We have not offered soup runs since 2015, as we were ministering counselling and offering food with soup runs, on the streets, for nearly ten years. Now we have let other capable churches take over this great work. 

STREET MINISTERS filled the cracks in local care for the homeless. Rev George Booty and Steve Bamber along with other volunteers campaigned tirelessly for the City Chiefs, local authority including the many churches and other volunteer agencies around Milton Keynes City to become involved to help with the homeless and started soup runs in 2008. 

Rev George Booty was so successful in that endeavour that there are now so many agencies to help the homeless now, that Street Ministers made themselves redundant within this area of ministry with homeless outreach. We then concentrated on offering street counselling as Pavement Pastors. Praise God!  

Our prayer was always to fill in the cracks of help to the disenfranchised, and to call for more workers in the Harvest field.

Jesus calls us all to take care of the vulnerable and that is what we try to do, we minister to those on the streets, and it was often late at night, now it is more day time patrols and befriending - and an advisory referral service. 

We did not originally set ourselves up as an Evangelistic crusade, there are many other better equipped churches and organisations to do that with the right follow up resources at their disposal. We simply love people and try to help by befriending and offering a sympathetic ear. It is a form of social community work, and yet at the same time does give us the opportunity, when appropriate, to spread the word too.  

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Some Testimony about the Street Ministry work here in MK: One account that George recalls in the early days around 2009/10 … 

"There where two men (rough sleepers & heroin addicts) under a bridge in Milton Keynes and I started to go out to them every night without fail, to give them hot drinks and refreshments late at night, around 11pm, when they had bedded down for the night (many rough-sleepers walk about often looking for cigarette ends, half empty alcohol bottles and food thrown away in bins, late at night).

At first they were very suspicious of me and were curious to why, I didn’t seem to need to have them wait while I prayed over their food and drink before they ate it, like others had at times, when visiting them occasionally on the streets.

After a couple of weeks they began to start to look out for me and their spirits lifted, and they said it was because they began to trust me and look forward to the food which was becoming a vital source of sustenance for them.

About a month in to the visitation we began to have conversations for often more than an hour or so and long into the night. I started to bring other Ministers to meet with them, which they were surprised to see at first, at others willing to give up their time for what they knew of themselves to be a couple of drug addicts, who felt quite hopeless.

One of the men was never visible as he always hid himself at the back of the tent and he explained that he was Bi-Polar, he known to me as ‘C’ apparently had been discharged from the Army at some point, he also said. The other man known as ‘L’ was a convicted Arsonist and had been in and out of jail, but was much bolder and quite jovial and very friendly after a while. After some more time had elapsed we were talking so much about god and the universe that the two guys asked for Bibles and we gave them one each and a lantern to read before turning in at night.

Eventually, after many discussions, these two men made a profession of faith and decided that they wanted to get cleaned up and walk with Jesus. Glory!

Soon after this, I was working as a volunteer at a homeless Drop-In centre in town and one day a man walked up to me and said, 

"George, do you know who I am?”, And although the voice was familiar, I did not recognise the young man immediately. He said, 

“I am one of the men you have been coming out to see every night around midnight and I just want to say that you have been keeping us alive with the food you give us. I just wanted to come and tell you, that I really appreciate it and it has been so important to me that you have basically kept us alive and to also tell you that my name I gave you as ‘C’ is not, my real name, it’s actually ‘V’.” (real names kept confidential). 

“And thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. You saved my life”.

Around this time, about two and half months later, the two young men went into the Christian Centre Foodbank in Mk and told the volunteers that they were now walking with Jesus and wanted to get themselves straight and that they were reading their Bibles. Praise God. We then helped the two young men and gave them a tent to stay dry one night and they went off to pitch it somewhere else.

I met the two young men after about three months later and they said they were doing ok and strong enough to fend for themselves. Then about 6 months later one of them ‘L’ I heard, had gone back to Jail briefly, on remand, but was back out on bail and starting to try to sort his life out. The other man ‘V’ was off the heroin and had a flat and was a new student of a College and getting his life sorted.

