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Dereham Town Pastors take to the street

Following years of preparation and prayer, a Commissioning Service was held on Sunday, May 8 for the Dereham Town Pastors, who are now out and about patrolling the streets of Dereham.

The Dereham Town Pastors Commissioning Service was held on Sunday, May 8 hosted by Wellspring Family Church.  The service was very well attended, by not only family and friends, but also Directors of the Town Pastor organisation, the Chairman of Breckland District Council, Gordon Bambridge, and Linda Goreham, Mayor of Dereham together with representatives of the police.
 
During the service town pastors and prayer pastors were commissioned to serve the community and to work towards keeping our town a safe and welcoming place in which to live, work, study and have fun.

The Dereham Town Pastors will now aim to be out on patrol on most Friday afternoons and evenings. They wear a uniform of navy blue baseball cap and navy blue polo or sweatshirt, plus a very eye-catching pink Hi-Viz waistcoat.
 
Patricia Waller, Secretary and Administrator for the Dereham Town Pastors said: “The pink waistcoats are distinctive to the Dereham Town Pastor group and already some patrols have been called “the Pink Pasties” - whether that name sticks, remains to be seen!”

Whilst the team are out on the streets, they are supported back at the base, Trinity Methodist Church, by a group of people whose job it is to pray. The teams keep in contact by mobile phone and therefore any prayer requests from the general public can be passed straight to the prayer team.  The first patrols have been well received by the general public in the town centre and by youngsters out on the ‘Rec’.
 
The Town Pastors operate under a strict protocol agreed with the police and town and district councils. The Town Pastors are a voluntary, independent inter-denominational church initiative to help, to listen and bring presence on our streets.

All Town Pastors undergo training before becoming part of the teams and more volunteers for both the patrol and prayer teams would enable the Town Pastors to increase their activities in the town. 

More volunteers would enable the Pastors to increase their presence on the streets as well as increasing the Prayer team. So if you are interested in volunteering or need more information please look at the website www.derehamtownpastors.org.uk.
 


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