The news agency reported that Wilkerson, 79, died after his car slammed into a truck
on a highway about 95 miles southeast of Dallas. His wife, Gwen, was also injured
but is expected to recover, Religion News Service reports.
Wilkerson was known most for his outreach to street gangs, which he started
after viewing a photo in Life magazine of New York City teens charged with
murder. He founded Teen Challenge, a ministry to young gang members and drug
addicts, in New York in 1959. It now has branches worldwide.
In 1963, he co-authored his best-selling story, which Christianity Today
magazine listed in 2006 in the No. 32 spot on its “Top 50 Books That Have
Shaped Evangelicals.” Wilkerson was an Assemblies of God pastor in rural
Pennsylvania before starting his New York ministries, including the
nondenominational Times Square Church that meets in a converted Broadway
theater.
“The kingdom of God has lost a giant of the faith. His life touched
millions,” said Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood in
a statement. “He was godly, humble and represented everything that is best
in a spiritual leader.”
Wilkerson’s last blog post, on April 27, addressed the inevitability of
death. “To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this
word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights,” he wrote, “and in
that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, `I am with you. I
cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will
see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident.”‘
Times Square Church said it would hold a memorial service within the next
two weeks and that the service will be video streamed live on its website
(www.tscnyc.org).
