Dancity

Eight months after its publication, Les Isaac’s gripping account of the creation of one of the UK

article praising the work of the Street Pastors and pointing over a million readers to the book.

Running in both digital and print editions, the article correctly describes the remarkable work of the volunteer Street Pastors:

‘THEY pick up thousands of broken bottles in city centres every year, preventing them from becoming weapons. They distribute flip flops – 35,000 pairs to date – to young women too inebriated to walk safely on their stilettos after a night at the pub. They’ll call you a taxi if you’re too drunk to find one for yourself, and an ambulance if you’ve been mugged or had your drink spiked.

They’ll hand your firearm to the police, no questions asked, as part of their gun surrender scheme.

And you can deposit unwanted knives and swords in their knife bins.’

In the week where the government’s Big Society project was launched, the article wonders out loud whether we could be looking at one of the most effective ways in which local communities can help meet their needs:

‘These are the Street Pastors, an army of 3,000 Christian volunteers dressed in distinctive blue uniforms and caps who choose to spend their Friday and Saturday nights taking their message of caring, listening and helping to streets around the country. It’s the sort of can-do attitude that underpins the Prime Minister’s attempt to transfer power from the state back into people’s hands.

These pastors won’t try to convert you – they are non-evangelical in their approach – but they may try to support you if you’re open to their approach and it looks like you could use a hand.’

Not that this is the first time that the Street Pastors have been written about: the press have been hungry for the story and articles have appeared in

Even the Scottish Parliament has praised the scheme’s ‘simple but innovative thinking’.

Starting with the events and experiences that shaped Les’s thinking, the book narrates the story in detail, but also introduces the challenge facing the Church throughout the UK: how can we be distinctively Christian at the same time as developing partnerships outside of the Church? Les Isaac is convinced that this is not only possible, but vitally important.

Over the past seven years he has witnessed tremendous unity as teams of Christians have put aside theological differences and committed themselves to sacrificial help of our communities.

Rev. Les Isaac is the Chief Executive of Ascension Trust and the founder of the Street Pastors initiative.

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