As Street Pastors celebrates its 20th anniversary, founder Rev Les Isaac OBE says it’s time for the Church to get up out of the pews and work together
Les Isaac may be a reverend, but sometimes he finds church services a bit boring.
That isn’t because he’s a rebellious backslider – far from it – he just has first-hand experience of the miracles God can do when Christians get out of their buildings and take the message of Jesus to the streets.
The result of this radical obedience to Jesus’ Great Commission to “go” have been phenomenal. Street Pastors is, undoubtedly, one of the UK Church’s most successful outreach projects. Every weekend, teams of Christian volunteers across 240 towns and cities brave the elements, donning their hi-vis jackets to be a peaceful presence among the night-time economy – offering a listening ear and practical help to those who may be vulnerable, homeless or under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
As the name implies, Street Pastors are unashamedly Christian, and stories proliferate of lives changed by God (such tales literally filled a book, Stories From the Streets; Instant Apostle). One of the lessons seems to be that when Christians, often of different denominations, come together in unity for mission, God blesses it.