Chelmsford Street Pastors

Welcome to the Chelmsford Street Pastors Home Page

Established in 2008, Chelmsford Street Pastors are now a familiar sight on the Chelmsford weekend nightlife scene. We are acknowledged as a force for good, not only by pubbers and clubbers, but also by the police, CCTV authorities and pub/club owners. Local authorities have commented that since the scheme started there has been a significant drop in the level of anti‑social behaviour on Friday and Saturday evenings in Chelmsford.

What are Street Pastors?

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

Each city project is set up by Ascension Trust and run by a local co-ordinator with support from Ascension Trust as well as local churches and community groups, in partnership with Police, Council and other statutory agencies.

Churches Together in Chelmsford operates the Street Pastors scheme in our town. Local volunteers from our leading churches (including Trinity Methodist, Central Baptist, Elim, Oasis and others) undergo 12 weeks’ professional training before going out on the streets.

What do Street Pastors do?

Chelmsford is booming! On any given Friday or Saturday night, the town is teeming with up to 15,000 people. But when the bars, pubs and clubs turn out, it can sometimes be a time of tension and tears on the streets. During these periods (10pm ‑ 4am) we deploy a team of Street Pastors, focussing on the town’s known hotspots.

The teams of 3-4 (including both men and women) look to help people with anything from finding a taxi to assisting those worse for wear on drink/drugs, even helping to diffuse arguments occasionally.

UK Street Pastors

To visit the official UK Street Pastors website, click here

Chelmsford Street Pastors has a Facebook Group for sharing photos, networking, fellowship, etc.

Next time you log into Facebook, search for Chelmsford Street Pastors.

If you're not a member of Facebook, it's easy to join up – click here

Picture: Chelmsford Weekly News

As our Street Pastors get to know people in the community, they find out their needs and what can be done to help. Despite the title ‘pastor’, the role is not about preaching, but one of listening, caring and helping – working in an unconditional way. Additionally, and equally as important, there is a team of 2-3 pray-ers at the Street Pastors’ base who receive regular calls from the Street Team so that they can pray into the various situations going down on the streets. On top of that, there's also a team of home pray-ers.

Does it work?

YES! – We’ve already seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour in Chelmsford. In London, where schemes have been running for much longer, they have seen massive drops in street crime in areas where Street Pastors operate. This pattern is reflected across the country wherever partnership and prayer result in the presence of Street Pastors.

 NOTICEBOARD

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET INVOLVED IN STREET PASTORS?

If you’d like to find out about training to be a Street Pastor, or if you'd like to be part of the Prayer Team – either at the base or from home – please contact us at:

info@chelmsfordstreetpastors.org

To view the NEW current Chelmsford Street Pastors’ Newsletter, click here

CONTACT US – If you would like to help out with the Street Pastors scheme, join our Prayer Team, or wish to find out any other information about the work we are doing in Chelmsford, please email us at

info@chelmsfordstreetpastors.org

16/04/2012 16:17 © Chelmsford Street Pastors

Chelmsford Street Pastors is a Registered Charity, No. 1139664