In 2006, the Leeds Christian Community Trust and WYACCC commissioned 12 Street Pastors to patrol the streets of Chapeltown and Harehills. Over the years we have added new volunteers, prayer coordinators and prayer pastors to produce a stable and productive team as well as recently welcoming a new board of trustees, a new chair (Pastor Graham) and a new secretary (Timothy Duncan).
We often find ourselves working alongside the police who support and liaise with us and are aiming to work with other organisations and agencies who share the same desire of making our city a more fair, safe and better place to live in.
Following the lead of Jesus, Street Pastors go out on the street getting alongside people listening, engaging, caring, helping and loving. The Street Pastors are not about evangelising, although more often than not we are called to share about God and our faith in Him. Street Pastors is about the church, going out and meeting the people where they are and bringing the love of Christ into the streets of our city.
There are presently two Saturday night patrols on the first and last Saturday of each month. There is always a friendly welcome towards us from those we meet on the streets and from business owners, regardless of their background or ethnic group creating a sense of diversity amongst the streets of Leeds.