On April 27 we received the sad news that Pastor David Wilkerson, prophet, evangelist and above all servant of God, was killed in a car accident and his wife, Gwen, left in a coma. All of us at ENLACE were profoundly moved as we reflected on the earthly departure of a Godly man and began praying in earnest for his wife. In the week that followed, Gwen began to recover quickly and preparations were made for Rev. Wilkerson’s funeral and memorial services.
On May 14 this past week, thousands gathered at Times Square Church in New York City, overflowing into the streets, to attend the memorial service in honor of Rev. Wilkerson. An untold number of people watched the service live online. News organizations covered the event in detail, and it can be viewed online at Time Square Church’s website. The service featured Rev. Wilkerson’s own words and was a moving tribute to a man who abandoned his life to God’s call. The service reminded us what our work in El Salvador is all about: serving others through the love of Christ.
Since the beginning of ENLACE’s ministry, Rev. Wilkerson has been a Godly influence and support. Ron Bueno, ENLACE’s director, recalled something Rev. Wilkerson said to him in the early days of his work in El Salvador. In characteristically bold fashion Rev. Wilkerson said, “If God’s in it, it will prosper.” Rev. Wilkerson, who firmly believed that by listening to and understanding the heart of God and His plan for the world a person’s life can be completely transformed, taught Ron and all of us at ENLACE to have this kind of faith.
Rev. Wilkerson in El Salvador, speaking at the 2007 pastors and leaders conference, “Renewing your Passion for Christ”This is the legacy that Rev. Wilkerson has left us, a legacy that challenges both believer and nonbeliever to seek God. Rev. Wilkerson did this through his life as an evangelist and through Teen Challenge and World Challenge, ministries that have helped millions around the world to break their captivity to drugs, poverty, and a life without Christ. It has been through the support of World Challenge that the lives of thousands in El Salvador, local pastors as well as entire communities, have been transformed.
Even though we at ENLACE know the echoes of David Wilkerson’s life reverberate through the lives he touched and the ministries he supported long into the future, we will miss his presence in this world. Most of all, however, we know that Rev. Wilkerson would have wanted us to see his death as a reminder of our own mortality and ultimate dependence on Jesus Christ as the only answer for us and a world in need.