Street Pastors in Preston; Message from Chris Drury

Street Pastors is an inter-denominational Church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue. It was pioneered in London in January 2003 by Rev Les Isaac, Director of the Ascension Trust, and has seen some remarkable results, including drops in crime in areas where teams have been working.

 

As a result of the developing relationships between Preston Police, Preston City Council and Preston churches through Hope 08, we now have the opportunity to see this national church initiative happening in Preston by the end of the year. As we as churches seek to serve our city and take the good news of Hope onto our streets, we are being actively encouraged and invited by these civic authorities to engage at grassroots, long term in our city in ways that many people, for many years, have been praying for.

 

We have been asked by the Police, in partnership with them and Preston City Council,  to develop a Street Pastors Project for the St Georges and St Matthews areas of Preston This area includes Fletcher Road, which is the red light district for Preston and we have been asked to specifically input into working with the sex workers in this area. It also includes Meadow Street, Ribbleton Lane and New Hall Lane and is just off of Church Street, all areas of the city with particular night time social problems (alcohol, drugs and anti-social behaviour). There will of course be specific training for volunteers in all these areas that will be delivered in partnership with the Ascension Trust, Police, Neighbourhood Management Teams and other agencies working in these areas.

I do hope that you and your church might feel that this invitation from our city is a bit of a Macedonian call and something which your church might feel able to support, or encourage folk from within your church to become involved in. Anyone over the age of 18 can be involved - age is no barrier; in one project elsewhere in the country, an 81 year old man and his wife are actively serving as Street Pastors!

We realise that it is very hard to answer all of your questions within a letter such as this, and so we would like to invite you and or your congregation to find out more on a Street Pastors Open evening on

Thursday 25^th September, 7.30pm

Fulwood Free Methodist Church

Please could we encourage you to advertise this amazing opportunity within your churches? To assist with this, I attach posters for you to copy and display.

Should you wish to discuss anything in the meantime, please feel free to get in touch with us through phone or e-mail on the above contact details.

I do hope and pray that this invitation to make a difference in the lives of people from within our city is something that your church would feel able to support.

God Bless

 

Chris Drury chrisd@fulwoodfmc.net

 

 

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