16. Dezember 2000
Related Sermon

Dearly beloved,

I want to welcome new readers who have joined our readership in recent weeks. Most likely, a friend gave us your name and address to be added to our mailing list, hoping you would be blessed and edified by our messages, as they have been.

For those who have asked, "Who is David Wilkerson?" "What is World Challenge?" and "What does World Challenge have to do with Times Square Church?" - I will do my best to explain in as few words as possible. I started working with gangs and addicts here in New York City over 40 years ago, beginning in 1958. I am now 69 years old. From that beginning, we started Teen Challenge centers across this nation and around the world. These are in-patient centers, ministering to drug addicts and alcoholics, both male and female. There are now over 200 of these centers worldwide, providing care for thousands of addicts and alcoholics - with a proven 86% cure rate among those who finish the program. Each center is autonomous.

When I started conducting youth crusades in the 1970's, our ministry incorporated as World Challenge. I traveled all over the world conducting evengelistic crusades. Many readers are on our mailing list as a result of attending those crusades. And many have been with me for thirty years or more.

Fourteen years ago, the Holy Spirit called me back to New York City to start a church. God promised me that if I would accept the challenge, he would give me a theater on Broadway that would "take my breath away. " Also, he would fill it to capacity with a God-hungry people - and we would never lack for money or have to beg for finances. God has been utterly faithful. Times Square Church was started as an outreach of World Challenge. Today, we worship in one of the largest theaters on Broadway, with over 7,000 God-hungry people flocking to the meetings. And we do not have any debt.

Yet, when I first returned to New York City fourteen years ago, I saw a worsened situation: increased drug abuse, teenage alcoholism, addicted mothers with children in despair. Our ministry began all over again. We started a food truck outreach called The Raven - ministering to homeless, and feeding and preaching to hundreds of the hungry poor. We started a drug-rehab center for women; a home for mothers with children; a re-entry house for the women to get on their feet; job training and parenting skills. We began ministering in the many jails in and surrounding the city. And we began operating a Bible training school to train our own workers. We also help sponsor four drug-rehab centers for men.

We keep our mailing offices in Texas because it is far less expensive to do all our mailing from there. Our crusade ministry was once located in Lindale, and that's why our return mail is sent to that location. Our charitable ministries are financed by faith alone. We have no other source of income for the World Challenge outreaches except for what we receive from the readers on our mailing list. We pray the finances in - diligently, daily.

This ministry and all of its outreaches to the needy are worth supporting. We say very little about money, but we do need the regular monthly support of caring readers of my messages. We are always much in prayer for our finances. Yet we know that the God who has helped us in the past will meet all our present needs. We give him glory and praise.

We pray diligently over every prayer request sent to us. And we'll gladly pray for you and your needs. Love in Christ,

His bondservant,

DAVID WILKERSON.

DW:bbm:16. Dezember 2000