Town Pastors

 

Town Pastors (Ipswich) is a voluntary, independent, inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the streets to care, listen and dialogue.  Its main aim is simply to serve people, regardless of their faith or background, showing concern, and offering practical help in a non-judgemental and unconditional way

 

Town Pastors work as part of a team in collaboration with the police and Ipswich Borough Council, and seek to be a positive influence, principally on the streets of the town centre and other night life areas.

 

They are available to offer support to vulnerable people, help de-escalate potential trouble and generally assist the police and other agencies.

 

 

Town Pastors are Christians, drawn from a variety of local churches and denominations. 

They go out in pairs, normally six people at a time, and operate every Friday and Saturday night throughout the year, from 10pm to 4am. On average, each Town Pastor is expected to be out one night a month. They wear a uniform of sweatshirt, yellow jacket and baseball cap and, for reasons of personal safety, are monitored by CCTV in the town centre area and linked in to the Townlink radio system.

 

All Town Pastors undergo a full training programme before becoming part of the team, covering such issues as core values; roles and responsibilities; the power of prayer; personal safety and conflict management; and drug and alcohol awareness.

 

“We are therefore Christ’s Ambassadors” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood”. John 1:14 (The Message Bible)

 

Town Pastors are supported by a large prayer team. Every night when the Town Pastors are out on the streets, members of the prayer team are also busy between 10pm and 4am, working on a rota to pray for an hour each throughout the night. Some others meet in the town centre to pray throughout the entire night and supply the Town Pastors with much needed tea, coffee and toast on their occasional breaks. In addition, each Town Pastor has two personal prayer partners to support them.

 

Without prayer the Town Pastors would not go out.

 

  

 

This is perhaps best answered by others. Here are some recent emails we have received about the work:-

 

"I feel privileged to have been involved with the Town Pastors since their inception and can say that in their first year they have been able to provide support and reassurance to many people in Ipswich who found themselves in distressing and vulnerable situations. In addition their presence has helped to defuse some potentially violent confrontations.

The Town Pastors are now a familiar sight on the streets of Ipswich and I can say they are making a huge contribution towards making Ipswich a safer place."

Alan Caton
Police Superintendent
Southern Area - Operations Manager
 

"The Town Pastors have been a fantastic success in making people in Ipswich feel safe. I have witnessed their work first hand and they do make a difference. I'm proud to be involved with the project and all my fellow officers support it. Happy Birthday Town Pastors"

 Sgt Neil Boast (co-founder of the initiative)

 

Town Pastors has grown considerably since its inception in June 2006, and has developed close working relationships with the police, Local Authority and, not least, the clubbers themselves

 

There is a continuing need for new Town Pastors and Prayers (either at the Centre or at home).

 

To apply, please contact the Co-ordinator, Liz Beaton, at liz.beaton@townpastors.org.uk , or phone 07867 633672.

 

Further information can be found at www.townpastors.org.uk/