A few months ago, I read the book, The Cross & the Switchblade, by Rev. David Wilkerson. The book shares the story of how Teen Challenge was started in Brooklyn, New York in 1958. During this time, Rev. Wilkerson was a preacher in eastern Pennsylvania – one afternoon, he read an article in LIFE magazine about seven teenage boys from New York City who were on trial for murder. The teen boys were on trial for beating a young man to death. After reading this story, Rev. Wilkerson felt a desire in his heart to go to New York City to meet these boys during their trial. I won’t give away the rest of the story but let’s just say, the rest is history as Teen Challenge developed soon after in New York City.
Today, more than 50 years later, Teen Challenge is still up and running with over 200 locations in the United States and another 150 in other countries around the world. Teen Challenge offers a 12-18 month residential program for men, women, boys & girls to overcome life-controlling drug & alcohol issues.
A few years back, when I was a college student at North Central University, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I had a friend who was in the year long program that I would visit at Teen Challenge regularly at the TC location in Minneapolis. Each time that I would visit him, He would tell me stories of what God was doing in his life and the lives of the other guys that were in the program with him. You see, at Teen Challenge, you don’t just cut yourself off of drug & alcohol use, you are in an intensified discipleship program that helps you grow and understand who God is and the plan that He has for your life. This is what makes Teen Challenge such an amazing program! Over the years, it has been awesome to meet people who have gone through the TC program and to hear the testimony of what God has done in their life. Teen Challenge changes people and gives them a new direction in life – God’s direction for them.
This fall, the students of Realife Student Ministries will be raising & giving $100,000 to Speed the Light as we support four Teen Challenge locations throughout the state of Missouri (Kansas City, St. Louis, Neosho & Cape Girardeau). Through this bike ride, the goal is over $7,000 for Speed the Light as we support these Teen Challenge locations. I know that as a result of this bike ride, there will be many student’s over the years that come to know Jesus and the hope and future that they can have in Him. As I ride, I will be thinking about the many lives that will be changed as a result of a simple bike ride. If you would like to give towards this ride, click here to give online or you can send a check by clicking here to James River Assembly.
