Young Walker immediately became an active and zealous Christian, and was impressed with the thought that he was called of God to preach the gospel. Accordingly in 1874, he entered the Augusta Institute, a theological school located at Augusta and presided over by the late Joseph T. Robert, D. D., L. L. D. This school has since been moved to Atlanta and is now the Atlanta Baptist Seminary. In school. Mr. Walker was soon celebrated for his great ability, for his thoroughness of scholarship, and for his exemplary deportment. He had only 6 dollars when he entered school. The first term he did his own cooking; he cooked only twice a week—on Wednesdays and Saturdays; so great was his desire for knowledge that he felt that he could not spare the time to cook every day. When he had spent his six dollars he picked up his little bundle and was on the eve of leaving school. Some of his student friends finding out the reasons of his proposed departure and realizing what a loss it would be to them and to the cause, remonstrated with him and urged him to be patient a day or so longer. One of his fellow students, the Rev. Dr. Love, of Savannah, Ga., went so far as to promise him that he would provide for him personally until arrangements could be made. Mr. Walker consented to remain; meanwhile Dr. Robert had been informed and he, in turn succeeded in interesting three gentlemen of Dayton Ohio, in young Walker and through the kindness of these gentlemen, the motherless and fatherless boy was enabled to prosecute his studies for 5 years at the Augusta Institute. In 1876, in the 18th year of his age, Mr. Walker was licensed to preach, and on the first Sunday in May, 1877, he was ordained to the sacred office of the gospel ministry. He soon became noted as a preacher, possessing, as he did supreme eloquence and a fair knowledge of the scriptures. In 1878 he was elected pastor of the Franklin Covenant Baptist church, of which he was a member and by the time he was 21 years old he was pastor of four country churches and one city church; viz: Franklin Covenant Baptist church, Hephzibah, Thankful Baptist Church, Waynesboro, McKinnie’s Branch Baptist Church, Burke county, Ebenezer Baptist church, Richmond county, and Mount Olive Baptist church, Augusta, Ga. In 1880, he pastored the First Baptist church in LaGrange. In 1882, he was called to the pastorate of Central Baptist church, Augusta, Ga., and the following year resigned and organized the Tabernacle Baptist church, of which he is still the honored and distinguished pastor.