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By SEVEDA SMITH More than 2000 people, the majority of them under 21, wit nessed a stirring testimonial of faith last night when over 200 teenagers answered Rev. David Wilkerson’s “call to Christ” at the close of his emotion - charg ed “challenge” in Dover High. They streamed to the stage where they waited in the or chestra pit and in the aisles until they were led to the gym nasium lobby where Rev. Wil kerson prayed with them and made himself available to coun sel those with special problems. Rev. Wilkerson is the founder of Teen Challenge, a Christian center established 10 years ago in the heart of New York City to help the drug addict, prosti tute, alcoholic and gang mem ber become a useful member of society through faith. Wilkerson’s book, ‘The Cross and the Switchblade,” chroni cles his fight to help young peo ple caught in the jungles of Harlem, the Village, Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. He related several incidents from the book to the gathering last night and opened the eyes of rural and small town young sters to the evils of the world. “I’ve buried kids who died from an overdose or were kill ed because they had an extra bag of dynamite (pure her oin),” Wilkerson said. “During one of my first encounters with teenage gangs, a youngster high on dope said to me, ‘Mr. Wilkerson, for junkies like me there are only 3 ways out — an overdose, suicide or God.’ ” “One girl came to our center after 16 years as a junkie,” Wilkerson related. “She looked 20 years older than she actually was and her body odor was 20 strong I had to interview her from across the room. But she said she wanted to get off, to kick the habit and believe in God again. So she joined the program and became, on the See CHALLENGE Page 13
Newspaper Details
Dover Daily Reporter
Dover, Ohio, US
Tue, Jan 30, 1968
Page 1
Full Page
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USA 09 Sep 2026
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