Faith-filled Service
to a City

Today I want to speak about something simple, something ancient, and something Birmingham desperately needs. A faith that does not sit still, doesn't shrink back, isn't irrelevant and certainly does not hide behind walls, that talks the talk and walks the walk. A faith that serves our city and creates a safety net at moments of great need.

For over two thousand years, people have heard a story of a Samaritan man who stopped on a dangerous road to help a stranger, actually an enemy. He did not ask for a name. He did not check a postcode. He did not wait for someone else to step in. He simply saw a human being in need and said, "I'm not passing by." That story is not locked away in the Bible. It is alive on the streets and cobbles of Birmingham right now.

Because every weekend, in the second biggest city in the United Kingdom, a city that welcomes over ninety million guests a year, a city with a vibrant, electric, and often challenging night and daytime economy, modern-day Samaritans walk again.

Wearing high visibility silver jackets, these amazing volunteers carry so much more than flip-flops, water; our secret weapon: the time we spend offering a listening ear, attention, care and warmth and calm presence to deal with the challenges that we meet. Being able to stop, tune in and listen when the noise of the night becomes too much, kneeling beside someone's son or daughter who has fallen through the cracks. We stand in the gap when someone's world unravels on a night out, comfort a victim of violence against women and girls, offering a vital safety-net at moments of great vulnerability for all in need. This is what our Birmingham Pastors do.

Networkfour's Birmingham Pastors on-street volunteering began just over 8 years ago because we saw so much need and the hidden stories behind the bright lights, the loneliness behind the crowds, the fear behind the laughter and the vulnerable, the exploited, the lost, the intoxicated, the anxious, the homeless, the heartbroken, the forgotten.

And we faced a choice of what can we do to play our part in building a safer, stronger city and how could our faith-motivation deliver much needed care for those hurting and in need?

Over the years, something remarkable has happened. What began as a small act of faith has grown into a movement of service. Through our Networkfour Student Social Impact Internship, hundreds of students have stepped into real frontline experience, discovering that compassion is not theoretical. It is lived. It is given. It is costly. It is transformative.

Together, our volunteers, students, churches, partners and friends have now delivered more than two hundred and twenty thousand hours of service across this city. Hours spent listening, comforting, preventing harm. Hours spent saving lives. Hours spent being the presence of peace in the middle of chaos.

And in 2025, this city and this nation recognised that work. Networkfour was honoured with a British Citizens' Award for our contribution to community and public life and safety. Of course, that medal does not belong to one person. It belongs to every volunteer who has walked the streets at night. Every student who has stepped forward. Every church that has prayed and partnered. Every supporter who has believed in this mission.

Because what we have built together is more than a project. It is a lifeline.

For 8 years, Birmingham Pastors has walked the pavements, alleyways, underpasses, and nightlife hotspots. We have worked shoulder to shoulder with police, ambulance, street wardens, universities, churches, and community partners. And in that time, something has become clear.

The voluntary sector is no longer just a support service. As one Police Inspector said just last week, we are quite literally the fourth emergency service. We are the ones who step in before crisis becomes catastrophe, the ones who deescalate, who calm, who comfort, who can connect and protect without being a threat. We are the ones who carry compassion into the places where it is in short supply, bringing hope to the hopeless.

And we do it not because it is easy, glamorous or 'safe'. We do it because our faith compels us to walk toward the broken, not pass them by. Because the Samaritan crossed the road, asking "how can I help?" This is what Birmingham Pastors is. A movement of ordinary people with extraordinary courage. A community of volunteers who believe that faith must be visible. A team who understands that the measure of a city is not its skyline but how it treats its most vulnerable.

You will find us out there Monday to Saturday 10am – 10pm, looking for the student who has lost their friends, the woman fleeing violence and danger, the man battling addiction, or the young person overwhelmed by anxiety. We look for the homeless neighbour who has forgotten what kindness feels like, the hungry, the fearful and alone and especially for the one who thinks no one sees them. We see you.

So today I want to say this. This city needs you more than ever. As the day and nighttime economy grows, as vulnerability rises, as loneliness deepens, as mental health crises increase, the presence of calm, compassionate, faith-filled volunteers is not a luxury — it is essential. You are not just volunteers. You are guardians of the night. You are carriers of peace. You are the steady hands in chaotic moments. You are the quiet voice that says, "You are safe, you are seen, you are not alone, it's going to be alright."

And together, it's up to all of us! As Networkfour, as Birmingham Pastors, we play our part weekly, protecting those in need. As charities, churches, students, partners, and friends, let us continue to walk towards, not pass by on the other side. We will continue to serve. We will continue to be the modern-day Samaritans of this great city.