ACC E-Accord Summer 2022

feature
“Everyone
deserves an
opportunity to
properly grieve and
mourn their loved
ones.
IN THE BEGINING
Church on the Street started in
Burnley with, of all things, coffee
and sandwiches for those in
need, and has developed into a
burgeoning ministry that now
touches lives in different locations
in Burnley and beyond, grappling
daily with issues as diverse as the
population it seeks to serve, not
least a swathe of emotional and
pastoral crises that all-too-often
arise amongst a vulnerable and
marginalised populace.
Armed with little more than a flask
of coffee, Pastor Mick Fleming
simply opened his suitcase
one day, revealing packets of
sandwiches available to those on
the streets of Burnley who needed
them. Thereby began a holistic
ministry that primarily aims to
help those living with poverty,
according to the mandate of
Matthew 25:35-36, but which is
adaptable according to whatever
needs present themselves.
MIND THE GAP
COTS describes itself as ‘a one-sizefits-all
charity and church standing
in the gaps of society’ and it could
be argued that theirs is very much
a ministry grappling with modern
issues of counselling and pastoral
care.
Practical matters are often (daily)
to the fore, but COTS refuses to shy
away from the pressing demands
of mental health care that arise
just beneath the surface of the
problems that are immediately
obvious. With those increasingly
prevalent issues in mind, COTS
represents a safe place for recovery
where those whose mental health
is poor (and neglected) are always
made welcome and unfailingly
offered a listening ear . . . and one
of Mick’s famous sandwiches!
“I now have a purpose in my life,
my depression is lifting and I am
doing something that is helping
me back to work”
So says one of the many recipients
of Church on the Street’s multifaceted
ministry, which nowadays
includes and provides (in no
particular order):
• Assistance with funeral services.
• Help and advice for those
seeking to escape the poverty
trap.
• Service to God through service
to those in need (practical,
psychological or otherwise).
• Food and clothes with those
who can’t afford their own.
• A chat service for people who
might otherwise be largely
ignored.
• Recovery programmes based
around friendship and prayer.
• A charity shop in Barnoldswick,
Lancashire.
• A place of sanctuary for those
without adequate support
networks.
• Support for vulnerable women
working in the sex industry.
• Advocacy for those unable to
fight for the changes they need.
• Spiritual support and guidance.
• COTS presently has two fully
qualified, accredited counsellors
working alongside them. (All
counselling is provided free of
charge, on a walk-in basis for
appointments.)
It is not of course a quantum
leap from practical and financial
difficulties to severe emotional
distress or mental breakdown,
hence the connection COTS
endeavours to make between
hands-on help and matters
of the mind. The visitor who
finds themselves embarrassed
at, say, coming to COTS for
food, for example, might alltoo-easily,
without friendship,
understanding and assistance,
plunge into the horrors of
depression and even suicidal
thinking. How important, then, do
sandwiches and smiles become!
If you would like to know more
about the multi-dimensional
ministry of Church on the Street
– coffee, counselling and Christ!
– your interest would be most
welcome, at:
admin@cots-ministries.co.uk
1-7 Hammerton Street,
Burnley, Lancashire. BB11 1NA
If you think you might be
interested in supporting Church on
the Street in any way, then please
visit their website: cots-ministries.
co.uk
Mick Fleming
About the author
Born in Burnley,
Pastor Mick
Fleming
experienced
sexual abuse as
a child, and later
lost his older
sister. These
traumas led him
into the murky
world of drug dealing and debt
collection. Becoming an addict
himself, he experienced the
poverty of Burnley on a personal
level. God, however, touched his
life, and Mick has subsequently
made his way through a
recovery process and a course of
theological study.
This article was kindly supplied
by Pastor Mick Fleming
and Christopher Cherill,
Safeguarding Officer for Church
on the Street.
36 accord Summer 2022 www.acc-uk.org • www.pastoralcareuk.org