In Memory of David Wilkerson

In Memory of David Wilkerson

Video Update on Gwen Wilkerson

October 7, 2011

At the EXPECT 2011 Church Leadership Conference, Pastor Gary Wilkerson shared an update on the recovery process of his mother, Gwen Wilkerson.

Gwen Wilkerson Recovering and Growing Stronger

August 1, 2011

My mother, Gwen, is recovering physically from the auto accident. She is moving from a wheelchair to walking with the assistance of a walker. As I’m sure you can understand after 50+ years of spending her life with her beloved husband she still feels the pain of such a loss, and yet she is recovering and growing stronger. She not only is receiving ministry from the Lord but she continues her ministry of encouragement and support to those around her in need. She has touched the lives of doctors, nurses and multitudes of fellow patients. Spiritually, your prayers have made an amazing impact in her life. She knows she is being undergirded by the saints. The prayers of the World Challenge family have always released tremendous miracles in our lives. Thank you for your continued support.

With you in Christ,
Gary Wilkerson

A Word from Gary Wilkerson, President of World Challenge

June 28, 2011

My brother Greg and sisters Debi and Bonnie and I want to personally thank all of you who have prayed for our mother, Gwen. In the midst of her deep grief over the loss of our father, she rejoices in the faithfulness of God and His nearness to her and to our family. Although Mom’s recovery is slow, she is responding well to therapy at the rehab center. She is touched by the many who have prayed, called and written. We ask that you continue to pray for her.

With you in Christ,
Gary Wilkerson

Gwen Wilkerson Determined

June 20, 2011

Per meeting with the head nurse at the skilled nursing facility, Gwen's x-rays look fine. Gwen is determined to make progress and is comforting other residents at the facility.

Gwen Wilkerson's Progress

June 13, 2011

The orthopaedic surgeon is very happy with Gwen's progress. Gwen is currently receiving care at a skilled nursing facility. The incredible outpouring of cards, calls, letters, e-mails, blogs on behalf of Gwen is so deeply heartwarming. The Wilkerson family thanks you.

Gwen Wilkerson in Rehabilitation

May 25, 2011

According to the Medical Director of the acute rehab center, Gwen is doing very well overall. Next week Gwen will be transferred to a step down rehab facility. Please continue to pray for her.

Gwen Wilkerson Out of ICU

May 12, 2011

Gwen has been transferred from ICU to physical rehabilitation. She is making slow but steady improvement. The family and our ministry cherish your continued prayers.

Gwen Wilkerson Out of Surgery

May 6, 2011

Gwen Wilkerson had surgery on Wednesday, May 4th. She is still in ICU and steadily improving. The Wilkerson family is very grateful and deeply touched by the outpouring of concern and prayer support.

Video Tribute to David Wilkerson

May 5, 2011

Fifty years of ministry began with one act of obedience. As a young pastor David Wilkerson made the decision to turn off his television and give his time and attention completely to God. It was a decision that would have immeasurable impact on his life and ministry.

Update on Gwen Wilkerson

May 4, 2011

Gwen Wilkerson is still recovering in the hospital. Please pray as she in surgery today to repair a broken hip. Pray also for her emotional strength after suffering such a loss. Our family thanks you for all your prayers.

Gary Wilkerson

A Poem on Brother Dave by Kristy Wilkerson Johnson

May 4, 2011

Legacy
in memory of Uncle Dave

There is a meek
leg I see

storming into a court room
bible-thumping unashamedly

There is a meek
leg I see

shoeless & wandering
Brooklyn’s scary streets

There is a meek
leg I see

kneeling over a drug sick
boy & girl
at an altar’s feet

There is meek
leg I see

standing behind a pulpit
in front of thousands tapping
to a Dallas beat

There is a meek
leg I see

parading down a city’s
Broadway claiming a church
for God’s needy

There is a meek
leg I see

sitting with sons & daughters
in precious harmony

There is a meek
leg I see

bouncing grand & great
grand-babies at its knee
There is a meek
leg I see

worn & tear-soaked
from kneeling before the King

This meek
leg I see

drew life & love & grace & power

from The Holy
Leg I see

Trembling, bruised & bloody
nailed to a splintered Tree

This Mighty
Leg I see

Walks resurrected
from a tomb triumphantly

This Mighty
Leg I see

Ascended in a cloud
of witnesses as endless as the sea

This Mighty
Leg I see
Welcomes the meek
leg I see
into the Glory of the Free

O, may the Spirit
Of this Legacy
Walk & Flow & Live through me!

