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On the IPEC website: The following is a great help to us
all as we plan forthcoming events. Please take note and let's all
try to use it! TownWide - a
central web-based information point offering information of
Christian events taking place in the Ipswich area. An essential ingredient for success of the
venture is dependent mainly upon information received from
organising bodies. Please visit the IPEC website at www.ipec.org.uk
and select the 'TownWide' link
from the Events Menu, or to access the database directly go to www.diary.ipec.org.uk
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LATEST
NEWS FROM IPSWICH TOWN PASTORS WEBSITE:
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THE IPSWICH TOWN PASTORS website is now open:
http://www.townpastors.org.uk/
Town Pastors
Update: 13/07/06
Town Pastors first took to the streets on Friday June 23rd, and
have been out at least once every weekend since. We have put
together rotas for the months of August and September and are
continuing this pattern, with additional teams out on Thursday
August 17th and Thursday August 24th.
28 Town Pastors have already completed training, sessions included
Core Values; Roles and responsibilities; drug and alcohol
awareness; conflict management and personal safety. Further
training sessions will take place in the autumn for this original
group looking in more detail at the protocol (agreed with and
signed by CI Alan Caton on behalf of Ipswich Police and Jim
Manning on behalf of Ipswich Borough Council); also a session on
‘Prayer on the Streets’.
Even though the Town pastors have the ‘up front’ role, we are very
aware that, as Christ’s Ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20) we can do nothing
in our own strength, and we value very highly the wonderful prayer
team who are at work in the background.
Some members of this team pray for an hour at home, covering the
period we are out on the streets, others come into the town centre
and spend the whole period at the CYM centre in Great Colman
Street (9 / 10pm – 4am). Here they not only pray, but also make
tea and toast for town pastors on their breaks, and pray with them
before they return to the streets. More members of both home and
town prayer teams are needed, particularly for the ‘post midnight’
slots. Those who set their alarm for an unearthly hour and do this
say they are greatly blessed and find it well worth sacrificing a
bit of sleep for!
Guidelines for prayer are given, along with updates and
opportunities for feedback. In the autumn we are planning to hold
a social event for the whole team – pastors and pray-ers alike.
This will take place
Relationships between the ‘Urban Trinity’ of Police, Borough
Council and Church are building, and we are thankful for the
‘setting up’ funding we have received from both Council and
Police. In the longer term more money is not guaranteed and we may
have to look at other sources of funding, including potentially
approaching the churches for financial support.
So far the Town Pastors have found things on the streets ‘very
quiet’. Whilst we recognise that we are entering the holiday
season, and things have been disrupted by the World Cup and the
temporary closure of Liquid Nightclub, we see this as a real
answer to prayer, and evidence of God at work.
We need to train more Town Pastors in order to maintain good
cover, as the majority find it difficult to go out more than once
a month. We need both men and women; at present we are
particularly short of females on the rotas.
Training will take place on Saturday September 23rd (9am – 1pm)
and Monday 2nd, 9th and 16th October (7.30 – 10pm) at St Luke’s,
Cliff Lane. Town Pastors are required to complete all sessions
before going out. Prayer team members are also invited to the
session on October 2nd where we will be focussing on the whole
area of prayer in connection with this work. This particular
session will include both the new trainees and the present Town
Pastors, so there will be a chance for the prayer team to meet
them all.
We are excited by the number of churches involved in and
supporting this initiative, but are aware that there may be some
who would like a visit from the co-ordinator or another member of
the team, to inform the congregation. To book a date contact Liz
on 01473 411604 or liz.beaton@ntlworld.com
Thanks to all those churches and individuals who are praying for
us.
Jim Manning (IBC) writes: "Ipswich Borough Council and Ipswich
Crime and Disorder Partnership are very happy to support the work
of the Ipswich Town Pastors. The work undertaken during the
Christmas campaign was seen to be beneficial by all concerned and
we are keen to see this success built upon. The close working
relationships developed through this work is already having major
benefits in the wider community safety context of the development
of the Town Centre (especially around the Waterfront) and is to be
welcomed. We look forward to working in partnership with the
Ipswich Town Pastors for many years to come."
