Birth
Frederick Diabene Walker was born on May 9, 1922, to Mr Frank Budu and Madam Debora Adubea Parry of Akuapim Abiriw and Dawu respectively.
Education
Frederick attended Primary School at Nankese in the Eastern Region where he lived with his grandfather, who was a Teacher-Catechist of the Presbyterian Church. He left his grandfather to live with his uncle at Mangoase where he continued his education at the Mangoase Presbyterian Primary School. He went with his uncle to Nsawam on transfer and completed his Middle School education at the Anglican Middle School. He had his secondary education at the Asafo Akim Secondary School (now Abuakwa State College) at Kibi. Whiles in the ministry, F. D. Walker enrolled at the Baptist Theological Seminary in Monrovia, Liberia and graduated with a Diploma in Theology in 1981.
Employment
After his secondary school education, Frederick, whose motto was: “Either be the first or with the first”, worked with the Produce Department of the United African Company (U. A. C) at Suhum. When his desire to join the army did not materialize, he left the U. A. C. to work with the Amalgamated Banquet Areas (A. B. A.), a bauxite mining company at Mpraeso.
Conversion And Call Into The Full-Time Ministry
Having lived with his teacher-catechist grandfather and also attending two Presbyterian Primary schools, Frederick was introduced to Christianity at a very early age. As a boy, he served as an usher at the Anglican Church at Nsawam. He later lived with his uncle, Papa Ansah, who was a Pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church at Suhum. He was then introduced to Pentecostalism and accepted Christ as his personal saviour in 1942 at Suhum at age 20. By 1943, Frederick had become very active in the church and was ordained a Deacon and also served as a Chorus Leader (song conductor).
He had to leave his secular job and join Rev. C .B. Sercombe, an Apostolic Missionary who was with Pastor James McKeown at cape coast as an interpreter. In 1946, upon a recommendation of Apostle S. R. Asomani, young Frederick Walker was called into full-time ministry as a Probationary Overseer. He was called and ordained into the pastorate in 1952 and to the office of Apostle in 1961.
The ministry of Apostle Walker took him to the Eastern, Ashanti, Volta, Brong Ahafo, Central and Western regions of Ghana. He also served as a missionary to the Republic of Liberia from 1976 to 1980.
His life was that of dedication to his Lord, the flock and the afflicted. At his crusades, conventions, rallies and at home, as he ministered to the sick, cripples walked and the blind saw; thousands were saved and many were liberated from the bondage of Satan. His favourite Bible passage was Psalm 8:4-6 as he pondered over how the Mighty God was concerned about simple and frail human beings. He taught evangelism and comparative religion at the then Pentecost Bible Centre, Madina, Accra.
Appointments
• Being gifted in evangelism Apostle Walker was appointed the first General Leader of the Witness Movement, the evangelism wing of the Church. He held that position from 1955 to 1967.
• From 1956 to 1988, he served as a member of the Executive Council of the Church.
• He was the Chairman of the Literature Committee of the Church from 1980 to 1988.
• From 1984 to 1988, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Pentecost Press Limited.
• In 1988, he had the privilege of presiding over the 25th session of the General Council meetings held at the Ghana Secondary Technical School at Takoradi. At that time, the incumbent Chairman of the Church, Apostle Stephen Fred Safo had died and so Apostle Walker had to preside over the meetings as the Caretaker Chairman. It was at that meeting that Prophet M. K. Yeboah was elected Chairman of the Church.
Marriage
He was married to Florence Odi of Adukrom Akuapim. The marriage was blessed with seven children one of whom is Apostle Dr Daniel Walker, the Rector of the Pentecost University College.
Significant Contributions Of Apostle Frederick Diabene Walker To The Church Of Pentecost
• As one of the pioneer ministers of the Church, he helped to establish the ministry in the hitherto unchurched communities. For example, he spread the Pentecostal message to Akuapim area.
• As someone who was so much involved in evangelistic activities, it is only the heavens that can tell how many people got saved through his ministry.
• Endowed with the gifts of healings and miracles, several afflicted people were healed and miraculously touched by the Lord through the ministry of Apostle Walker.
• As the Church’s pioneer missionary to Liberia, he helped to establish the Church in that country.
Retirement And Death
Having served for forty-two (42) years, Apostle Frederick Walker was retired from active ministerial service at Koforidua. He died about three months later at the Nyaho Clinic in Accra on October 26, 1988. He died at the age of sixty-six (66). In a tribute, the General Council of the Church acknowledged that Frederick Diabene Walker had set the pace for others to follow, the path of peace he threaded, incorporated wise sayings in his sermons and had a lot of illustrations to arrest the attention of his audience.