by Kristy Wilkerson Johnson

Carrying on the Vision

May 4, 2011

Dark clouds, pouring rain and a cold wind blew through the tent where my father’s body was to be lowered into the ground. But those who gathered at his grave site after a glorious funeral found solace and even joy knowing that David Wilkerson had run his race, finished his course and left behind a legacy of millions of lives deeply impacted and transformed. Our family, close friends and ministry associates sang, “Soon and very soon we are going to see the King! No more dying there, we are going to see the King!” Knowing the sting of death has lost its power, we rejoiced.

Today, with the funeral and burial behind us, the works of Jesus launched through his ministry are still moving on in full force. Dad was fond of saying, “The best is yet to come”. I’m convinced he’s right. The days of feeding starving children, ministering to the poorest of the poor, rescuing homeless orphans, preaching the Gospel to the most unreached will not be diminished during our watch.

Even this week, we will be launching new feeding sites through Please Pass the Bread. This week homes are being built for homeless by World Challenge mission teams in Haiti. This week new churches are being planted among the unreached people of Northern India. In the coming weeks, months and Lord willing, years, we will continue to feed hungry hearts with the David Wilkerson Daily Devotional and World Challenge Pulpit Series Newsletter.

I want to assure you that the vision and ministry of my father and World Challenge, Inc. will continue. We still have the same Board of Directors, same focus and same leading of the Holy Spirit for the work God has placed in our hands. I have been actively serving as President of World Challenge, Inc. for the past year and will officially take the role now. We will not make any major directional changes but will carry on in the same heart and vision as my father.

Even though my father has gone to be with the Lord, the work will continue. The needs are still great and your continued support is appreciated as we reach out to the poor and needy.

Gary Wilkerson

A Man of Unlimited Faith

May 2, 2011

Loving husband and father, doting grandfather. Friend to the outcast and hurting. Fearless witness of Christ’s saving power. Passionate voice for God to his church. Tender supporter of widows, orphans and the poor. And spiritual father to generation upon generation—from the destitute to the powerful, from adults to teenagers, from loved ones to strangers from every walk of life.

These traits only begin to define the life of David Wilkerson. For over six decades he served the Lord faithfully in ministry, founding and leading outreaches that have grown internationally with each decade. Behind it all has been an unwavering belief in God’s love for every human being and His relentless desire to reach them. 

“Brother Dave,” as he liked to be called, was known literally to millions for his unlimited faith. He believed God could change the lives of gang members and transform the most desperate drug addicts—and the Lord did. He believed a dynamic church could be launched in the heart of Times Square, New York City—and God brought it to pass. He believed he could be a man who loved his wife and children well—and he did.

David Ray Wilkerson was born May 19, 1931, in Hammond, Indiana, to a line of devoted Pentecostal preachers. After he was ordained in the Assemblies of God, he married the love of his life—Gwendolyn Carosso, who would serve beside him in ministry for 57 years.

From the very beginning Brother Dave applied a creative, innovative spirit to ministry. Yet he preached from anguish and pain, believing God works through our weakness. He knew that God confounds the wisdom of the world to reveal Himself—and that truth was proved again and again by the ministries Brother Dave founded.

In 1958 he traveled from his small church in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, to reach out to gang members on trial in New York City. “He had never been to New York—he had certainly never met a gang member or a drug addict,” according to his brother, Don Wilkerson. “He just came here, with his simplicity, his naivete, whatever you want to call it, and he changed people’s lives.”

