communityministryEP

Below is an article which will appear in the ‘Street magazine’ later this year. Also on the 21st May we are holding a celebration event in Chester, to mark our progress todate and to seek encouragement for the future. A report on that event will appear in our next newsletter.

Street Pastors, a Gift that works both ways.

Street Pastors has been operating in Chester for over 6 months, whether it’s staying with someone who has become vulnerable, gifting flip flops or taking time to listen to someone’s  story, I often describe Street Pastors as a Gift. A gift willingly given from the church to the community, our way of declaring that Christians too believe our streets and communities should be safe, vibrant places and that we are willing to play a part in bringing that about. Street Pastors literarily walk the talk.

Once Street Pastors leave their base they usually have no idea what will happen in the next few hours, who they will meet, who they will talk too. Here there are no sermon notes, PowerPoint or agendas, theirs is the gift of time, perhaps one of the most precious commodities we have. I’m sure I am not the first Street Pastor to have these thoughts; however, perhaps what we talk less about is that it is gift that works both ways, a gift of practical discipleship that can prove a blessing to the church.

Across the broad spectrum of the church from which Street pastors are drawn, it is often the case that our focus is often internal on our worship as a community and on what scripture teaches us about how we should live. This focus on worship and text is as far as many people get on their journey of following Jesus. When practical acts do take place they are often about raising money or demanding that people come to us to hear our story. Street Pastors offers one way in which churches and individuals can engage in practical discipleship not always on our terms or in our place, requiring humility and respect.

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for your hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15

The challenge of such practical discipleship in turn feeds our worship and understanding of scripture, now the text is alive and living with direct application to our towns and communities.

But this same gentleness and respect has to be nurtured amongst one another, Street Pastors come from a wide range of theological traditions, for some this becomes one of the most refreshing aspects of the work, for others it may prove a struggle as we have to let some of our past prejudices go.

“Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another;  be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble”. 1 Peter 3:8

A practical opportunity to struggle for such harmony through listening and learning together will prove to be a challenging yet timely gift for the church. It is to be hoped that it will not nurture the sterile approach of some past ecumenical debates, but because of its practical focus on sharing Christ’s love, I believe it can nurture a vibrancy and diversity that will encourage Christians of all traditions.

As with any gift we must give the receiver the opportunity to accept it, on the streets the evidence is that many people welcome the openness and vulnerability of street pastors as they step outside of their churches in genuine love and humility. As seen in this recent note of thanks for our work in Chester.

“I visited Chester on Friday 8^th May with a group of friends as we attended the races, we went into town where after a few drinks and a lot of dancing our feet could take no more and we removed the heels. As we were walking through the streets bare foot we were met by what we later described as “Guardian angels”, 3  warm and kind people who gave us Flip Flops to protect us. We have continued to talk about your kindness and I would like to say the work you do is fantastic and a HUGE  thank  you from all of us that evening, it was lovely to see generous and friendly people”.

Perhaps the greater challenge will be found in the Church accepting the gift of practical discipleship that Street Pastors affords it.

We were recently joined on the Streets on Chester by Julia McGuinness, a journlist writing for the Church Times. The full article was published on the 1st February and is also published below with the permission of the Church Times

Flip-flop angels

 

It’s just after 10pm on a sub-zero January night in Chester city centre. Three people sit praying in a church hall. They are dressed for the outdoors, in distinctive navy jackets that have an identical logo.

The three finish praying and prepare to leave, but they are not going home. One speaks into a small, portable radio: ‘Street Pastors to CCTV going on patrol.’ He listens into the ear-piece for a response from the control room. On hearing it, he gives a nod and they head out.  

There are now more than 2,000 Street Pastors in the UK, involved in 100 projects, from Aberdeen to Plymouth and from inner-cities to coastal towns. They comprise Christians from all denominations. Tonight I am with Gordon, an Anglican; Alistair, a Methodist; and Carol, from the Queen’s Community Church in Chester, whose premises we have just left.  

