest of his class and Biola had to send him his diploma via mail.
Without electricity and 50 miles from the nearest grocery store, Weber built and grew Calvary Bible Church on the northern end of Vancouver Island. He still lives in a small house behind their church that he also built from the ground up.
“My wife calls [our house] a bit of a sardine can with the label ripped off,” Weber said.
The first Sunday he opened the church’s doors, only five adults and 18 children walked in. In the 50 years since, Weber’s perseverance has led to him baptizing 69 people from 39 different families. He still lives behind his church in the middle of the deep forest of Canada, but has also pressed on to spread the gospel in such a remote area as Sayward, British Columbia.
A LUMBERJACK PREACHER
Weber has not only continued preparing for his weekly services as a pastor to the 25-house neighborhood he lives in, but has also pursued a logging profession. He stated that as his second job he spent his weekdays shoveling in the mines preparing for his sermon for Sunday where he would stand and preach before his congregation.
Despite the remoteness of his home, Weber still stays in contact with some of his fellow graduates and professors. He listens to professor John McGee, one of his old Bible professors, on the radio every day and talks with the director of strategic partnership and corporate relationships at Biola, Greg Leith, on the phone annually. He has only been back to Los Angeles twice since he left, mainly because he keeps himself busy with his work within the church and logging business.
“This [Wednesday] will be my second time riding on a plane,” Weber stated.
A MODEL OF BIOLA'S MISSION
Leith, who has called Weber multiple times to thank him for his generous donations over the last 10 years, asked Weber to come back to Biola to officially and finally walk down the stage and receive his diploma amid the graduating crowd. Weber will finally be able to experience the official graduation ceremony that he missed 50 year ago.
While Weber is not explicitly famous, Leith and president Barry Corey agree that Weber represents the collective power of all Biola graduates. Weber has gone out and impacted the world for Jesus Christ by preaching the gospel to his Sayward neighbors.
“He may not be Billy Graham, but he represents everyone who goes out after graduation to make their mark,” Leith said.
Leith wanted to congratulate Weber for the commitment and dedication he has poured into his work in the 50 years since he has graduated.
“We wanted to say thank you and get him down here to hand him his diploma in person,” Leith said.
At the age of 87, Weber still remains resilient and active. Recently, he climbed a 32-foot ladder to cut some branches down by his house. He faltered, fell off and ended up with a broken ankle. He still remains hopeful and excited about coming out to La Mirada.
“It has been nice to have the memories of professors and people from school,” Weber stated. “My time [at Biola] was wonderful.”
