A recent special service at the Methodist Church in Peterhead saw another new Street Pastor being commissioned with several other existing Street Pastors being re-commissioned, both by Chris Jewell, CEO of the charity Ascension Trust Scotland which oversees Street, Rail, School and Response Pastors across Scotland. Street Pastors have been operating in Peterhead since 2013, backed by a number of local churches.
Liz Strachan, the Street Pastor Coordinator in Peterhead said, ‘It was really good to be able to commission another Street Pastor which had been delayed due to the Covid pandemic and to welcome her into the Street Pastor family. We have now been back out in the town centre as Street Pastors, listening, caring and helping and found many people wanting to chat and share their experiences with us. There is little doubt that there has come a major increase in mental health issues as part of the pandemic, and we are able to chat and also to signpost people we meet for specialist help.’
Street Pastors come from a variety of Christian denominations and work together for the benefit of the local community. Further information on what they do is available from the Ascension Trust Scotland at www.scotland.ascensiontrust.