The scheme was launched in the London borough of Lambeth in 2003, as a Christian response to urban problems. It is an initiative of the charity Ascension Trust, under its director, Revd Les Isaac. His vision, he says,  is to ‘get the church back on the streets to engage with people.’

The Street Pastors scheme is one way of getting alongside those out and about after dark. Mark Thomas is co-ordinator of the project in Bridgend and minister of Hope Baptist church in Bridgend town centre. He says, ‘we knew it was time to act when there were more young people outside our building at night than inside during the day.’

Street Pastors follow Jesus’ example of care by ‘being physically where people are at.’ It is also vital that they listen. Mr Isaac says, ‘The church can be far too busy preaching at people, but not hearing their cry and what they’re going through.’

Listening to others and offering comfort may be accompanied by practical help. This can involve simply finding someone a taxi home, or directing them towards more long-term support, such as a drug rehab centre.

Street Pastors may point the spiritually desolate towards church, but ‘We go out with a holistic approach to people’s needs. We don’t want to beat them up with a 4 by 4 Bible. We have a genuine concern for their well-being.’

The first step in setting up a Street Pastors initiative is to establish an interdenominational alliance of at least four local churches who share the vision, in order to register with the Ascension Trust. Aspiring Street Pastors need to be over 18 (some are in their 70’s), have a Christian faith; and have belonged to a church fellowship for over a year. They also need to attend the 12-session induction course.

The Ascension Trust training-package provides material for three core sessions. These include clarifying the Street Pastors’ responsibilities and role-playing possible scenarios. The area project co-ordinator approaches agencies, such as the police and drug and alcohol services, to deliver the other course components. 

Mr Isaac stresses the importance of detailed preparation: ‘Good management, quality control, and risk assessment are important. Christians can act too much ad hoc and call that being led by the Spirit, but we have been given minds and need to use them to equip people properly.’ 

The basic training costs £300, and funding typically comes from individuals, churches, or  agencies. Chester City Council has helped fund Chester Street Pastors. Some denominations cover costs of their members from their training budget. In Lincoln, the City Council and Community Safety Partnership jointly funded the Street Pastors’ set-up costs including their jackets and radio-link equipment. 

Street Pastor schemes have also made successful bids for other external funding streams, including the Faiths in Action grants programme, the Awards for All lottery grants scheme and the Sainsbury’s Local Heroes Award.

The first Friday-night patrol of Chester’s Street Pastors took place last September. Tonight’s team has only been out a few times, but its members already seem familiar with the ways this historic city changes as its night-time economy takes over.

Quiet couples making their way home contrast with gaggles of girls tripping round on high heels, bare-shouldered and in flimsy dresses, and groups of lads letting out occasional whoops amid stage-loud conversation. Lively music emerges from club doorways silently inconspicuous by day.   

We stop by two girls and a young lad giving out tickets entitling the recipient to a complimentary vodka. They say they are cold and bored: it is quiet tonight. The lad comes off-duty at 10.45pm, but he’s not sure how to tell the time. Alistair shows him where the hands need to be on the nearby clock face before he can take a break. This conversation is later noted in the activity log.

In the first 15 weeks of Friday patrols, Chester’s Street Pastors have had 496 conversations, including 19 of a specifically spiritual nature, and two requests for prayer. They have administered First Aid seven times, and been involved in 11 acts of ‘significant re-assurance’ of individuals at risk, either from others or to themselves. This has often meant staying with them, whilst calling for further assistance or support.

Tonight is a good opportunity to build relationships with security staff, so the team sets off on a low-key pastoral visit to pub and club entrances and the taxi rank. At each stop, mutual smiles of recognition precede a brief chat. Burly door-staff stamp their feet, complaining about the low temperature and sparse clientele. Mike, at the Watergate Bar, asks for a Street Pastors’ card. The previous week he had seen a distressed young woman, alone, who seemed the worse the wear for alcohol, and he was unable to respond: An approach from him could have been misinterpreted.

Shards of broken bottles litter the walkway outside another club – a parting shot from two youths who were ejected and ‘got a bit gobby.’ Carol takes a dustpan and brush from Gordon’s rucksack to sweep up, adding one more to the total of 204 bottles the Street Pastors have removed from the city streets.

