The task God has assigned to us here at World Challenge is to bring God’s love to the poorest of the poor around the globe.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans in their affliction”

Bringing the hope and healing of Christ to addicts worldwide

For forty years, the ministry of Teen Challenge has been a beacon for the power of the gospel, transforming the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics worldwide.

As founder of Teen Challenge in Brooklyn, New York, in 1958, I never could have imagined how the Lord would use this ministry. From New York City, Teen Challenge spread across America, where there are now more than 200 centers.

What could one woman, bedridden, nearly blind, and well over 100 years old, do with her life? I found out: she could change the world for many.

We were in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, holding a pastors’ conference, when I asked a bishop to lead us to the infamous ghettos known as the favelas. The area is notorious for poverty and mindless violence, particularly among its very young people. Thousands of street kids in the favelas have been gunned down by rival gangs or killed by secret “security squads.”