Open Meeting 22nd July
Prayer Update from
Derek Baker (October 2010)
Greetings to you all,
I am sending this short prayer
update with some urgent requests for your support in prayer.
Firstly, I commend to you our Street Angel volunteers who
continue to be out on patrol each Saturday night with the
teams – each volunteer goes out once every 4 weeks for a
shift that lasts about 6 hours from around 9.30pm til 3.30am
on Sunday morning. This is physically demanding as well as
needing a fair bit of planning for those who are also
involved with their own church activities on the Sunday.
Please pray for a young man who has
left the army to be able to spend proper time with his wife
and young daughter. He is torn emotionally between his
family and many of his friends who are serving in
Afghanistan – has he done the right thing in leaving the
army. We often meet young men and women who are either in
the services themselves or have friends who are. Most of
them are young adults who are coming to terms with the
consequences of war – loss, trauma, guilt and all sorts of
extreme feelings. Please pray for our service men and women
who are returning from tours of duty and for opportunities
to talk and listen to their experiences. In particular,
please pray for this young man that there might be further
opportunities to talk.
Please also pray for a friend known
to some of our Street Angels who has just been diagnosed,
unexpectedly with cancer. Please pray for successful and
appropriate medical intervention, peace on the person
themselves and the family and friends who are close and that
God’s presence may be felt by everyone involved.
Please pray for the health and
wellbeing of all our Street Angels and those close them. It
is often at this time of year as the seasons change that we
can get caught with various sickness and other health
issues. Please pray for health and wholeness such that
sickness and ill-health do not restrict or hinder our work
in the town.
Now the regular small print ...
I have included your address in this
mailing as I understand that you want to be kept up to date
with prayer requests and other information. It is kept
deliberately short so that it can focus on prayer requests
rather than lots of information. If you want me to take your
name off the prayer update list then please let me know. If
you know of anyone else whom you think would value receiving
an email or posted copy of this update then let me know.
May God’s blessing rest with you
all,
Derek.
Derek Baker
Arun Angels Co-ordinator
Link: Arun Angels Commissioning
Service 5th December 2009
Arun Angels project
Derek Baker was appointed the
new Arun Angel’s Project Coordinator on 22nd June, 2009. He
will bring to the role his experience of working on the
Portsmouth Street Pastors project.
Derek
Baker spent most of his working career in various IT related
roles across such diverse sectors as the Oil industry,
freelancing and charity/not for profit. Having grown up in
Plymouth, he moved to Surrey and later to South London to be
involved in church initiatives. In 2004 Derek moved to
Westbourne in West Sussex where he is involved in a local
Baptist church. He has been a volunteer with Portsmouth
Street Pastors since the start of the project in early 2007
and as well as being on the streets once a month is also
involved in training and mentoring new volunteers. He is
married and has a grown up daughter and son. He brings to
Arun Angels an excitement about Christian based social
action. Derek follows AFC Wimbledon football club when he
can but he also enjoys motorcycling, walking and has
recently taken under his wing four chickens!
Contact details:
Mr Derek Baker , The Arun Angels Project Coordinator, Town
Hall, Clarence Road, Bognor Regis, PO21 1LD
01243 820604
Derek will be
available to speak to churches
who are interested to learn more about the project.
Background:
The Arun Crime and
Disorder Partnership (or CDRP as it known) have approached
the churches of Bognor Regis and district with a view to
setting up with them a 'Good Samaritan' scheme to work
alongside the local police on the streets of the town. After
much consultation, it has been agreed that this is be a
Churches Together in Bognor Regis and District initiative.
Inspired by schemes variously known as 'street pastors' or
street angels' around the country, the aim is to have
trained volunteers from the churches initially working
around the pubs and clubs on a Saturday night. It is hoped
that this project will begin at Christmas 2009, with
training
This project is being
funded by the CDRP, Butlins and other local businesses
amounts to £20,000. However, the full funding plan of
£35,000 is still to be gained. The CDRP are currently
working with a group of the town's Christian leaders, with
representation from the Roman Catholics, Church of England
and Salvation Army to put the project together.
