Rescue Mission Celebrates 65 Years “Helping Hurting People”

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The first Rescue Mission building on Salem Avenue.

When the Johnson’s got off the train, they went to 111 East Salem Avenue. The building was dark and dirty. The floor was littered with trash and cock roaches scurried along the walls. Gus and Lois Johnson were very disappointed. Gus did not want to stay in such a place with his young bride. Lois said they needed to pray about what to do, so the two of them knelt down next to their steamer trunks and asked God for guidance. When they finished praying, Gus said he was ready to return to Chicago, but Lois said they had to stay. Because of their decision to stay in Roanoke, there is a Rescue Mission here 65 years later.

Today there is a campus with more than 400 beds to accommodate the Mission’s programs. There is a dedicated staff of 100 talented and faithful people. There are over 4,000 willing and cheerful volunteers. There is an Executive Board of passionate people from the community. Most important of all, the Rescue Mission has remained true to its original purpose of “helping hurting people in Jesus’ name.”

Laura Norwood was introduced to the Rescue Mission in 1953 by Lois Johnson. She still volunteers today.
Laura Norwood was introduced to the Rescue Mission in 1953 by Lois Johnson. She still volunteers today.

July 2, 2013 marks the 65th birthday of the Roanoke Rescue Mission. Though Gus and Lois Johnson have both since passed away, their vision of the Rescue Mission lives on today and their service has not been forgotten. Laura Norwood came to Roanoke in 1953, five years after Gus and Lois Johnson. She was the new director of Child Evangelism Fellowship in Roanoke, and it did not take her long to meet the Johnson’s. “They were such encouraging people,” Laura says, “and that’s never changed at the Rescue Mission. The staff is still encouraging today.”

 Laura also remembers how hard Lois worked at making the Rescue Mission’s Saturday Kid’s Club successful. “I would ask her how she got all those children’s meals made. She would say ‘Laura, I don’t know how, but I never wonder why.’ That was the sort of place the Mission was and still is today.”

 Connie Huff was one of the children at those kid’s club meetings every Saturday. When she was seven Connie’s parents divorced leaving her family with nothing. A year after her parent’s divorce, Connie was attending kid’s club at the Rescue Mission. “Every Saturday morning we would sing, have a Bible story, watch cartoons, and then they would feed us. I couldn’t believe they fed all of us, but I remember those volunteer men giving us a bottle of chocolate milk and the hamburger Ms. Lois had made for each of us.”

Connie also remembers Christmas fondly with the Rescue Mission. “We didn’t have anything. The Mission would give us toys. Not broken down used toys, but new toys! When you’re eight years old and you got nothing, getting new toys at Christmas was such a blessing.” Connie also remembers the Mission helping send her to summer camp with the YMCA where she was taught how to swim. “You know, my childhood would have been a lot worse if the Rescue Mission had not been around for kids like me.”

The Rescue Mission has a special feast on Christmas Day and gives a gift to each child, something Connie Huff remembers well from 1954.
The Rescue Mission has a special feast on Christmas Day and gives a gift to each child, something Connie Huff remembers well from 1954.

The Rescue Mission is still there for those that need it. Bible stories, songs, food, and friends all still exist at the Rescue Mission. Kids like Connie still find comfort, and volunteers like Laura, who still sits on the Ladies Auxiliary Leadership Council of the Rescue Mission, still serve here. Laura has been involved at the Mission for over 50 years, and wishes she could do more. “I may not get around as much as I used to,” says Laura, “but I pray for the Rescue Mission every single night, and I pray that God will continue to bless the Rescue Mission for many more years.”

Several events will take place in honor of the Rescue Mission turning 65. First, Mission CEO Joy Sylvester-Johnson will speak to the Residential Addiction Recovery Participants at 7:30 AM giving the history of the Rescue Mission. Next, “2nd Helpings” will be offering several sales at their 1502 Williamson Road location in honor of the 65th birthday including 65¢ “Copper ‘n Glass” rings with any shop or gallery purchase and 65¢ ice cream cones in the Café. Finally to end the event-filled day, the Rescue Mission will hold a dedication ceremony for the house it owns on Dale Avenue that was renovated by New Hope Christian Church over the last two years. The reception is at 7 pm.

For more information about the Rescue Mission, please visit www.rescuemission.net, or call (540) 343-7227.

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