I saw this same young man, nearly two years later in the City, while we were patrolling early one Friday night. He was with his new girlfriend and he looked fit and well and kept telling me how his life had changed and how he was so grateful. Amen. To God be all the glory.".

I am sure this man will continue to give testimony to the work of STREET MINISTERS, so if anyone wants to tell us we are not doing God's work for Christ, I think that man at least would put you straight! Alleluia.

Jesus summed up the 10 Commandments with just two, love God and love your neighbour, as yourself.

Christians - Please support the work of Street Ministers in your City or Town.

We will be happy if you can show us a better way! But don’t just talk about it…… or criticise us. Just Do it!

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Look - More Testimonies to the work of Street MInisters. A man was helped while he was on the way to rob a petrol station, to get food one evening, and we stopped that happening by being there for him.

Another young woman was about to be gang raped and we stopped it and sent the gang of men off, by intervening at a crucial time.

The Police have given us support for doing this. NB. The woman is still unawares, as she was so drunk and full of drugs.

We have stopped numerous people being taken advantage of by other unscrupulous people.

We have prevented many from being run over by vehicles while crossing the roads around the City and Towns where we patrol.

We have been sober witnesses and helpers, while observing fights and other incidents and have helped Revellers, Door Staff and Police in a supporting role.

We have also called in the Ambulance and assisted at scenes of accidents and for victims of crime and violence, where we need to get ambulances and medics in through crowds.

We do not have ‘direct proof’ that we have reduced crime and violence on the Streets, but circumstantial evidence suggests that we may have had a part to play, in that there were 240+ less crimes last year in the City Centre of MK, and that’s certainly since we have started attending and putting out more patrols each week in this last year. I suggest that the extra Yellow Hi-Vis Jackets make the difference on the Streets, even as a moral deterrent, or even if criminals simply cant tell if we are Police, from a distance, while we are out patrolling at the weekends.

Make your own mind up, if you think we are doing a worthwhile job of work for God and our fellow man.

Case in Point - the Kingdom work and the Gospel delivered.

A man who was an Agnostic came out to volunteer and help with Street ministers and became a follower of Jesus, as a direct result of the work and witness of the other Street Ministers at the time just going about the work and talking about God at odd times.

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The founder - Rev George Booty started a form of street Pastor work, as an Evangelist in Milton Keynes, with a small group of enthusiastic friends in 1991. His group of street pastors and church workers at that time had been on the streets, knocking doors, talking to the general public, helping wherever possible and distributing leaflets.

It was mainly evangelistic, in essence. George has been an Evangelist around Milton Keynes for almost two decades and has also led a Pastoral outreach project on the streets.

He headed up a basic style of street pastor work in the Queensway area of Bletchley town centre, in 1995, although It was mainly evangelistic in essence at that time.

The Street Ministers mission is more like a modern version of the Salvation Army, but without the old hard line preaching and yet we do speak of God and evangelise when we have an audience that are receptive and at times when we are asked.

We do speak into peoples lives and tell them the gospel message, if they want to hear what we believe and we also direct them to a local church, if they want to know where to go.

It is now specifically a ministry to the broken, the homeless and the poorest of the poor.

We also patrol the streets of our City to help the vulnerable who may be out late at night.

We also have a safe house for young and old to run to in the City now and also operate a Free Drop-In, for crisis listening, emotional support and possibly counselling, called the 'BUS-STOP'.

Ask us for details, if you want some help at all, or perhaps you may want to join us as a ‘Welcomer assistant’ or a ‘Student Counsellor’ on the BUS-STOP Free Drop-In programme.

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This is motivated from a desire to love people and offer simple care. We offer a loving presence, and therefore we are basically just available to help, to answer questions and to befriend people, rather than traditional evangelism.

