“You will not die in this hospital, but you will walk in weakness the rest of your life.” My wife was only 17 years old when the Lord spoke these words to her as she was near death in the ICU of the Tupelo, MS hospital. Although she has walked in much weakness, the Lord keeps giving her strength to minister as HE called her to do.
The first song we chose for our wedding was a love song to the Lord: “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Claudette considers that truth the theme of her life.
Her parents, Ray and Betty Kloepper, became the president of the Tupelo Children’s Mansion when Claudette was only 4 years old. Mom Kloepper often said that although they raised over 130 orphans, no one really raised her own kids. Even though the staff was small and her parents’ hours were so long, Claudette is very thankful for the great gifts of compassion and selfless kingdom-minded living that her parents displayed her whole life.
Although my wife’s teenage dream was to get a PhD in English Literature and to teach in an Ivy League college, her health was far too compromised to attend secular college following her high school graduation. Her urologist did allow her to enroll in Apostolic Bible Institute as long as she would see a urologist in St Paul monthly and take daily medicine. That year, her passionate love for English Literature shifted to a passionate desire to consume, study and teach the Word of God. God gave her strength to graduate from ABI.
Claudette and I were blessed to be married in March of 1974 after which we immediately moved to Odessa, TX to assist Bro J. T. Pugh. Since he was a visionary, he allowed us to pursue our dream of opening a youth outreach center called “The Carpenter’s Shop.” We were honored to go back and celebrate its 25th anniversary through which many young people had come to know the Lord.
In 1976, Pastor Norman Paslay I asked us to join the ministry team of The Calvary Church in Cincinnati, OH. One of the greatest blessings in our lives was to minister under Norman and Mary Alice Paslay’s leadership. Sister Paslay had preached since she was a teenager. They both saw and affirmed the call to preach on Claudette’s life when women being in ministry was not as prevalent. Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1975, Sister Paslay asked Claudette to speak to the Calvary ladies, opening the door for her passionate love to minister to women. Because of the love and support of many District Ladies’ Presidents and Pastors’ wives, she has been invited to minister in almost every District in North America and in many places overseas. She carries a God-birthed burden to share His Word and her life experiences with ladies.
In Cincinnati, the Lord helped us to train a wonderful Bible Quiz team that won back-to-back North American Championships. Four years later we became the leaders of the Senior Quizzing Ministry of the UPCI. For the next 20 years God gave us a plan of how to use this ministry to raise up and train leaders for HIS kingdom.
God called us to change the paradigm from quizzing as merely a competitive game to a ministry to build leaders for the kingdom. The Lord gave Claudette a revelation about Zechariah 4:6 in a classic message, “Zach in Action”, a message still inspiring quizzers via You Tube 49 years later. What a joy it is to travel across North America and the world and to meet dynamic leaders and ministers we were able to train during our 20 years leading the Quizzing Ministry.
Through the gift of prophecy, the Lord told Claudette and me that we would begin to travel many places that we had never been before to help strengthen marriages and families. His Word has come true and for 45 years, Claudette and I have been privileged to team teach marriage conferences all over the world. God recently blessed us to do both a Quizzing and a Marriage conference in the Philippines.
Although doctors said Claudette would never be able to conceive, — in1978, the Lord blessed her to birth a miracle son that we had asked God to give us to bless His kingdom. Doctor told her that if she did not abort the baby, both she and the baby would die. “Sometimes the greatest gift you can give to the kingdom of God is not something you DO but SOMEONE you RAISE.” Jonathan is now the senior pastor of the dynamic revival church, Bethel UPC on Long Island with over 40 nationalities worshipping together. His wife Lindsi is the daughter-in-love Claudette always wanted. Quinci and Graham are the grandchildren she always dreamed of loving.
After serving for two years as First Lady of the Tupelo Children’s Mansion, she became the First Lady of Faith Apostolic Church of Troy, MI. Her precious Faith Apostolic Saints are kingdom-minded enough to carry a burden for and share Claudette with so many others in her many God-called assignments. Since 2002, Claudette and I have served with other facilitators in mentoring young ministry couples in the national Jonathan Project and the Michigan and Detroit Metro Mantle ministries. We love affirming and blessing these dynamic young ministry couples.
In 2012 Dave Norris invited Claudette to begin a ministry at Urshan College which she named “Open Hearts.” She was blessed to be at UC about 5 weeks each year for 3 years. This ministry is for young ladies called to ministry. Claudette would pray with and counsel them. She shared many life lessons with dynamic young ladies who she still loves.
One of her “Open Hearts” ladies started a YouTube Channel called OPEN HEARTS—CLAUDETTE WALKER so that her life messages would be available for others to view. These messages are not just sermons but life messages birthed in Claudette through many fiery trials of her life. Often she has to LIVE IT before she GIVES IT.
During those years at Urshan College, Claudette’s latest passionate burden was born. As she travels across North America and overseas, God joins her heart with young ladies upon whom she sees the call of God. Claudette offers them her open heart to love them, her shoulders to cry on, her ears to listen to them, and her spirit to intercede for them. These dynamic and anointed young women bring so much joy to Claudette’s heart as she shares her life experiences and love for them.
Claudette feels so deeply blessed by God for His call to preach His Word and for every door He has opened to bless His precious people. The weakness has prevailed — but as HE promised her in the ICU in Tupelo when she was 17, God’s strength has been made perfect in that weakness. At age 74, Claudette is still singing to her Lord: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!