Street Pastors

Saturday night I went out as an observer with a group of Street Pastors in a local town.

You might think you know your town.  There's probably an M&S, a Boots, a selection of banks, in fact, there's not a lot of difference in the shops on your high street compared with any other town. But once you get past 6pm, the high street changes, and the scenes you are familiar with from the daytime, are completely transformed.

It's into this environment that the Street Pastors go out.  We met up in a local church hall which was to be our base for the night.  The support team had left soup and sandwiches, for the break later on.  After introductions I was given my  attractive hi-viz vest.

We went out around 10pm and did a tour round some of the pubs in the area, collecting empty bottles as we went.  It's a public safety thing, as a smashed bottle can be dangerous, even if it's not a weapon.  The pastors even have brush and shovel for the smashed glass.  I was to realise later that the pastors rucksack came from the same factory that made Mary Poppins' carpet bag - there was an unending supply of tissues, plasters, foil blankets, and the famous slippers, all appearing from these bags.

There was no heavy handed preaching, just a caring presence on the street.  Neutral and totally separate from the Police or the door staff, the pastors had built up relationships and were trusted and respected as a calming influence.

There's so much I just cannot blog about, but I have seen genuine pastoral care and examples of the sharing of God's love.  This is where the church needs to be.  Helping, supporting our communities, and keeping people safe. 

So, please support your local Street Pastor.