Tracey, one of our female Town Pastors writes: “I was very anxious
before going out for the first time but within minutes i knew it
was going to be so rewarding and worthwhile. I loved it, people
were so receptive and we were able to diffuse several situations
(with God on our side!) that could have got nasty and most likely
would have ended in arrests. Can’t wait for my next shift!”
Jonathan, a prayer team member writes: “I found the verses and
supporting prayer points very useful as a focus through the hour!
There was a real sense of supporting the pastors as part of a
prayer team even though I was praying at home.”
Our web site is in the process of being built and can be found at
www.townpastors.org.uk
Thanks again for the part you are playing in making this work.
Please continue to pray that we would be carriers of God’s
presence onto the streets of Ipswich, witnessing by our love to
the young people and club / pub staff. Pray that we would see
God’s Kingdom come and His will be done, that the glory would go
to him and the authorities would recognise His authority in our
town.
Liz Beaton
Co-ordinator, Town Pastors Ipswich.
Some suggested
verses for Town Pastor Prayer Support
• The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2
• The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the
neighbourhood. John 1:14 (Message)
• He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:19,20
• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on
the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10,11
• For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the
Lord. Ephesians 5:8
• I will give you every place where you set your foot. Joshua 1:3.
“Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send
us we will go.” Joshua 1:16
• After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers,
another generation grew up, who neither knew the Lord nor what he
had done for Israel. Judges 2:10
• Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift
up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint
from hunger at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:19
• But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will
rise with healing in its wings. Malachi 4:2
• Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe
pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the
desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3,4
• Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good
deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
• Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another
above yourselves. Romans 12:9-11
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust
in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
• But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people belonging to god, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter
2:9
• Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything
is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must
give account. Hebrews 4:13
• Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be
their God. Revelation 21:3
• They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will
return to me with all their heart. Jeremiah 24:7
Street Pastors -
NOW KNOWN AS TOWN PASTORS
A pilot project took place for 3 nights on 16th, 17th and 23rd December 2005. Teams of 6 (3 male & 3 female) took to the streets of the Town Centre between the hours of 10pm and 3.30am. The Street Pastors, who were dressed in fluorescent jackets displaying the fish symbol were detailed particularly to look out for lone females or anyone needing assistance of any kind. Although our intention was not to evangelise, we were surprised at the number of people who asked questions and initiated 'spiritual' conversations. The Street Pastors patrolled the area around the pubs and clubs and were well received by the public, the trade and the police.
Street Pastors in 2006
We are now in discussions looking at moving the project forward in order to be a regular feature of the town centre by the summer of 2006.
Please Pray:
· That we will move forward in accordance with God's will
· For the training and selection of the street pastors
· For growing links with other agencies
· For release of resources enabling us to purchase a building in the Town centre to act as a base and to allow for
follow up of those we make contact with.
20 March 2006
NEWS:
Street Pastors Initiative:
Thursday 23rd March 2006. Four representatives of the street pastors, plus Neil Boast will be travelling to London to meet the street pastors there, in order to learn from their experience and potentially link in with the initiative they are heading up, which is expanding nationally. Please pray for this visit as we seek to get things in place ready for the launch in the summer.
Our estimated timescale is to recruit and interview in April / May and then train late May / early June. Please pray about whether this is something God is calling you to, or if you would feel able to be a part of the prayer support teams, which have
already been proved to be an essential part of the initiative over the Christmas pilot period.
We are also hoping very soon to progress the acquisition of a base in the Town Centre for the
Street Pastors to use, and also to be available and manned for 'follow up' with a café style church, a prayer room and other possibilities. As we prepare to visit one possible venue, please pray that God would release this to us, and the necessary resources will become available for this exciting new 'Peter Project' which aims to be a joint venture between many churches in the town.