The rucksack also contains pairs of flip-flops to hand out to girls who have abandoned their high-heeled shoes after a few drinks. Flip-flops not only protect their feet, but also save A&E from one more patient.

Adele, on the door at Macdonalds, calls Street Pastors the ‘Flip-flop Angels.’ She had never heard of them before last September: ‘At first I was very sceptical. I thought they’d be ignorant of what they were about and could be in great danger.’

She changed her mind as she got to know them. A few weeks before, she had listened to a Street Pastor calling in on the security radio-link as he dealt with a girl who was feeling suicidal: ‘What would have happened to her otherwise? She’d have broken her heart crying and maybe got frozen out there.’ 

No Street Pastor has ever been injured while on duty since the scheme started. But Adele still fears for their safety, and warns them if she senses any hostility brewing. She breaks off to issue a sharp rebuke to a young couple talking loudly nearby, whose conversation peppered with expletives: ‘Don’t use words like that. You’ll offend the Street Pastors!’

Gordon hears radio-link talk of trouble further along the street. Outside Wetherspoons at least eight police are in action: A stag party has just been thrown out. One reveller is in hand-cuffs; a couple more are on the verge of being arrested. The Street Pastors wait close by, ready to engage anyone in distress, but the matter is dealt with and the group disperses.  

Police Sergeant Paul Bluck, who helps train Chester’s Street Pastors, says that whilst they need to be aware of police procedures and resources, the Pastors’ ministry may be more about prevention than cure.

‘When groups congregate as the night-clubs close, Street Pastors may spot the signs of a situation flaring up into a fight, and can use their communication skills to defuse tensions and draw people apart.’

In Lincoln, a Street Pastors’ scheme began in autumn 2007. Chief Inspector Daryl Pearce, in charge of community safety, agrees that they are a positive presence on the streets: ‘The police are often busy responding to incidents and moving on to the next job, so people are left at the scene – perhaps the partner of someone we’ve arrested, who’s now alone and needing support in getting home. Street Pastors have filled that gap. They provide a resource in listening and talking with people.’

The Chief Inspector says that violent crime in Lincoln is falling. Whilst it is hard to isolate the Street Pastor factor on Friday and Saturday nights, he says , ‘They’ve really grown into their role. I can’t imagine what it would be like without them.’

As well as contacts on the street, the Street Pastor initiatives have opened up other avenues of community involvement. Joy Liddle, co-ordinator of Lincoln’s Street Pastors, is part of Lincoln’s Community Safety Partnership of agencies. She was also invited to join Pub Watch.

In Bridgend, which has had Street Pastors since December 2007, Mark Thomas was last year named Community Safety Volunteer of the Year. He is also chaplain to the local St John’s Ambulance Branch.

St John’s Ambulance and Bridgend Street Pastors work together particularly at Christmas, on Bank Holidays and Rugby International week-ends. On these occasions, St John’s Ambulance sets up a triage treatment centre in Hope Baptist Church. Some Street Pastors stay there; others go out looking for people in need of the treatment centre’s services.

As initiatives develop from the common starting point of the Ascension Trust, they may develop different elements that reflect their own community’s needs. The high incidence of death among the young in Bridgend prompted Mr Thomas to call in Assist for extra training on suicide intervention. And after four such deaths in close succession last summer in Bettws, nearby, the Street Pastors were asked to visit boys’ and girls’ clubs in the village to talk with the young people.

Ms Liddle, who is co-ordinating Lincoln’s project, has supplemented the basic training: ‘Having witnessed several incidents of domestic violence, we invited Women’s Aid to give us a training evening on the issue.’ 

Charting the long-term impact of Street Pastoring is not easy, but, like many Street Pastors, Ms Liddle is has had some particularly fruitful encounters, from someone who was helped onto an Alpha course, to a pub manager who asked for prayer, saw his difficulties resolved and is now hoping to become involved in a church. 

