Called to the Margins: Deacon Vicki Walker’s Journey from a Small Voice to a Big Impact
By Wendy R. Cromwell
Rev. Vicki Walker traces her call to ministry to a single, startling moment that would shape the rest of her life.
“It was 1980. I was 19 years old,” Walker said. During a quiet retreat, she sat alone in a chapel when she heard a voice she could not ignore. “I sense, I hear this voice that says, ‘I want you to go to seminary, get a master’s in Christian education, and work with youth.’”
She turned, expecting someone behind her. “I heard it again, and it scared me to death,” Walker said. “I jumped up and ran out of the room.” A spiritual director later affirmed what she had begun to suspect: “I think that was God.”
Rev. Vicki Walker (left) stands with Sarah Wilke at Scarritt Bennett Center, where she was staying when she was called to ministry at age 19 during a Cursillo retreat weekend in the summer of 1980. Photo courtesy of Vicki Walker
That clarity sustained her through years of ministry and institutional change. Ordained in 1997 in the first class of deacons in The United Methodist Church, Walker described the moment as both emotional and affirming. “It felt like an acknowledgment that ministries of love, and service, and justice, and compassion were also important,” she said.
Much of her ministry took shape in Florida, where Walker served at Tampa United Methodist Centers and later at Hyde Park United Methodist Church. In the inner city, she worked with communities often overlooked, then helped build bridges back to the congregation.
Rev. Vicki Walker, third from left, with her Hyde Park United Methodist Church colleagues: Rev. Magrey de Vega, senior pastor (from left), Rev. Sally Campbell Evans, and Rev. Justin la Rosa. Photo courtesy of Vicki Walker
At Hyde Park, her role evolved beyond traditional Christian education into community engagement. The church became known for outreach initiatives, including partnerships with schools, ministries serving people experiencing homelessness, and even an arts program offering free classes for those living on the streets.
She recalled visiting neighborhoods just miles away with her church members that they had never seen. “I think they were shocked,” Walker said, noting the experience helped “open a lot of people’s eyes” and foster meaningful partnerships.
The work reflected what Walker says is central to the diaconate: connection. “I was never about preserving an entity as much as I was finding a place to serve that connected church and world,” she said.
Looking ahead, Walker sees deacons as essential to the church’s future. “We were called to the margins. We were called to evolve,” she said.
In a rapidly changing world, she believes deacons are uniquely equipped to innovate, collaborate, and respond to injustice. Walker’s advice to those entering the ministry is rooted in experience. “The God who called you will sustain you. Don’t get caught up in petty things,” she said. “Remember why you’re doing the work.”
Bridging Church and World
Through diverse ministries and shared purpose, meet six deacons who embody a calling rooted in Word, service, compassion, and justice. Their stories in the coming weeks mark the 30th anniversary of the Order of Deacons and its enduring mission to build bridges of hope.
Related Posts
Methodism has a long history with the concept of perfection. In 18th-century England, perfection or perfectionism was understood the same way it is today. Perfection meant something without error or blemish. John and Charles Wesley, and the early leaders of the Methodist movement, understood perfection differently. In their practice, perfection was related to the Greek term teleio, which conveys maturity, wholeness, and completion.
Sometimes, the road to Damascus passes through Breezewood, Pennsylvania. There at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 76, the Rev. Bruce Maxwell, a United Methodist deacon who serves as an endorsed chaplain at the travel plaza, cares for truckers, travelers, or anyone passing through.
The EXPLORATION discernment event is unlike any other event with its goal of helping people discern and not pushing them into ordained ministry or into a particular form of Christian service. EXPLORATION helps participants discern and be open to what God may be asking of them and how they are called to use their gifts and graces to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
