Bro. Walter Draper fell asleep in Christ Feb. 25, 2004, at 85 years of age.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, and friends:
Please accept the love and greetings and condolences of the brothers and sisters here in Atlanta, who have come to know Bro. Walter from my much speaking of him, and from the frequent prayers we have had for him; and the love of my own family and yours: Sharon, Stephen, Patricia, and Abigail; and, not least of all, my love to you all.
I am so very sorry I am not able to join you on this sad occasion, and yet not altogether sad, for I want to think of this gathering as a celebration of one of the most wonderful blessings our God and Father has given to us in this life — the life of Bro. Walter Draper. His was a life committed and dedicated to God and His service; a life lived not just for the truth, but one that lived the truth; a life which developed a phenomenally scriptural mind, and a life which powerfully impacted my own, and that of many others, I am sure.
Bro. Walter, in his youth, was a tall, handsome, strapping young man. From a worldly perspective, he had all the right characteristics to make a great success in this life. The time came in his life, as it does in all our lives, to make a choice. He could have decided to exploit his physique, good looks, and intelligence to serve himself in worldly ambition and do well materially, or he could choose to commit and dedicate his life to God. He chose the latter.
Bro. Walter’s commitment and dedication led him to serve his God in a very special way — that of a missionary. At the beckoning of Bro. Alan Eyre, he left the U.K. and came to Jamaica to assist in the work and to dedicate the rest of his life to serve his God in this way.
Bro. Walter did not just live for the truth; he lived the truth. It is one of the supreme joys in the truth to see the power of the word of God manifested in the life of a brother or sister who has allowed it to do its transforming work. Bro. Walter’s life is a manifestation of that transforming power. The truth got hold of him and molded and made him in the image of his Father in heaven — the expressed object of the truth according to the scriptures. The fruit of the spirit found expression in Walter’s life. For those who knew him well, and for those with the slightest acquaintance, please read Galatians 5:22-24, and see for yourself how fitting a description these are of Walter Draper. He lived for the truth! He committed his life to its service. But he went beyond that. He lived it. And in so doing, brothers and sisters, Bro. Walter added a powerful dimension to the truth, making it alive, making it real, making it truly a wonderful, beautiful, and glorious thing. He let his light shine before men that God might be glorified.
Open a scriptural discussion with Bro. Walter and immediately you become aware that you are in the presence of a man, not just solidly grounded in the knowledge of the scriptures, but one with a phenomenally deep scriptural and spiritual insight. He spent many hours meditating on the scriptures. Pay him a surprise visit at any time and, most likely, along with his very welcoming smile, he will be closing his Bible to talk with you. The depth of his thoughts are reflected in his writings, but more so in discussions. The Caribbean Pioneer has published quite a few of his writings which have proved inspirational to many around the world. His “The Wilderness Journey” series and his poetry often reflect the depth of his insight; and I would like to take this opportunity to ask Bro. Alan Eyre to initiate the collection of his writings that they may be published as volumes. Spend as much time with Bro. Walter as I have in scriptural discussions and arguments and you will spend the rest of your life wanting to develop your knowledge and insight in the word of God — not to mention the tremendous learning that takes place in the process. On leaving Jamaica, I soon realized how much I missed those many hours each Sunday, after the meetings, through 9, 10, 11 o’clock at night, discussing the scriptures with Bro. Walter.
He was for me a mentor, teacher, and father in the faith. He has powerfully impacted my life. I remember as a mid-teenager wanting to be like Bro. Walter. I thought I would not get married; I would be like Bro Walter because he was faithful to the meetings, always in attendance; he was available to meet the spiritual needs of members, visiting the absentees and shut-ins for breaking of bread after the meetings on Sundays; he would give really good exhortations, taking you on a spiritual journey that left your soul satisfied; he would exhort at a moment’s notice, and from the daily readings deliver a well-reasoned and powerful exhortation; he was available for the members and for spiritual things generally. The impact of Bro. Walter’s life on my early years continued through to maturity. I grew in admiration of his spirituality, his steadfastness, his love of God, and his passion for the word and things spiritual.
In our quest for spiritual growth, we can learn from the life of Bro. Walter which we have come here to celebrate today. Like him, let us be committed and dedicated to God and His service. Like him, let us live not just for the truth, but let us live the truth. Like him, let us develop a scriptural mind, as phenomenally as we possibly can. Like him, let us live our lives that we may be the best example we can be to others. Who knows, we may very well be powerfully impacting someone else’s life.
To Bro. Walter I say, sleep on now. You have received a well deserved rest from all your toil and labour in this life. Should our Lord’s return be later than we anticipate, we trust that, like you, our eyes will close in faithful love and service to our God, our Lord, and our brethren; and then they will be opened to find us called from sleep to a glorious waking. Amen.
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