Media contact:
Brett Benson
bbenson@bakerpublishinggroup.com

Author David Wilkerson, known for his megabestseller The Cross and the Switchblade (Chosen Books/Baker Publishing Group), died in a severe car crash in East Texas on April 27. His wife, Gwendolyn Wilkerson, was injured and airlifted to a local hospital.

Christianity Today ranked The Cross and the Switchblade as #32 on its list of "Top 50 Books That Have Shaped Evangelicals."

David Wilkerson authored more than 30 books, including Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately?, Knowing God by Name, and Hungry for More of Jesus. The Cross and the Switchblade, released by Chosen for its 45th anniversary in 2008, was adapted into a movie with Pat Boone in 1970.

Jane Campbell, longtime editorial director of Chosen Books, said, "What a privilege to work with someone who lived his life completely devoted to the Lord. David’s ministry and books changed lives all over the world."

Wilkerson is also the founder of Teen Challenge, an evangelical Christian recovery program that teaches biblical principles to help young adults struggling with addictions, including drug and alcohol problems. The nonprofit has 233 locations in the United States and 1,181 centers worldwide, helping as many as 25,000 people struggling with addiction.

The Wilkerson family wrote a message on the website of World Challenge Inc. ministries, which Wilkerson also founded, saying: “We appreciate your prayers and our hearts are sorrowful, yet we rejoice at the joy of knowing David Wilkerson spent his life well."

David Wilkerson is survived by his wife and four children. Times Square Church, which he founded and where he has served as senior pastor, plans to hold a memorial service for Wilkerson.

Funeral Services for David Wilkerson in Texas
We have been inundated with requests to attend David Wilkerson’s funeral in Texas. Due to limited seating at the church we have to restrict the funeral to family and ministry associates. We encourage you to attend the memorial service being held at Times Square Church in New York City. Details are provided below or at the Times Square Church website.

Flowers + Gifts
In lieu of flowers and gifts, the Wilkerson family has asked that people give a donation to World Challenge’s Please Pass the Bread program, as this was David Wilkerson’s last heartfelt endeavor to reach the poor. 100% of your gift will help feed thousands of children around the world. If you want to donate by check, please make your check payable to World Challenge, Inc. and earmark your donation for "Please Pass the Bread." Checks can be mailed to: World Challenge, Inc., PO Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771

Memorial Services for David Wilkerson in New York
The details for the official memorial service for Pastor David Wilkerson have been finalized as follows. All are welcome to attend the service.
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011
Time: 2:00PM
(Doors will open at 12:00PM)
Location: Times Square Church
237 West 51st street
(between Broadway & Eighth Avenue)
Manhattan, New York City

Seating & Overflow
Seating will be on a first come first served basis. There will be overflow locations. Once the full capacity has been reached at the Times Square Church sanctuary and Education Annex, ushers will direct attendees to the various overflow locations nearby.

Live Webcast
The service will be streamed live all over the world on the Times Square Church website starting at 2:00PM EST.

Simultaneous Translation
Simultaneous translation will be available in the following languages:
Arabic, Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

The simultaneous translation will be available via conference call lines accessible by land and cellular phones. The conference call phone number and access codes for each language ;will be posted on the live events page of this website during the webcast.

Courtesy Access
Closest friends, denominational leaders and dignitaries requesting courtesy access, are asked to send an email to memorialservice@timessquarechurch.org specifying your request. Please make sure to include your full name, title, church, ministry or organization’s name, address and telephone number.

Please note that seating is very limited and while we will try to accommodate your request, we may be unable to do so.