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Norfolk Street Pastors are set to celebrate
 Norfolk Street Pastors are to hold a service of celebration to mark their work in Norwich, Dereham, Great Yarmouth and now Diss. They will also be commissioning all those street pastors who have been trained since autumn 2009, about 25 in all. Administrator Gail Halley reports.
Some of those to be commissioned have been going out for some time now and have experienced what it is like to be one of those ‘making a difference on the streets’; backed by our incredibly dedicated team of prayer pastors. Paul Rendell, Coordinator of Norfolk Street Pastors, says: “It is a privilege to be a part of such a dedicated team who, along with partner agencies are actively making – and encouraging others to make – a positive difference on the streets.”
The new street pastors have engaged with a wide range of those on the streets, and have enjoyed working with other agencies and finding their place among what goes on out there. They have been very well received in Great Yarmouth, as remarked by Mark Warren, owner of Hi-Tech Security: “We fully support the work the Street Pastors do and feel they are a very welcome addition to Yarmouth’s night life…. especially when dealing with people who are vulnerable from either having too much to drink or having been abandoned by their friends.”
When Charles Barratt, High Sheriff of Norfolk, came out with Street Pastors, he was touched by the difference that Street Pastors’ presence could make to those they met: “England is a good place,” he said. “The homeless and the party goers are all good people - but the Street Pastors really are ‘the stars of the night’.”
We hope that many will come to celebrate with us, and rejoice with those who are being commissioned, when we gather together on Thursday 21 October at Princes Street URC, Norwich NR3 1AZ at 7.30pm.
We have much to celebrate and many people to thank for their wonderful support in prayer, volunteering and giving, but most of all we want to celebrate the goodness of God, whose work this is.
Val Chipperfield who coordinates the prayer pastor work, sums it up when she says, “The Prayer Pastors are more knee soldiers than foot soldiers and all their support work is done behind the scenes. But both halves of the team rejoice together, in that every night that we work we have seen Father God answer prayers.”
The service will be followed by light refreshments.
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