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Crossroads Rescue Mission... Giving Men A New Start In Life
Crossroads Rescue Mission Supervisor Mike Davis asks for prayer requests and then participates with all the men in quoting their eight “Verses on Victory” taken from the Bible. It is part of their daily routine.
Brother Rocky Shelton got the name Rocky from the boxing heavyweight champion of the world, Rocky Marciano. His dad liked the champ and said that’s what he would name his son. The name Rocky truly befits this man because he is a fighter. You could say, he got knocked out but finally got up and became the champ he is today. He is the founder and driving force behind Crossroads Rescue Mission.
Rocky was born in Rutherfordton, N.C. and is 57 years old and will tell you that he’s been saved for 27 years. Before that, he lived a life of alcohol and drugs and was continuing down the “fast lane”. He lived in the Earl community with his wife Deborah. Rocky needed money and drugs to keep up the lifestyle he was living. At 30 years of age he committed armed robbery at Dr. Crow’s Drug Store in Earl. After getting the drugs he was after, he was caught and ended up with a 10 year prison sentence. His charges called for seven to forty years in prison. Rocky accepted a plea bargain for ten. In prison, his wife Deborah, brought him a Bible. She said to her husband: “You’ve tried everything else, why don’t you try the Lord?”
He started reading the Bible and when he got to Isaiah 53:7 it happened! He says it was then that he was saved. Rocky hasn’t had any drugs or alcohol for 27 years. He will tell you that his time in  prison was beneficial. It’s where he learned about a controlled atmosphere and direction. Since his conversion, he utilizes the lessons that he learned and applies them to Crossroads Rescue Mission. It’s his way of serving the Lord and giving back.
Presently, the Mission is filled to capacity. What started with only two men now has forty-five. Rocky Lee Shelton, now called Brother Rocky, gives men hope, encouragement and a new life. He will tell you: “It’s all because of and through Jesus Christ.”
 Men come from all over North Carolina and out of state. When they arrive with just the clothes on their back they are desperate and seeking help. Some have lost their wives and children because of their way of living, but if they stay with the program they become new men. It isn’t easy and many leave because they find it too hard. They often return to the lost ways of alcohol and drugs. Some return  to the Mission as many as five times. When they finally achieve the goals of becoming a new man they frequently don’t want to leave and are eternally grateful. When reunited with their families, several men go out into the world to do good and help others. Brother Rocky told me the story of how a young eight year old boy, with tears in his eyes, ran up to him and said: “Thank you for what you have done for my daddy.”
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
 behold, all things have become new. - II Corinthians 5:17
 The success rate at Crossroads Rescue Mission is 66 percent. Over and over again, you hear participants say that their time at the mission is: “the best time of my life!” Every man in the program is very much like Brother Rocky. They fight everyday to move forward and make themselves better. They learn to listen, stay away from temptations and not only read the Bible, but live it. They also learn that it takes a man to love and believe in Jesus. They have to understand they’re not perfect and continually try to “trust in the Lord”. Never straying too far from Him. Many go on to become preachers or go out into their communities to help in positive ways and spread the Word.
 In today’s world, it’s great to have a caring place that inspires men to do good and believe. Crossroads Rescue Mission is a magnificent place for a man to become a real man. For Brother Rocky, it is not at all about him. He believes he is only doing what God wants him to do. It’s that simple.  He takes no credit, but gives it all to the Lord.   - M.A. Andrews

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