Rutherford County preacher creates program to end violence in his community
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RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C (WLOS) — Minister Robert Godfrey grew up in a neighborhood in Spindale.
“Growing up here, everybody’s very close to each other,” he said. “Most of this road is related to each other.”
It’s something he has always enjoyed about his hometown, but life for him wasn’t always this simple.
“When my grandfather passed away, it kind of hit me hard,” Godfrey said. “And when he passed away, I took a different route. And I ended up being involved in the streets. I started getting into carrying guns, smoking weed. I was doing the different kinds of drugs that was out here.”
At 16, he was shot. Then, a few years later, Godfrey went to prison.
“When you come home, that’s when the real challenge starts. That’s when the real test begins, because inside prison you really don’t have what you have out here,” Godfrey said.
He ended up back on the streets.
It wasn’t until he did some real soul searching that his life began to turn around for good.
“I started going to church more. I started listening to the preacher instead of just being present. And, when that happened, that’s when I began to change,” Godfrey said.
After recent shootings in Rutherfiord County, like the one that killed 7-year-old Aaliyah Norris, Godfrey said he knew he needed to step in.
“I’m trying to reach out to the young women and the young men that are still battling some of the things that I was battling with,” he said.
Godfrey is creating a program called Beat the Streets. It’s in the process of becoming a nonprofit.
It’ll be a safe place for anyone who might be on the wrong path to learn, grow, create relationships and just have fun.
“I’m trying to save lives. No more killing. No more hating. No more violence. Beat the streets,” Godfrey said.
Godfrey said Friday he plans to have the program up and running in the next few months.
If you’d like to help out or be a part of it, you can reach out to Godfrey here.
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