Macon a Change: The Rescue Mission

“At the end of the day, we want all people to know that there is a place located at the intersection of Hazel and Ash Street where people can know the absolute worst thing about you and you will not be loved less for it, but instead you will actually be loved more,” Jason Beck, vice president of Programs at the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia explained.

Beck has been a part of the Rescue Mission since December of 2013 and has watched the mission help to change the lives of those who are a part of the program. In an office surrounded with  files, college sport team gear, and photos of friends and family Beck also has a painting hanging on the wall closest to his desk.

This painting that serves as a reminder of the road ahead. The canvas read, “Be strong and courageous and get to work. Do not be frightened by the size of the task for the Lord by God is with you.”

These are the words that help guide Beck every day in his work at the Rescue Mission.. Beck’s average day  starts at 7 a.m. and does not end until sometimes as late as 9  p.m.. He starts every morning working with the men enrolled at the Life Recovery program at the Rescue Mission.

“The Life Recovery Program here at the mission includes work assignments,  group therapy and counseling as well as one-on-one sessions,” Beck explained.

“Our goal is to lead the members of the mission to a path of hope, redemption, and empowerment by ways of introducing them to Christ. We want to be there for these men and walk with them day-to-day through their choices, both here at the Rescue Mission as well as out there in the real world.”  Beck said.

Bobby Joe is a recent graduate of the Rescue Mission came to the mission in order to turn his life around.

“I went to prison when I was 19, and did 15 years for armed robbery.  I had a  couple jobs after I got out and they didn’t work out so I started selling drugs again. I got caught and went to prison but after I got out, I just realized it was time to change,” Joe explained.

Joe came to the mission and enrolled in the Men’s life recovery program and had Beck as his mentor.

Beck not only helps the members of this program along their journey, but he is also just someone for them to talk to when they are having a tough day or just need someone to talk to. He interacts with all the members of the mission by leading bible study, teaching classes at the mission, talking to the men in his program, and just simply being a guiding and uplifting hand to help these men along their way to bettering their walk through life.

“Working here is amazing, it is such an open environment and what we really focus on doing here is building and bettering relationships,” Beck explained. “We want everyone in the program to know, If you suffer, I suffer as well. If you rejoice, then I rejoice too.”

While the Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia aims to help all members in the community of Middle Georgia, there are some difficulties.

“We are a non-profit so sometimes profits can be a limitation to our work, but honestly Macon is such a wonderful special place for non-profits, it’s as perfect a place for non-profit organization as you can get,” Beck said.

The Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia partners with local businesses  in an effort to spread the message and the work of the mission with all the members of the community.

“The businesses in the area love on us so well, they really support what we do and try to engage us with the rest of the community as much as possible,”  Beck said. “The people of the community want to see the city transform into an even better place.”

The future of the city and transforming it into a better place is also one of the main focuses of the mission,. The investment they make in the individuals enrolled in the program is how they plan on uplifting the community and reshaping the way people go about their day-to-day lives.

“We want to completely transform the lives of the disenfranchised, and we do that by not hurrying to send people out of the mission,” Beck explained. “When they graduate from the program and go back out into the community, they are going back out into the community completely changed.”

Looking to the future, the Rescue Mission wants to serve as a beacon of hope to Macon and all of Middle Georgia. They want their name and their message to be well known in every community.