Thanks Bill

This week was the Teen Haven Fall Banquet (maybe I should have advertised that on here, hmmm...).

As a part of the evening, I prepared a short video tribute to Bill Drury. Rev. Drury started Teen Haven in Philadelphia back in 1963, and was the director until the mid-90's when his health prevented him from carrying the load anymore. Bill went home to be with the Lord last December, and this was the first banquet since his death.

I didn't know Bill very well, and only got to speak with him a couple of times, but in stewarding the ministry that he started, I have come to appreciate his passion to serve Christ and love inner-city kids. Much about Teen Haven has changed through the years, but the heartbeat that Christ put within Bill for sharing the love of God with urban youth is still the mark of this ministry.

While putting together the video tribute, I listened to the voice (and heart) of Bill over and over again. My favorite quote from the video was when Bill was responding to a question about how inner-city kids responded to him approaching them on the street to talk about Teen Haven or Jesus:

"They would often say to me 'Man, who cares?'
And I would say 'Hey man, I care... I'm here... I care baby'"

As much as Teen Haven has always emphasized sharing the Gospel, Bill knew that our physical presence was crucial to being able to share the love of God in a meaningful way. Our words (whether about how much we care or how much God cares) don't mean nearly as much without our consistent presence.

Thank you God for Bill and for Teen Haven.

-Jack Crowley, Teen Haven