CELEBRATIONS were held as Worcester Street Pastors’ welcomed nine newly qualified members into the team.
Held at Worcester Baptist Church, Sansome Walk, those present included representatives of local churches, street pastors, prayer pastors, members of the management team, friends, family and supporters.
Worcester Street Pastors began almost six years ago, and since that time their uniformed team has worked in and around the city centre on Saturday nights from 10pm until around 4am, listening, caring and helping.
Worcester Street Pastors is a partnership between local churches, Worcester City Council – through the Safer Worcester Partnership – and West Mercia Police
Volunteers working as street pastors and in the management team represent ten local churches, with more than 80 other local people committed to regular prayer support as prayer pastors.
During 2015 in Worcester, assistance provided by Worcester Street Pastors included 26 occasions of helping to calm aggressive situations, 158 supporting vulnerable people and 733 pairs of flip-flops to bare-footed revellers.
Caring volunteers handed out 857 drinks of water, 26 blankets to the cold while 827 bottles/broken glass were cleared to safety, 1,479 lollipops given out, many sick bags provided.
A total of 52 incidents of support to homeless people were also recorded during 2015 and management team chairman Matt Town, senior pastor at Lifehouse – Worcester’s Elim Church in Lowesmoor, hailed the event as a success.
“That people with such busy lives are willing to give up time to the lengthy training programme and then regularly go out into the streets for six hours or so on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings to listen, care and help is amazing; we owe so much to our volunteers,” he said.
Search for Worcester Street Pastors on Facebook, follow @worcesterstreetpastors on Twitter or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
