Three reports from the weekend highlight the wonderfully practical way in which Street Pastors make a difference. Street Pastors assisted a lone woman safely to a taxi after being approached by a man unknown to her. A girl was carried to a car following damage to her ankle. The ankle was bandaged for support as she was in considerable pain. Only one flipflop was required! In the Safe Zone, contact was made with the family of a young man who was then collected at 2:30am. These types of stories are not exceptional to us, but we should never minimise the difference it makes to the people concerned and to their families to know they were kept safe and cared for.

We collected 111 bottles, helped 15 people to safety or to be reunited with friends, 13 people were given directions. We had conversations with 37 homeless people, issued 31 items of food and 24 items of clothing. We engaged in faith conversations with 11 people. A thanks goes to the Glasgow public for 37 demonstrations of appreciation for what we do. Thanks also to Willie Henry and Derek McIntyre for another great training day with our new recruits on Saturday. Police Scotland asked for the description of a missing man to be circulated. His name is David Gibson, 52yrs old and is described as 5’8”, receding brown hair with ruddy complexion. David is blind in one eye and has known mental health issues. He was last seen wearing a brown jacket, brown zipper top, light blue shirt and jeans. He went missing from Stobhill Hospital on Thursday 13th October. Please pray for David and his safety and continue to pray for members of ‘our family’ who are struggling with health and personal issues at this time.

Philippians 1v 3 (NIV)

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Today I am thanking God for the ‘partnership we have in the gospel’ in the Street Pastor family. Over the weekend we had 18 Street Pastors on the streets, 2 Cycle Pastors for part of a shift, 4 Safe Zone Pastors who dealt with the needs of 14 people on Saturday night and the unsung hero’s, the Prayer Pastors, battling on our behalf. What a partnership! Together we ministered in different ways to vulnerable people. We gave out 91 pairs of flip flops, picked up 90 bottles and glasses, we prayed with 10 people and received 49 expressions of appreciation. On Friday we passed an intoxicated man near the Savoy who greeted us with a rendition of ‘Onward Christian soldiers’! It was a salutatory reminder that we are very much on ‘active duty’ every time we put on the uniform. I also thank God for the partnerships we have with people who may not be aware that they are contributing to ‘the work of the gospel’. Once again we received excellent support from Police Scotland both on the streets and in the Safe Zone. Our First Aiders too, continued to play a vital role in the ‘high level of collaboration’ that took place in a very busy Safe Zone.

The partnership we share means we also have a responsibility for each other. Please pray for John and Susan Ralston from Saturday Team 3. John is currently in Hairmyres hospital and for others in the Street Pastor family who are struggling with health issues. We are entering a season of Guild talks. Pray for those who willingly give up their time to raise awareness of the work we do. If you can, take the time to listen to the song at the following link and be blessed! https://youtu.be/VPkMbhydU9I

The expectation was that the weekend just passed could have been 'high risk' due to the returning students, the first league Old Firm game in 4 years and the added complication of strike action affecting CCTV coverage. Our teams reported an unusually quiet night on Friday and a calm if busy city centre on Saturday. Only 55 pairs of flip flops handed out and even fewer bottles, 36, collected than normal. So what did we do this weekend? We continued to engage with the homeless, our cycle pastors intervened to stop a heroin addict attempting suicide, 'God appointments' with a lapsed Catholic, a man struggling with faith who had gone through believers baptism, a young girl who was having difficulties in her relationship with her mother. We prayed with 10 people on the streets and one man in the Safe Zone. We called parents, we helped people sober up, we gave first aid assistance and people were helped with their onward journeys. God gave us time to listen and engage in conversations that people needed to have. Who knows what miracles of transformation might come from our encounters! Pray for the coming weekend, as Freshers week will have been in full swing. The Safe Zone will also be open this Friday night. Please also pray for the second training day on Saturday for our new recruits.

Another wonderful effort by all our teams over the past weekend. The compassionate care being demonstrated on the streets and in the Safe Zone is having an impact on our city that cannot be measured by statistics alone. The conversations, the prayer, the practical help we offer in supporting vulnerable people, working with our partner agencies....we are making a difference! We made a difference to the 103 people who received flip flops. Once again we cleared a huge number of bottles, 72, from the streets. Both Police Scotland and Community Safety Glasgow recognise the difference this is making. Over 56 people, in their own enthusiastic Glasgow style, expressed their appreciation for the great work we do. Can I thank you for being the amazing ambassadors that you are not only for Street Pastors but more importantly for our Saviour too. We are opening the Safe Zone over the next two Friday nights as extras due to the anticipated increase in the number expected in the city. We have a team in place for this Friday but please get in touch if you could help on Friday 16th.