Bill Wilson: God Found One for the Thousands

When Bill Wilson was just 12 years old, his mother left him on the street in Pinellas Park, Florida. She told him, “You wait right here, I’ll be back.”
He stayed in that spot for three days. But she never came back…

Dave Rudenis, a local mechanic and a Christian, was on his way to visit his son in the hospital when he noticed the boy and stopped to ask if he was okay. Dave’s heart was moved with compassion, and he took Bill into his home.
He even offered to pay for him to attend a Christian summer camp.

Sadly, even at camp, Bill experienced rejection. No one came to pray for him at the altar—because of how he looked and smelled.
So, all alone, he tried praying to God himself:
“My mom doesn’t want me. The Christians don’t want to know me. But if You want me—here I am.”
That became the start of his personal relationship with Jesus and a life-changing walk with God.
Bill gave his life to Christ. After camp, he continued living with Dave’s family and later got his first job at a church.
Eventually, he graduated from high school and earned a theology degree from Southeastern University.

The harsh realities of Pastor Bill’s childhood gave him deep compassion for kids growing up in broken environments—surrounded by violence, alcoholism, abuse, neglect, abandonment, and poverty.
He knew firsthand what hopelessness felt like and how only the love of Christ could truly heal that kind of pain.
He firmly believed that no matter a child’s circumstances, God still had a unique and beautiful plan for their life.

In 1980, Pastor Bill founded the global ministry Metro World Child (formerly Metro Ministries) right in the middle of one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City.
In those early years, he was beaten, stabbed, even shot—but by God’s grace, he survived.

He never gave up. He never walked away from the ministry, because he knew—Jesus was the only hope those kids had.
The ministry grew across all five boroughs of New York and eventually expanded to other countries.

Today, Metro’s unique Sunday school programs and training courses are reaching communities all around the world.
Minister Bill Wilson is also the author of several books, including the best-selling autobiography Whose Child Is This?

To date, this ministry has impacted over 250,000 people globally.
And it all goes back to a simple mechanic who didn’t ignore a hurting boy—even though he was on his way to see his son in the hospital. He just obeyed God.

Are we paying attention to that one soul today who needs to know God’s love?
Because love has a way of spreading.