Street Pastors

Street Pastors is an interdenominational network of Christian charities that operates worldwide, composed of members who spend time in their communities in order to assist people who they feel are in need of help, and to spread their religion through their service.[1]

Street Pastors
Formation2003
TypeCharitable network
HeadquartersLondon
Region served
United Kingdom, other countries following
Les Isaac
Parent organization
Ascension Trust
Websitestreetpastors.co.uk

Street Pastors is an initiative of the Ascension Trust.[2] Individual street pastors are Christians who walk around the streets of their towns and cities attempting to help and care for people in what they feel are practical ways.[3] The initiative began in the United Kingdom.[4]

Street pastors wear a blue uniform, with the term 'Street Pastor' visible in white.[5][6] Street pastors are not police, ambulance or official emergency services in any way. They do not have any powers of law enforcement, arrest or to compel any member of the public to follow any requests given.[7][3][4][8][9][10][11]

History
Les Isaac on Street Pastor patrol in Chinatown, London, 31 Dec 2014

Street Pastors was founded in Brixton, South London, UK in 2003 by Rev. Les Isaac. It was based on a model from Jamaica in which individual churches joined together to take their values out onto the streets.[4][12] Street Pastors is an initiative of the Ascension Trust, a registered charity established in 1993. The initial activities of street pastors in areas such as Lewisham and Hackney focussed mainly on confronting gang culture and the use of knives and guns. As Street Pastors started to operate in other parts of the UK, the initiative responded to other local issues, including anti-social behavior and drunkenness.[13]

By 2008 there were Street Pastors groups in 70 locations, with another 50 being established.[12] As of January 2015 the official website states that there are over 270 active groups.[1]

In 2010 Ascension Trust devolved responsibility to oversee Street Pastors in Scotland to Ascension Trust (Scotland), a Scottish registered charity which has an office in Perth, and whose first chairman is former police officer Sandy Scrimgeour. In 2015 he became CEO and was succeeded in the chair by Shaw Anderson.[14][15]

In 2010 Michael Frost and others established the first Australian group in Manly, New South Wales.

In 2013 several churches in Chico, CA established the first United States Street Pastors group in Chico, CA.[16]

School pastors

In February 2011 a sister organisation, School Pastors was launched nationally after several trial projects. School Pastors aim to reduce bullying, anti-social behaviour and drug use, and to remove barriers to learning. They mentor young people within a school setting, and walk around outside to break patterns of negative behaviour at the end of the school day.[17]

Rail pastors

Similarly, Rail Pastors commenced in 2014. Volunteers receive training from The Samaritans and British Transport Police, and aim to prevent suicide attempts and fatalities on the railway.[18]

Training and support for volunteers

Individual street pastors are Christians, over the age of 18, committed to a local church for at least one year, who pass an enhanced CRB check and who have a positive reference from their church leader stating that they would be suitable to be a Street Pastor and are leading a Christian lifestyle. They must complete 12 training sessions spread over a year, covering subjects including conflict management, counselling and basic first-aid.[19]

Street Pastors is also supported by 'Prayer Pastors', who do not go out in public but who provide support to street pastors by praying for them and sometimes keep in touch with them by mobile phone.[20]

Services provided

Individual street pastors walk around their local community and provide information on local agencies when requested.[10][11][20] Practical help provided by street pastors include handing out space blankets outside nightclubs, flip-flops to clubbers unable to walk home in their high-heeled footwear, giving out food & water, carrying bus timetables and cleaning streets.[21][9][12][19]

Responses to Street Pastors

Ascension Trust did not initially seek official funding or support, in light of some communities' distrust of local police, but did expect that they would gain recognition from emergency service officials as long as they continued to exist on the streets.[4]

Controversies

On 19 September 2022, a Street Pastor assaulted a protestor standing against Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. The protestor was holding a "Not My King" sign at one of the locations where the State Funeral of Elizabeth II was being publicly broadcast.[22]

References
  1. Current Locations on official website
  2. Street Pastors home page on official website. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  3. What is a Street Pastor? on official website. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  4. Dominic Casciani, Street pastors on a mission from God, BBC News, 5 November 2004
  5. Wantage and Grove Street Pastors, August 2011. Wantage Community and Business Website. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  6. Duncan Smith, Police praise Island Street Pastors, 22 January 2010, Island Pulse (Isle of Wight News). Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  7. Daniel Binns, Waltham Forest: Christian 'Street Pastors' to patrol crime hotspots, Waltham Forest Guardian, 20 July 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  8. Street Pastors on patrol in Birmingham, BBC News, 4 February 2005
  9. Street Pastors in Plymouth, BBC News, 19 December 2007
  10. Street pastors prepare for action, Wiltshire Times, 15 October 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  11. Street pastors for Kirkcaldy, Fife Today, 11 June 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  12. Rowena Mason (in Sutton), Street pastors making a difference after-hours, Daily Telegraph, 1 June 2008
  13. Emily Dugan (in Derby), A night on the town: Vomit, violence and God, The Independent, 17 January 2010
  14. ‘Valuable addition’ say police, Perthshire Advertiser, 10 March 2009
  15. "Plan for 'flip flop angel' for Tain". The Northern Times. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  16. Ashley Gebb (31 August 2013). "Street Pastors patrol pavement in Chico with aim to aid". Chico Enterprise-Record. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  17. "Working with faith communities" (PDF). National Policing Improvement Agency. 2011. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2011. (Note: large 472-page download)
  18. "The volunteers saving lives on the railways". BBC News. 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  19. Sunderland street pastors hit the streets in Sunderland, BBC News, 9 July 2010
  20. Street Pastors in Weymouth, BBC News, 24 November 2008
  21. "Perth Street Pastors 'blown away' by public's response". Perth Evening Telegraph. 18 April 2008. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008.
  22. https://twitter.com/DoubleEmMartin/status/1571521630039379971

Further reading
  • van Steden, Dr Ronald. Living by love: Street Pastors, care and public safety in Cardiff's night-time economy. Amsterdam: VU University.

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