‘We meet needs where they are, and get thank-you e-mails and offers of money, but you never know where things might go.’

As the Street Pastors’ initiative grows from the original team of 18 who started out in Brixton in 2003, the challenge is to train more volunteers to expand the initiative.  Many established urban projects typically have teams of 40 to 50 volunteers.    

Gabrielle Heavisides is the first member of the congregation at Chester Cathedral to undertake Street Pastor training. She says that the scheme needs more Anglican support in Chester, particularly from the centrally-situated cathedral.  

Ms Heavisides currently works as student counsellor, but says that becoming a Street Pastor offers a new challenge: ‘It’s a way of working hands-on with young people who are vulnerable and at risk. I’ve always worked in a protected environment. If I’m in a city late at night near rowdy people, I don’t show my best side. This is a chance to get out of my comfort zone and “just do it”.’  

In Lambeth, the co-ordinator Kennedy Roberts says that recruitment is currently his biggest challenge. He is especially hoping to recruit more men to a 40-strong team where the women outnumber the men 2-1 – a ratio, he says, that is broadly reflective of church membership generally.

This year Lambeth Street Pastors intend to expand the initiative in the borough by starting up teams in Kennington, Streatham and Clapham. Lambeth Street. 

Such new Street Pastor initiatives are amongst the 40 or so already in the pipeline for 2009 across the UK. New developments also include a School Pastors’ scheme, currently being piloted in Lambeth and Purley.

This year the first National Street Pastors conference will be held in November at Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. The Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, is to be among the speakers.

It is a sign that the movement is becoming established, and reflects Mr Isaac’s determination to stay the course: ‘Christians are good at short-term mission. We take two years to plan one, two weeks to do it, two years to recover, and then another two years to talk about whether we should do it again. Street Pastors is about being a visible, consistent and relevant presence out there.’  

Back at base in Chester, Gordon keeps listening to the radio-link as we drink hot soup. Various clubs are signing off early. He decides that the team should do one last patrol around the night-spots. Very little is happening, so it is not worth staying out much longer.

The trio handing out complimentary vodka tickets still have stashes left. As we stop to talk, a man standing nearby asks, in slightly slurred speech, whether we are out ‘spreading the word.’ Gordon explains that Street Pastors simply want to help anyone in need. The man starts reminiscing about Sunday School, before ambling uncertainly off.

It is time to call it a night and we go back to base. It is 1.30am. Alistair is off to unwind by going shopping at Tesco’s. Gordon and Carol are going home. By 2am I am safe and warm in bed, thinking about Adele, who is still outside Macdonalds.  

 

     

 

Cheshire West Street Pastors

We have been on Patrol in Chester on friday nights for some 16 weeks. Figures after 15 weeks show we have had 496 conversations on the streets, removed some 204 glasses or bottles, handed out 69 pairs of Flip Flops and given out 3 space blankets and adminstered First Aid on 7 occasions. We have been involved in 9 significant acts of reassurance which has usually involved staying with someone who is vulnerable and making sure they can get transport safely home. We have had 19 conversations of a spiritual nature and have been asked for prayer on 2 occasions. We are really grateful for the support and welcome we have received from police, doorstaff and everyone on the streets. Please continue to pray for the teams as they go out each week.

In March 2009 we will commence a community Street Pastors Ministry in Ellesmere Port. Watch this space over the next few weeks as we share details of how we will be working in the Port. Please make this development a focus for your prayers. We currently have 31 Street Pastors at various stages of training. This Saturday we will training with Tony Winters, co-ordinators in Manchester on Street Pastors in a Community setting and on February 14th we will have further training with the Ascension Trust.

If you feel Street Pastors is a ministry you would like to be involved in and are over 18, a committed Christian who can obtain a suitable reference from your church leader and complete the CRB process get in touch with us at chester@streetpastors.org.uk or telephone 07706480319.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further details of the content of Street Pastor training can be found by opening the link below. street-pastors-course-outline

 If you would like to know more about Street Pastors just place a comment in the box below or vist www.streetpastors.org.uk