As Brother Dave’s friend McCandlish Phillips, The New York Times reporter, wrote, “His method was an absolute model of simplicity, directness and total non-sophistication—he just went out on the streets and mixed with the kids and reasoned with them face-to-face, often quoting the Bible—and it worked.”

Out of that bold move was born the Teen Challenge ministry, a Christ-centered drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. The ministry became well known through the book The Cross and the Switchblade, which has sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 30 languages. The ministry has grown to more than 1,000 centers in the United States and 80 other countries.

The Lord then stirred Brother Dave to found Youth Crusades, his evangelistic ministry to young people. An entire generation became inspired that their lives mattered greatly to God. Brother Dave also wrote prolifically, his books moving generations of readers toward a life of holy devotion in Christ. The dozens of books he produced were filled with powerful insight, clarity and conviction. And he lived out the Christ-like example he wrote of, speaking continually of his own weaknesses and Christ’s faithfulness to him.

Like his namesake, King David of old, Brother Dave served God’s purposes in his generation. He preached with uncompromising passion and relentless grace. He was not one for fanfare, acclaim or ceremony. He turned down invitations to meet with world leaders, yet he would give everything he owned to support a poor orphan or a widow in distress.

His last mission on earth was to be an advocate for the poorest of the poor—to provide relief and support for hungry children, widows and orphans, in the U.S. and in impoverished countries. The outreach he founded to do this, Please Pass the Bread, ministers to thousands of children daily through 56 outreaches in 8 countries.

He ran his race well, and when he was finished he was called home by his Lord. David Wilkerson touched the lives of multiplied millions, and the God-inspired works he founded now outlive him. The impact of his life is immeasurable—not only in his preaching, writing and founding of world-changing ministries, but in his love, devotion, compassion and ability to stir our faith for greater works. David’s son Gary offers this word to all who knew and loved his dad: “I know if my father were able to encourage you with his words today, he would invite you to give your all to Jesus, to love God deeply and to give yourself away to the needs of others.”

Brother Dave’s final blog posting, titled “When All Means Fail,” is a fitting word of departure to all whose lives he touched: “Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail, His love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in His Word. There is no other hope in this world.”

David Wilkerson’s passing is deep personal loss for many. Yet we rejoice knowing he lived life to the very fullest, in obedient devotion to God and with a radical love for Jesus.

He is survived by his wife, Gwen Wilkerson; daughter Debi Jonker, her husband, Roger, sons Brent and Matthew and Matthew’s wife, Christina, and children Eva and Grant; daughter Bonnie Hayslip, her husband, Roger, sons David and Brandon and Brandon’s wife, Christina; son Gary Wilkerson, his wife, Kelly, and children, Ashley, Elliot, Evan and Annie; son Greg Wilkerson, his wife, Teresa, and their children, Alyssa and Ryan; brothers Don Wilkerson and Jerry Wilkerson and sister Ruth Harris. His grandsons serve as his pallbearers.

Funeral Services for David Wilkerson in Texas

April 29, 2011

We have been inundated with requests to attend David Wilkerson's funeral in Texas. Due to limited seating at the church we have to restrict the funeral to family and ministry associates. We encourage you to attend the memorial service being held at Times Square Church in New York City. Details are provided below or at the Times Square Church website.

Flowers + Gifts

April 29, 2011

In lieu of flowers and gifts, the Wilkerson family has asked that people give a donation to World Challenge's Please Pass the Bread program, as this was David Wilkerson's last heartfelt endeavor to reach the poor. 100% of your gift will help feed thousands of children around the world.

If you want to donate by check, please make your check payable to World Challenge, Inc. and earmark your donation for "Please Pass the Bread." Checks can be mailed to:

World Challenge, Inc.
PO Box 260
Lindale, TX 75771

Memorial Services for David Wilkerson in New York

April 29, 2011

The details for the official memorial service for Pastor David Wilkerson have been finalized as follows. All are welcome to attend the service.

Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011

Time: 2:00PM
(Doors will open at 12:00PM)

Location: Times Square Church
237 West 51st street
(between Broadway & Eighth Avenue)
Manhattan, New York City

Seating & Overflow
Seating will be on a first come first served basis. There will be overflow locations. Once the full capacity has been reached at the Times Square Church sanctuary and Education Annex, ushers will direct attendees to the various overflow locations nearby.

Live Webcast
The service will be streamed live all over the world on the Times Square Church website starting at 2:00PM EST.

Simultaneous Translation
Simultaneous translation will be available in the following languages:
Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

The simultaneous translation will be available via conference call lines accessible by land and cellular phones. The conference call phone number and access codes for each language ;will be posted on the live events page of this website during the webcast.

Courtesy Access
Closest friends, denominational leaders and dignitaries requesting courtesy access, are asked to send an email to memorialservice@timessquarechurch.org specifying your request. Please make sure to include your full name, title, church, ministry or organization’s name, address and telephone number.

Please note that seating is very limited and while we will try to accommodate your request, we may be unable to do so.

Remembering David Wilkerson

April 29, 2011

"David served the purposes of God in his generation, then he died" (Acts 13:36).

On Wednesday afternoon my father, David Wilkerson, passed away in a car accident. We grieve the loss of a beloved father, a faithful husband and a holy man of God. My mother, Gwen, his wife of 57 years, was in the car also, but we are told she will recover fully.

Dad's 60-plus years of ministry have impacted the lives of those closest to him and extended to millions around the world. Today we feel a personal loss, but at the same time we rejoice knowing Dad lived life to the fullest, obeying God with devotion and loving Jesus radically.

He was known for his unlimited faith. He believed God could change the lives of gang members and transform the most desperate drug addicts. He believed that a dynamic church could be launched in the heart of Times Square, New York City. He believed he could be a man who loved his wife and children well. And he did.

Dad was not one for fanfare, acclaim or ceremony. He turned down invitations to meet with world leaders yet would give everything he owned to support a poor orphan or a widow in distress.

Like King David of old, Dad served God's purposes in his generation. He preached with uncompromising passion and relentless grace. He wrote with amazing insight, clarity and conviction. He ran his race well and when his work was done, he was called home.

I don't think my father would have retired well. I don't think he was one to sit in a rocking chair and reminisce about times past. I believe that Jesus, knowing this, graciously called him home.

Dad's last mission on earth was to be an advocate for the poorest of the poor—to provide relief and support for hungry children and widows and orphans. After founding Teen Challenge, World Challenge and Times Square Church, he sought to feed starving children in the most impoverished countries in the world. Today, Please Pass the Bread is saving the lives of thousands of children, through 56 outreaches in 8 countries.

Like King David of old, after having served God's purpose, he died. I know if my father were able to encourage you with his words today, he would invite you to give your all to Jesus, to love God deeply and to give yourself away to the needs of others.

The works he began outlive him. We can all attest to his impacting us—not only in his preaching, writing and founding of world-changing ministries, but in his love, devotion, compassion and ability to stir our faith for greater works.

Gary Wilkerson

Memorial Services for David Wilkerson

April 28, 2011

At present the Wilkerson family has requested a private family funeral in Texas.

Rev. Wilkerson’s wife, Gwen, who was injured in the accident, is still in the hospital under observation and expected to recover.

The official memorial service will be held at Times Square Church in New York City within the next two weeks. The service will be streamed live on the Times Square Church website. Details regarding the service will be posted on our website as they develop.

For those wishing to attend the church, seating will be limited. Please forward inquiries to memorialservice@timessquarechurch.org.

Thank you for all your prayers and the outpouring of love you have shown for the Wilkerson family. We are comforted by knowing that Pastor David has been enjoying the full presence of the Lord for more than a day now.

In Memory of David Wilkerson

April 27, 2011

Today, April 27, 2011 David Wilkerson went to be with Jesus. We are receiving many calls and inquiries and simply wanted to confirm the fact that he has passed away in a fatal automobile accident. We appreciate your prayers and our hearts are sorrowful, yet we rejoice at the joy of knowing David Wilkerson spent his life well. More information will be coming soon. Thank you for your prayers.

The Wilkerson Family

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