The Church in the streets

Esther Tyson, Contributor

A man who was overwhelmed, distraught and contemplating murdering his girlfriend and then committing suicide, as she had abandoned him for another, taking all he provided, including the house, was counselled by a Street Pastor one night. Other Street Pastors followed him up by checking up on him.

Subsequently, when the man saw the Street Pastor who had first counselled him on a later patrol, he called him over to express his gratitude, as he was doing much better and was at a much-improved place. Praise God!

This is the report of Richard Delisser, co-chairman of Street Pastors, Jamaica.

The church has taken to the streets of Kingston, in the night, in an unprecedented move that has galvanised Christians from across various denominations to move the Church out of its buildings to where the people are.

What is Street Pastors, Jamaica?

Street Pastors, Jamaica (SPJ) was officially launched on Friday, January 31, 2014 at the Webster Memorial United Church. There were approximately 200 guests in attendance from numerous churches and organisations from across Kingston and Jamaica. The Rev Les Isaac, OBE, CEO of Ascension Trust and pioneer of Street Pastors UK, was the guest speaker. Special greetings were brought by National Security Minister Peter Bunting. The initiative is part of the operations of Operations Save Jamaica in partnership with Ascension Trust.

Quiet for too long

The Church has for a long time been regarded as a far too disengaged, sleeping giant with the potential for significant positive intervention through united effort. Concerned leaders from several denominations have now come together in a broad-based effort to engender a 'take-care-to-the-street' intervention. Street Pastors represents that effort. Street Pastors are church leaders/ministers or members with a concern for society, in particular for young people who feel excluded or marginalised. Street Pastors are willing to engage people regardless of where they are, both in terms of mindset and location. The first phase of this outreach is in the Half-Way Tree (HWT) area.

The first Street Pastors HWT patrol was held on Friday, February 7, 2014 from 8 p.m. to midnight. Street Pastors patrol teams have been out every Friday night since then with an average contingent of 12-15 Street Pastors in three teams and four Prayer Pastors at the base (Covenant City Church, Cecelio Avenue). Street Pastors patrol on foot and cover areas around the York Plaza, Clock Tower, HWT Transportation Centre, Mandela Park, Pavilion Mall, Burger King, the greater plaza areas, and environs.

The general response of the public to Street Pastors has been overwhelmingly positive. Almost all who have encountered Street Pastors (SPs) on patrol have been very welcoming and approving of the Church coming out into the streets to the people. In particular, they express strong encouragement when they discover that Street Pastors is not the effort of any single church or denomination but, rather, a united effort of the wider church. Many have verbalised their desire for us to keep coming back.

I know that some readers might be thinking that this outreach won't be sustained. I believe that it will not only be sustained, but that it will develop and grow. The example of Street Pastors (UK) demonstrates that Les Isaacs, founder of that initiative, came to Jamaica and observed the work of pastors united on the streets of Trench Town. He took what he saw back to UK and began Street Pastors (UK). There are currently some 11,000 trained volunteers in approximately 250 teams around the United Kingdom.

The Street Pastors Initiative was pioneered in London in January 2003 as part of the Ascension Trust, and has seen some remarkable results, including reduction in crime in areas where teams have been working.

Street Pastors, Jamaica (SPJ) wants to see teams trained and sent out right across Jamaica. Where there are at least four churches from various denominations coming together in an area, Street Pastors will come in to train and activate the team in their community.

I believe that the potential for the Church to really be out on the streets of Jamaica impacting the lives of our people and reclaiming our communities is unprecedented. Jesus Christ says that the world will know that we are His disciples by our love. This initiative puts feet to the church to carry out that mandate to show love to our people of Jamaica.

The vision of SPJ is to activate the local Christian community to take ownership for the wider community, by demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ in ways that are proactive and practical and primarily on the 'street corners'.

One expected outcome of this outreach will be the uniting of various churches in their communities. The need is urgent for the Church to put aside our differences to overcome the scourge of crime and violence in our beloved Jamaica. This initiative brings that opportunity. Here is another story from the work already being done by SPs.

In the first week, we prayed with a young man who gave his life to the Lord. In subsequent weeks, we have heard and seen that this young man is now radically changed. He is preaching in Half-Way Tree and praying for persons daily. His ministry and testimony have had a powerful impact on other young men who hang out in the area, such that a group of about 10 young men has approached Street Pastors for instruction in the Bible.

Street Pastors go through training before they are sent out on the streets. For this pilot phase, 48 Street Pastor volunteers from 11 churches participated in intensive training from January 27 to February 6, 2014. All our volunteers are presently serving in the Half-Way Tree community.

In welcoming the local proposal for Street Pastors, Minister Bunting said, "I need a thousand points of light." Street Pastors promises to be examples of these "thousands points of light".

Esther Tyson is an educator. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and esther.tyson@gmail.com.