The conference theme for 2012-2013 is CONNECT. There are at least four primary connection points that are crucial to being healthy and having a healthy ministry. CONNECT to:
- God
- Others
- the Need
- the Legacy
Last newsletter I began a series on these four points by addressing our connection to God. Today we continue with CONNECT to the Legacy. The following is a portion of the message Dr. Jack Smart shared at the national conference during our Sunday night opening session.
Connect to the Legacy: Dave and Gwen Wilkerson
Connecting to our legacy is something that is needed now in Teen Challenge and is something that we will always need. Many Christian organizations have historically drifted from their original mission and call, some tragically becoming Christian in name only. Most of us can think of organizations that fit in this category and I believe that you are with me when I say that we want to guarantee that this never happens in the ministry of Teen Challenge!
But connecting to our legacy is more poignant than ever for us tonight because it marks the first time that we have all gathered together since the passing of our founder, David Wilkerson and his wonderful wife, Gwen. Brother Dave’s death through an automobile accident in April of 2011 and Sister Gwen’s recent passing due to cancer mark a generational change for Teen Challenge. They were the ones that God specifically chose to challenge the Church to begin to reach out to people in need that few, if any, were ever concerned about before. God chose Dave and Gwen to demonstrate not only the passion of God for those in need but also the power of God to reach those in the greatest depths of sin.
It is impossible to reflect on the Wilkersons’ legacy without going back to when Bro. Dave asked himself the question, “What would happen if I stopped watching TV late at night and started praying?” Two hours of nightly prayer and several weeks later God spoke to Bro. Dave through a Life magazine picture and the rest, of course, is history. But we must remind ourselves that none of this incredible move of God would have taken place had it not been preceded by prayer. Prayer has been and always will be the key to Teen Challenge ministry because without the move of God in our lives and the lives of those we minister to we are just another feel good non-profit agency.
The legacy that Dave and Gwen Wilkerson left us is certainly included in the historical facts encased in The Cross and the Switchblade but it is much more than that. It is a legacy of devotion to God and to people in need. It is a legacy of stepping out in faith when God speaks to you and not worrying about the consequences.
For me, and I think for many of us, one of our lasting impressions of Bro. Dave will be at the initial service of the 50th Anniversary celebration held at Times Square Church in 2008. At the end of the service were Bro. Dave, Nicky Cruz, Sonny Arguinzoni, and Israel Narvaez together on the stage, leading the congregation in prayer. I have said many times it was like watching a Bible story unfold before our eyes.
But I have another enduring impression of Bro. Dave from that week. Each of the past presidents of Teen Challenge USA was to open a service with prayer. My mentor and predecessor at Cape Girardeau and past TCUSA president, Herb Meppelink was not able to attend because he was battling cancer at the time. I will always be thankful to Mike Hodges for making a video with Bro. Mepp and showing it that evening, recognizing his contribution to the ministry. But when Mike introduced the video and mentioned that Bro. Mepp was fighting cancer I saw such a pained look come across Bro. Dave’s face. His concern and compassion for his fellow worker were obvious.
I am sure one aspect of that concern was because his own wife, Gwen, had faced cancer so many times. Sister Gwen was a “behind the scenes” support for Bro. Dave and carried on the challenging task of raising four children in spite of the demands of her husband’s ministry.
As I mentioned, Sister Gwen fought cancer many times in her life. She shared her experiences in three books In His Strength, Abiding in His Strength, and The Cross and the Scapel. Her faith in the midst of constant physical trials was as inspiring as Brother Dave’s. Her willingness to follow wherever God would lead them in ministry was the sign of a dedicated servant of God. Sister Gwen is a key part of the Teen Challenge legacy because of her willingness to obey God and yet never receive notice or acclaim for her actions. There are hundreds like her today in the Teen Challenge ministry.
Time always takes a toll. What seems fresh in our minds our minds today and maybe even tomorrow has a tendency to fade. The challenges of the present can cause us to, if not forget the past, relegate it to irrelevance. Let us tonight, as we once again remember our founders, Dave and Gwen Wilkerson, commit ourselves to never forgetting the passion to seek God and live a life of holiness, but also the passion to obey God by following however He leads us in order to reach those in need of God’s great love and grace. Let us connect with our legacy now and in the future because our legacy is one of simple obedience to God.