We feel that we can do more and get more Christian people out on the streets doing something for the cause of Christ, instead of using the church style of direct message, or 'preached' style evangelism, and people who want to hear it, can find in the local church.

This street pastor ministry which included speaking and singing on the streets, caring, listening, offering support and evangelising, has since developed in recent years.

George Says.... "I have been called to this Chaplaincy by God. My Commission is to fulfil my Chaplaincy to the poorest of the poor in Milton Keynes and wherever God sends me in the world.

This is a Kingdom and work, that is to say it cannot be limited to only one church. I believe that the role of the Church has had to change, especially in attitude to outreach today.

The great Apostle Paul, was wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove, in his approach to share the Gospel, even in his day. He also worked as a tentmaker, helping by making shelters and he spread the Gospel when he had the opportunity.

We also share the gospel when we have an opportunity and we do it with love and when we have earned the right to speak into someone’s life, by caring for them and loving them, through Christ.

 We need to demonstrate our love and care and concern for everyone, and as St. Francis of Assissi once said,

"We must spread the Gospel by all means and where necessary, use words!".

 In other words, there is more than one way to gain access to people's hearts, for God to touch someone deeply, through Christians simply loving them.

Many Christians have given testimony to us while out on patrol with Street Ministers, and of how they have been challenged; to go back to their respective churches, due to our loving and moral presence on the streets, out where they were at.

The Bible tells us, Jesus said this,

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." [Matthew 10: 41,42] NIV BIBLE

Our role needs to be 'a friend of sinners'. Christendom has a lot to answer for these days, in the same way as the times when Jesus challenged the Pharisees, the legalists of the day.

PLEASE GET REAL: People need to see that we truly care about our fellow man or woman, but unfortunately what Christendom often shows the general public today, is that Christians just have a primary focus at all times, which is an agenda of their own to gain converts; often to their particular church, or denomination, their own way of doing church, or to their particular stream of Christianity.

People on the Streets don’t have a problem with Jesus! But they do have a problem with Christendom and the way, so called Christians, actually behave. And I think the reader will agree, its not always good in attitude, even to other Christians!

The Bible says: “Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” [Galations 6: 10]

Are we to be seen devouring each other.. NO! So why do some Christians do that – they are false prophets.

The Bible tells us to beware, of false Prophets…

You know, the ones who come as Wolves, but in sheep’s clothing, so the Bible tells us.

These are False Prophets and should be exposed as such… publicly…!

Jesus had a word for those too. He said,

“Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord,Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I Never knew you, Away from me you evil doers!’.” [Matthew 7:21-23]

The Eucharist liturgy explains "Jesus gave His bread to sinners".

Respect has to be earned and showing people we love them allows us the privilege to speak into their lives; which comes as a sincere message of love. God is love and we are to be like him…

Are you being winsome for Christ? The word tells us to be winsome… and loving people.

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This is a work which draws a person, perhaps a church pastor, or someone with a pastoral gift (a pastoral heart) to become literally a street pastor and therefore be very effective in the Street Ministers Project.

KINGDOM WORK: The original Street Ministry team were called 'Agape Street Pastors' drawn from Agape Community International, here in MK, England. UK. Europe. We changed the name to the STREET MINISTERS Project in November 2007.

The reason is that we wanted to open up the work for other churches to join in, as we realised this ministry could become huge.

We also began to realise there were other night time initiatives like Street Pastors and Street Angels, to name but a few, doing similar works. We do now have volunteers drawn from various churches and other Inter-faith people, in Milton Keynes, all working together.

These volunteers have touched the lives of people every day on the streets and support those who need help. STREET MINISTERS The ministry work is now opened up to other local churches, in this Kingdom work of God:-

This is an project that is open and loving to all who get involved, we invite churches to work alongside us in this ministry.

We invite others to join us anytime!

Come and JOIN THE HARVEST of KINGDOM WORK

"The Harvest is plentifull, but the workers are few!"