Walker volunteers and ministers in many ways here in Alleghany By ROBBY LUCKE Staff Sparta's Varan Walker has volunteered extensively with youth and others over the last several years. He has coached youth football, basketball and softball teams and is a volunteer bus driver for volleyball teams at Sparta Elementary School and Alleghany High School. Walker also has a ministry at nursing homes and a jail ministry. He is grateful to numerous people for helping and supporting him. "As a volunteer, you never do anything by yourself," he said.

Varan Walker pauses for a picture over breakfast at Sparta Restaurant.

Walker is thankful for Alleghany County organizations and officials — particularly Tom Smith and Rick Wooten in youth sports programs — giving him opportunities to work with young people despite his own background as a troublesome youth. "They kind of believed in me, believed in what I was doing," Walker said. "They never cared what my past was."

His family, including his wife Martha and their children, Tarra, Garrett and Lucas, have also upheld Walker's efforts. His pastor, Larry Atwood at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, and the church's deacons also supported and believed in him, he said.

But above all, Walker is thankful to the Lord. "I want Jesus' name first and foremost," he said. "It's tremendous how much He's changed my life in 10 years....I couldn't have done it without Him."

Walker is a lifelong resident of Sparta; his parents, David and Patsy Walker, still live here. "They've been good parents; I owe them a lot, too," he remarked.

Varan Walker responded to an altar call at church and was baptized at age 12. It was years later, in 1991, that God began dealing with him dramatically and calling him to preach. "To preach is something I ran from," he said. "The Lord was working on me....It about drove me crazy. I was praying, I asked God for leadership. I went through a battle for seven years, trying to understand what was going on. I couldn't figure out why He wanted me. I hurt so many people growing up."

He explained that his two main areas of rebelliousness as a teenager were fighting and substance abuse. "I was a brawler, very violent," Walker said.

Drug use led to him getting kicked out of school. He said he drank from age 15 to 28. The seven-year battle, which he also described as a growing period, was resolved with a decision he made at a service at New Hope. "On Feb. 22, 1998, I gave my all to the Lord." He said it was only after that that the Lord allowed him to announce his calling to preach. The church ordained him to preach on June 6, 1999.

His volunteer activities with youth, for which he received the governor's volunteer award for 1998-99 and the Earl Calhoun Youth Appreciation Award last year, also began in 1991. "The Lord laid it upon my heart to start helping, to try to do something with young people," Walker said. "I felt like I could help keep kids from making some of the mistakes I did. I had a burden to make a difference."

He helped start a pee-wee football program, known as Alleghany Youth Football, in which he also coached for five years. He now serves in the administrative part of the program.

Walker also coached girls basketball for three years and was an assistant coach in softball for two years.

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