Rocque Waites has a frame in his office that’s full of redemption.
In 2024, he received pardons from the State of Alabama and the State of South Carolina for his broken past, and he has the printed letter on display.
“About 15 years ago, I got charged with manufacturing methamphetamine, and I went to prison for it,” he said.
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Waites had grown up as a pastor’s kid in South Carolina and gotten into drugs in college. It landed him in prison for four years, then he was sent to The PASCO Home in Mobile.
PASCO — which stands for Physical And Spiritual Christian Outreach — serves as long-term support for people coming out of rehab or prison to help them get a strong foundation for re-entering normal life.
The men’s program was started in 2008 by Phillip Stanford, a member of Moffett Road Baptist Church in Mobile, who also had a history of addiction.
They’ve seen so many stories of redemption, including Waites, who now serves as director of the PASCO men’s program.
“I’ve gotten a full pardon, all rights restored,” he said. “It’s kind of cool having gone through that kind of road to have everything restored and forgiven — there’s much grace in that. It’s a picture of who God is and what He does for us.”
Expansion
The PASCO program has also seen other things get new life, like a church building and gym that they recently purchased. Stanford and a team from the men’s program worked for several months to convert the gym into four two-bedroom apartments for women and children.
Tasha Ridley, who serves as PASCO’s women’s program director, said it was desperately needed. She had helped start the women’s program in 2016 in a small house, and in 2018 they moved into their first renovated church.
But after a while it was clear that they needed a space big enough for some of the women to be able to live with their children.
“We moved into the new facility last June, and we’re already completely full,” she said.
The plan from the beginning was to finish out four more apartments upstairs in the former gym, but PASCO needs the funds to keep going, Ridley said, noting they need about $150,000 in material supplies.
“But I know God has never let us down yet,” she said.
They also plan to eventually renovate another church building to continue expanding the ministry.
Ridley said it’s been a blessing to see the life transformations that have happened at PASCO over the years. She said they’ve seen many men’s lives changed, and many women reunited with their children.
Change that lasts
“Some clients never budgeted money or had a savings account or a checking account. One mom didn’t know what a balanced meal was,” she said. “We love coming alongside them to help them navigate life. That’s the amazing thing is seeing God change ashes into beauty and restoration.”
It’s change that lasts, Ridley said.
“We hear a lot of testimonies from the ladies and men — they’re still doing well, they’re still following the Lord and maintaining their sobriety.”
For more information, visit thepascohome.com.
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