Our Story

September 1940. Evangelist Billy Roberts arrives in New York with his wife Bessie Dee for the sole purpose of conducting a revival at Glad Tidings Church.  They have traveled all the way from Seattle, Washington for what is meant to be a brief mission. Little do they realize their arrival is actually just the beginning of a much larger calling.

After the revival, Pastor Roberts followed the Holy Spirit uptown to Harlem. As his momentum grew, a small troop of young believers began following him from church to church. These devoted nine would later come to be known as the original Christ Crusaders. Their green uniforms and matching caps made them distinctive everywhere they went. They began a ministry called "Cruising for Christ" and ministered on the streets of Harlem on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. They also started a radio ministry, on which Pastor Roberts and Bishop R. Caesar were broadcasters. Undoubtedly, this wartime era made people ripe for the gospel. Many souls came to know the Lord, and it didn't stop there.  

Pastor Roberts's passion and zeal for souls no doubt stemmed from his own experience. Decades before he came to New York, he had been an ex-convict on the run in Seattle. One night he rested beneath the home of an elderly white woman. When she spotted him, rather than calling the police or chasing him off, she invited him in for a meal and spoke with him about the love of God and salvation through Christ Jesus. He was moved by the kindness of this stranger—who we refer to as "Mother Wisdom"—who would set aside his appearance, take him in, and call him “son”. That very night he gave his heart to the Lord, and the seed was planted. Many years later, Pastor Roberts received in prayer these words: The Soul Saving Station For Every Nation, Christ Crusaders of America. As the church planter and founder, he would eventually be named the first Bishop of this new organization. He led it faithfully until he fell ill in 1959 and had to step down. Thankfully, God had already appointed a torchbearer.

Jesse H. Winley was led to Christ by the late Brother Tommy Barnes, and he received the free gift of salvation under Pastor Billy Roberts in 1948. One year later he left with his wife, Mother Maria Winley, and their four children (of an eventual sixteen) to pastor a church in Buffalo, New York. It was there he would work diligently for the Lord until Pastor Roberts' illness necessitated his return to Harlem.

Pastor Winley assumed the shepherd's duty over a drifting flock during an uncertain time. The Soul Saving Station had no permanent home, having been recently evicted from its first space above a restaurant. This period proved to be a critical transitory phase for the church and many members scattered, but as Pastor Winley trusted wholeheartedly in God, the Lord gave him insight and vision.

Services were held at the Manhattan Holy Tabernacle, where Dr. Edward Boyce graciously opened his doors. On Tuesday and Friday nights, services were held at Emmanuel Chapel under the supervision of Sis. Louise Whittingham. On Sunday, services were held at the Elks Club. All the while, along with the building fund committee, Pastor Winley earnestly sought a building we could own. Eventually, God answered prayer: an old warehouse and horse stable on 124th Street between St. Nicholas and Eighth Avenue. It was in a dreadful state of disrepair, but once again, Pastor Winley had a vision.

He generated enthusiasm for turning this dilapidated three-story into a house of worship. The community responded to this excitement and gave out of their hearts. Some even wrote promissory checks on brown paper bags. The building was purchased, and after two years of renovation, the church was dedicated on April 7, 1962. Today the converted warehouse remains the headquarters church for The Soul Saving Station For Every Nation, Christ Crusaders of America Incorporated. Pastor Roberts died that same year, thankful to God for the manifestation of the vision; a growing church at 302 West 124th Street and six branch churches.

Pastor Winley oversaw a period of immense growth and expansion for the church. He bore a heavy burden for souls, compassion for mankind, and deep loving reverence for the Bible. He reorganized the Christ Crusaders, revived the radio and street ministry, and began an addict outreach program. In 1974 he founded a hospital ministry known as the Circle of Love. He opened a shelter for women in the church's basement. He revived the church's bible school as the Christian Training Center. He established a Christian bookstore, youth house evangelism, youth retreats, summer day camp, a day care center and a Christian day school: The Christ Crusader Academy. Pastor Winley also took several foreign missions including Japan, South Africa and Haiti—where he planted a seed in founding an orphanage that would soon sprout into our first international branch.

At the dedication of our headquarters, Pastor Winley remarked: "As we endeavor to perpetuate this new dimension in Pentecost and move in the progressive revelation of God, please pray that we do not lose the vision for the souls of men and become entangled in the wilderness of materialism." Just as steel girders and solid beams support the building, so this message is the backbone of the ministry at Soul Saving Station and the legacy of Bishop Jesse H. Winley.

Bishop & Mother Winley with their sixteen children

Robert Isaac Winley was born in New York City on October 22, 1943 to Jesse and Maria Winley—the third of their sixteen children. He was born again on Palm Sunday in March 1972 at the Soul Saving Station Headquarters, alongside his wife, Mary, and sister, Gloria. This was the visible beginning of his preparation for the Master's use.

Pastor Winley's most defining characteristic is his long history of obedience to the Lord. In 1977, having been challenged by the Lord, he gave up a secure career with the NYPD and entered into full-time duty for Jesus Christ. It was here, at the Soul Saving Station Headquarters, that he assigned himself to whatever he could with all his heart. During his years at SSS, Pastor Winley demonstrated a true servant heart by his willingness to operate without publicity or recognition. He accrued invaluable experience in nearly every form of ministry by attending the Christian Training Center; serving in the Men's Department, Home and Foreign Missions departments, and in the couple's ministry. He was also a Sunday School teacher, a deacon, a sexton, an usher, a choir member, a Collegiate Bible Institute instructor, the president of the Young People's Department, a Bible teacher in the Christ Crusader Academy, the church and finance administrator, and director of the Billy Roberts House of Hope. God honed him into a spiritual Swiss army knife, and his dutiful service was honored when Bishop Tate ordained him as a minister in 1980. After thirteen years in that role, he was unanimously appointed the fourth pastor of the mother church on November 16, 1993—and as Bishop and General Overseer on January 19, 2001. Though he stepped down from this position in 2012, he stayed the helm at headquarters until mid-2024, when he handed the reigns to his son Maurice.

The man we still affectionately call "Bishop" is a homegrown product of the Soul Saving Station and a sterling representation of how to wait in God. His patience for the grooming process resulted in him being taken from the least of positions to the highest. Such is the Kingdom of God (Matthew 23:12). He is both our longest serving pastor and the organization's longest-serving Bishop. He steered us into the 21st century with humility, heartiness, and a healthy sense of humor. It is a blessing that we can still glean from his wisdom. As he often gleefully remarks: "Look what God has done!"