Street Pastors by Les Isaac

Street Pastors by Les Isaac.   Britains late-night street stories are familiar to all: binge drinking, loneliness, gang culture, knife and gun crime, violence and fear. Barely a week goes by without another incident breaking on the news. But that s not the whole story. Since 2003 a new breed of help has been on hand to dispel the tension and bring some desperately needed hope back to our urban communities. These are the Street Pastors, and the brand new book from Les Isaac tells their story from the man at the heart of it all. It was back in 2003, against a background of sensational headlines and increasing fear, that Les Isaac was part of a group of eighteen concerned individuals who decided to do something about the chaos, setting up the country s first street pastor s scheme in Brixton, London. Six years later there are over 125 Street Pastors teams at work around the country, with more than 3,000 Christians involved. With enquiries coming in from all over the world, the time is right to tell the full story of this remarkable interdenominational response to the problems which plague our towns and cities. 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 The Times and several prominent local papers. Even the Scottish Parliament has praised the scheme s simple but innovative thinking . Les Issac's story of how he founded and developed Street Pastors is an example of faith in action and emblematic of building up the kingdom of God. Street Pastors works because it recognises both our common humanity and common responsibility in bringing hope to the communities we share. This story should serve as a source of inspiration for all who work to restore society, to raise the fallen and to help our young people know the warmth of God s love and welcome. Dr. John Sentamu, Archbishop of York