James Vaus graduated from the Institute in 1914. According to a report from the Jewish Society in 1938 he became Rev. James Vaus and the director of Jewish Ministries at Biola.The Biolan 1938, p 62
James Vaus came to study at Biola in his late twenties, which is the typical age range of the early Bible students who felt called to serious lay ministry or full-time Christian work. Vaus had been influenced by John Wilkinson’s book Israel, My Glory and the teaching of William Blackstone and others. He enrolled in Lillie Manson’s Jewish Evangelism class and undertook further seminary and rabbinic training while actively involved in Biola’s Jewish evangelism outreach.
In 1919, James Vaus and Lillie (Meyer) Manson were married at a ceremony performed by T. C. Horton. Horton and the Vaus couple remained very close, as is demonstrated by the fact that Vaus delivered the main eulogy at Horton’s memorial service in 1932.
In the early 1920s the Jewish Department continued its work through the Jewish Evangelism class at the Institute with close association with 1) Horton’s southern California Pre-Millenial Conferences, 2) neighborhood work through the Jewish Mission House, and 3) street and beach evangelism. Mrs. Lillie Vaus started a family and James became Head of the Jewish Department.
In recognition of the faithful work that Lillie and James Vaus had performed over the prior 15 years and their desire to continue Jewish evangelism under their own independent mission, Mrs. Lyman Stewart and a Board majority approved the sale of the Biola Jewish Mission Home to the Vaus family for a reasonable sum. The Board minutes noted a desire to commence a search for a new Superintendent of the Jewish Department.