WEBER, William John (Rev.)

WEBER, William John . (Dubuque, IA, Oct. 24, 1946--Aug. 2, 2022 ). As a teenager, "B.J." Weber had a reputation in Dubuque for being the town rowdy. At Iowa State, he was a leader of campus radicalism, anarchy and the anti-war movement in the late 1960s. Yet this brash and burly hometown kid, in frequent trouble with the law and founder of the Dubuque and Iowa State Rugby Clubs, ended up a Christian minister. He served in New York City for more than 40 years, influencing thousands nationwide, including Wall Street moguls, the World Series Champion New York Yankees, and the poor and homeless.

His road to a Master of Divinity at the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE began through a dramatic conversion — on a casual visit to buy a loaf of bread, he met a Trappist monk at New Melleray Abbey who led him to faith in Christ. This turning point, at age 26, caused him to walk away from his 1960s radical lifestyle and communist ideology, instead surrendering to a life in Christ. From 1973 to 1979, he was invited to live under the care and discipleship of the monks and nuns at the NEW MELLERAY MONASTERY and the OUR LADY OF THE MISSISSIPPI ABBEY near Dubuque. Those unique friendships he shared with cloistered monks and sisters were closely maintained and cherished for the next 48 years of his life.

For the past four decades, he returned several times a year to Dubuque, bringing business leaders on spiritual retreat at New Melleray and conferences at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.

After six years of care and nurture with Dubuque’s own Trappist communities, in 1979 Weber felt led to go serve the poor in New York City. He was one of two ministers who spread the message of religion among those who lived in the Times Square area. Living in a room at the Lamb's Club, once a famous off-Broadway actor's club purchased by the church in 1976, Weber was supported entirely by donations including those received from Dubuque churches. He started a street ministry where for five years he served in rescue and recovery efforts with addicts, prostitutes, teenage runaways and the homeless, while co-pastoring The Lamb’s mission church. There he launched a clinic and feeding program for the homeless, and he also trained leaders in a dozen mainline churches to establish homeless shelters on their premises.

In 1984, Weber founded the New York Fellowship, an interdenominational ministry providing spiritual direction, counseling and pastoral care to leaders in the business and professional communities of the New York City area. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, he served as Baseball Chapel leader for the World Series Champion New York Yankees. He either co-founded or was instrumental in founding more than 25 ministries, including the East Harlem Little League, Youth Impact, Pregnancy Help, Brooklyn Little League, the Breadwinner’s Foundation, Love & Respect, Avenue D Men’s Transitional Center, Faithworks, Kids to Camp Program, and more. He was a co-founder of the Amistad Mission, a clinic and orphanage in Bolivia. He was instrumental on the board of Chicago Hope Academy, a Christian high school for underprivileged inner-city youth. Weber was an early and ongoing leader with the New Canaan Society, a men’s ministry that now includes some 60 chapters and 25,000 men nationwide.

He called himself “a friend of Jesus” and was known as a man of deep faith, a leader of men, and lover of souls. He was renowned for his humor, wit, charm, charity and grace.

Over the course of several decades, Weber led chapel programs for the New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Mets, as well as at a Super Bowl, an MLB All-Star Game, and an NCAA National Football Championship. He led a Bible study for Jets players for many years at his home. In 2011, B.J. was a chaplain for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, the third-largest sporting event in the world.

Weber also hosted a monthly luncheon for ambassadors of the United Nations, to which many ambassadors from traditionally Muslim backgrounds attended, along with Israel’s ambassador to the U.S.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he provided boots-on-the-ground crisis counseling at Ground Zero. He continued his ministry to the grieving families of firefighters who were lost that day.

There are countless stories of how his investment in the life of one person created a ripple effect in the lives of others, their families, and entire communities. Those stories can be found in a collection of essays written by the people he helped, a book on Amazon.com, titled “FELLOWSHIP: Stories of Transformation through Grace and Spiritual Friendship. B.J. Weber’s 40 Years in New York City.”

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Sheila Meeder Weber, who in addition to raising their son and daughter, assisted B.J. in managing of the New York Fellowship. Together they ran a hospitality house in midtown Manhattan, which has served and hosted thousands of visitors from around the world. The dinner gatherings and Bible study groups have been legend, as lifelong friendships have led to the growth of even larger national ministries from the multiplied effect of his gregarious leadership.

He is survived by their son Maxwell Andrew Weber (Lauren) and their daughter Rachel Grace Weber Nehme (John) and grandchildren Bo, Lita, and Otelia (Tilly) Weber, and Meira, J.J. William (Liam), and Philip Nehme. He is also survived by his siblings, Sharon Andresen, Kim Herrig, and Mike Weber (Liz), and many loving nieces and nephews. His parents, Virginia Varner Weber and William Bernard Weber (owner of former Hawkeye Auto), predeceased him.

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Source:

1. Weber, Sheila, "Dubuque Native, Rebel Turned Minister, Spread Spiritual Influence Nationwide," Telegraph Herald, September 4, 2022, Online: https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_430356f3-9c04-52a2-9bfe-a5f00c660ceb.html