Dover Street Pastors
At a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of South Foreland, Linda Powell, Coordinator of Dover Street Pastors, gave a presentation on the valuable community work undertaken by her charity. Its governing body, the Ascension Trust, was set up in 1993 and now Street Pastors are found in many cities and towns, twelve of them in Kent.
The Dover Initiative, established in 2010, sends out small teams of volunteer Pastors to patrol the High Street, seafront and station areas to care for, listen to and help vulnerable people on Friday and Saturday nights. The charity works with the police and local council, with the aim of making the town safe at night. It is based in local churches and prayer is at the heart of what it does; the Street Pastors do not preach at people but are the Christian Church in action, praying for and with those they help, if desired. Prayer Pastors do not patrol but provide prayer backup to those on patrol.
Training is vital for volunteers, covering such units as roles and responsibilities, drug and alcohol awareness and misuse, mental health, safeguarding and homelessness. This gives an indication of the issues Pastors may face on the streets. For safety, Street Pastors are in contact with their base by phone and radio connected to CCTV operators in town.
Appropriate uniform, and equipment such as food and water, dustpan and brush, newspapers for wrapping broken glass, foil blankets, and lollipops which can be a distraction to diffuse a volatile situation, all have to be financed through fundraising by home churches. In 2017 Street Pastors made 361 significant contacts, defined as a conversation involved in giving help, food or drink, directions home or contact information such as the Dover Outreach Centre if homeless. There were also 361 instances of clearing up broken glass.
For more information or to make a donation see: www.dover.streetpastors.org.uk
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