For its 25th Anniversary Ascension Trust has adopted a mascot bear, but it currently has no name. Help us name the bear as well as fundraise for your chosen Street Pastor area. Donate £2.50 per name entry (no restrictions to how many entries per person). The entered...
We asked the team in Belfast why they volunteer as street pastors.
It followed a conversation that the coordinator of Southend Street Pastors had with a rough sleeper who had contacted the team to ask for a sleeping bag.
Criticism of street pastors occasionally appears on the letters pages of local newspapers or online. Perhaps you’ve heard someone question the role of the street pastor, or even asked the questions yourself.
Criticism of street pastors occasionally appears on the letters pages of local newspapers or online. Perhaps you’ve heard someone question the role of the street pastor, or even asked the questions yourself.
This critic is arguing two things: first, that the people that street pastors help are not really in need – they are just drunk, cold or wearing the wrong shoes. Second, the critic infers that the care that street pastors provide is not needed and over-protective.
In this series of blogs I will tackle some of these negative comments. In answering them my hope is to allow these observations to tell us something about how we relate to each other and how, through the Street Pastors initiative, we might be able to find new ways to talk about responsibility, community and the Christian faith.
The question is really asking, where does responsibility fall for looking after those who need help in our society? Should we expect the government to look after us?
