Benedict Castle Concours Crossroads Car Show

MORENO VALLEY >> Classic, antique, muscle and custom cars rode into Riverside on Sunday, April 3 for the Benedict Castle Concours Crossroads Car Show. As a myriad of owners of automobiles, including motorcycles, were brought together to unite their unique car hobby, the underlying goal of the event highlighted an important issue. The Crossroads Car Shows are exclusively to benefit the Southern California Teen Challenge. “We believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ still is the power to save people and deliver people from the control of drugs and alcohol,” Andrew Ferguson, Inland Empire Teen Challenge’s Dean of Students said. This year marks the third annual car show and according to Ferguson, it was a powerful event. Not only were attendees enjoying the unique collections of cars accompanied by family and friends, they were also exposed to the reality behind this life-changing cause. Several of the students currently in the program were dressed in red shirts and shared their inspirational stories at the event. “The men here are finding their purpose. We teach our students to be missional-minded…meaning the sending of God,” he explained. Many of the attendees had never heard about the teen challenge according to Ferguson. “But once they encounter God’s presence and hear the stories of God’s redemption, they can also see that they have a need too,” he added. “Maybe it’s a granddaughter, a niece, nephew, neighbor or parent who is bound in drugs or alcohol and needs help. This is a place where those individuals can receive help, and not just drugs and alcohol; those are just byproducts of the simple nature that man is born into.” The program originated in 1958 by Reverend David Wilkerson who read about a story of seven teenage boys that were on trial for the murder of a polio boy in the streets of New York. Ferguson explained that Wilkerson began to evangelize and preach in the street. Soon after, the street evangelism became small mini outreaches and it soon blossomed into really large crusade-type events. “Many people began to turn their lives over to Christ, coming to repent the knowledge of the truth,” explained Ferguson. “Not only did [Wilkerson] see that young boys were gang members…he recognized that they were addicted to heroin.” After the need of the people started to increase, Wilkerson came up with the idea to build a place where these people can stay where their relationship with the Lord can truly be nurtured. “[It’s] a spiritual boot camp,” he explained. “A place where they can really learn to know God in a real and practical way.” A place like that exists here in Southern California: the Timothy House located in Orange County; their first adolescent center. Teen challenge graduates Nicole and Donovan Northcote play an instrumental role in the Car Show fundraiser. According to Ferguson, Nicole is from the car industry and her father Barry Meguiar, of Meguiar's Car Wax and host of Car Crazy TV, has been a board member, long-time contributor and advocate of the Teen Challenge for nearly fifty years and served alongside Wilkerson. “Nicole and Donovan wanted to take part in this missional living. The Lord put it on their heart that they start the Crossroads Car Show,” he said. The car show fundraiser, now in its third year, will continue to benefit the program and support various young adults to a successful, faith-based life. “It’s amazing, the impact that we’re making, the awareness that we’re making and how many more people are coming in contact with what we do,” said Ferguson. ‘That’s the most important thing; that they get the help.”