In 1958, a young Pennsylvania minister named David Wilkerson was moved to travel to New York where seven gang members were standing trial for the brutal murder of a young polio victim. He interrupted the trial with the intention of bearing witness and speaking to the defendants about Jesus and was promptly escorted out of thecourtroom. He took his passion into the streets of New York, where he encountered a vicious gang leader, Nicky Cruz. Wilkerson led Cruz to find his faith and become a major factor in Teen Challenge, the organizationWilkerson founded.

Wilkerson wrote a book about his relationship with Cruz and the conversion, titled The Cross and the Switchblade, which has sold more than 50 million copies in over 40 languages. In 1972, a highly successful movie was made of the story and starred Pat Boone and a very young Erik Estrada.

Today’s Teen Challenge has 1,060 programs in 82 countries and has rid thousands of adolescents of drug and alcohol abuse, addictions and reckless and dangerous behaviors such as rebellion and promiscuity.

Teen Challenge Global Headquarters moved to Columbus last year from Orlando and is led by President Jerry Nance, whose doctorate is in leadership and counseling. “I grew up with a passion in my heart that every child deserves a chance,” he said. “Kids need a hero. Our biggest challenge is a lack of respect for the authority of parents and other adults. Young people are addicted to a kind of adrenalin that drives them to run on the edge of danger and risk.

“Kids want boundaries. They define love. When I say ‘no,’ it means I care about you. Parents must be more and more aware and spend time together doing things, not just parking in front of televisions and computers.”

Nance is also president of Florida-Georgia Teen Challenge Inc., with 27 centers for women, men, girls and boys in six states. One of these is the Columbus Girls Academy in nearby Seale. This center is directed by Bob Lee, along with…

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