Please pray for Paul Daltry, Liz Beaton, Mark Firmin, and Alan Fisher who are the 'working team' moving this forward.
Give thanks for Neil Boast, Jim Manning, the Crime Reduction Panel and others who are supporting us in this.
29
March 2006:
Street Pastors Update: Following our trip to London please pray as we:
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Consider if and how we will link into or partner with the Ascension Trust who are setting up street pastor schemes across the nation
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Look into the possibility (on their recommendation) of appointing a part time co-ordinator
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Seek wisdom as to how to proceed regarding the building we have now looked at (10-12 St Peter's Street)
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Begin to consider application procedures and preliminary training, seeking to establish a long term commitment
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Continue to investigate sources of funding
Please pray for Neil Boast (our police partner) who is not well at the moment
Local Newspaper Report - The Ipswich Evening Star
By Kate Boxell: IPSWICH
police have a new weapon in their fight against drunk and disorderly
behaviour - the Church.
A team of street pastors is visiting the town's hotspots over Christmas to
engage with revellers and promote safety and harmony.
Affectionately labelled The God Squad by their police partners, the
street pastors offer an alternative to the zero tolerance approach used by
Suffolk Police in recent weeks,
Sergeant Neil Boast, of the crime reduction and community safety’
unit, said: "I sit on the crime reduction panel with Liz Beaton
(co-ordinator of Ipswich in Prayer) and I said we need something softer to
match the aggressive but firm Policing we have got
I asked her if we could get "The 'God Squad' out".
The pastors are members of the |
Ipswich Partnership of Evangelical Churches and have undergone training
and criminal records checks before embarking on their venture
They are independent of the police but work closely with officers via
radio to alert to any problems.
Sgt Boast has also arranged for them to have their own
high-visibility jackets and woolly hats marked with the universally
recognised Christian symbol of the fish.
They took to the streets for the first time on Friday night where
they received a positive response from the public.
From their base - a caravan in Cutler Street - the teams of two
were in an ideal position to access Cardinal Park the area around PALS
night club in Dogs Head Street.
They were in place to speak to individuals as they left pubs and clubs and
were able to assist anyone in need.
Sgt Boast said: ''They helped a girl get home on Friday night.
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She had got separated (from her friends) and was worse for wear due to
drink. They organised transport for her”
They also helped someone with a broken ankle ". They called an
ambulance for him, and kept him warm in their caravan.
"They defused lots of situations. The
main one was a man who had been ejected from a club. He was saying 'Arrest
me, arrest me' and they asked him to calm down and asked what was wrong.
When he realised they weren't police he calmed down.
Street pastors also operate in Leicester, Manchester and Southend
where they have reported similar success.
Do you think the street pastors are a good
idea? Write to: Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich
IP4 1AN or send us an email to: eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk |
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It is all
about Caring for people. 'That was the message from Ipswich street pastors
Liz Beaton and Paul Daltry
The Rev Daltry, 49, rector for the Waterfront benefice, said: "It was very
worthwhile, we engaged with people. We went to queues of people where
their might be friction brewing and talked to them and gave out a biscuit
or two.
"We were looking out for vulnerable |
people such
as girls who looked a bit worse for wear through alcohol. It was just
talking to people who were out.
"It’s about caring for people. As Christians that is what we are called to
do.”
Mrs Beaton, 46, prayer co-ordinator for The Ipswich Partnership of
Evangelical Churches, said: "I have had quite a bit of feedback from
parents saying how much easier they feel in their minds knowing that there
is somebody |
out their looking out for their
children."
“It's where we think the Church should be.” They are hoping that the trial
project, which saw the volunteer street pastors go out on Friday arid
Saturday night and will see them go out again on Friday, will become a
regular feature. |
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The team is affectionately know in night-time Ipswich by their
