A Tribute to David Wilkerson

David Wilkerson  1931-2011

I was saddened to read this morning of the death of David Wilkerson.

My husband, Allan Jump, worked with David at the Brooklyn, New York Teen Challenge Center from 1968 to 1970. Allan was called into the ministry at the age of 20 when David said at a large youth rally in Anaheim, California "I feel there is someone here that is supposed to go back with me to New York." It turned out to be Allan.  Through David's provision he was able to fly to New York that summer.  There he worked with the men at the center and participated in rally's with David and other staff members on the streets of New York. They would preach from a special van, outfitted with speakers, drawing crowds of listeners from the neighborhood. 

We married in December 1968 and I returned with him to New York where we lived at the Teen Challenge Center and later became the traveling representatives of the ministry.  We presented a play where I played a girl heroin addict and Allan was the preacher who brings me to Teen Challenge.

This was the beginning stages of Allan's ministry.  He was given opportunities to preach and teach.  He went on to participate in several ministries, teach at several Teen Challenge centers and pastor several churches leading many to Christ until his death in 1997.

Because of those early days at Teen Challenge I have continued with the desire to help those caught in the drug trap. I participate in prison ministry in Northern California and have taught at the Teen Challenge center in Oakland.

You can read more about the exciting beginning of David's ministry to gang members and drug addicts in New York City in the book The Cross and the Switchblade.

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2011/s11040178.htm