Portobello Priest spreading hope outside hospitals
VIDEO OF VICAR SINGING OUTSIDE CHARING CROSS GOES VIRAL
IN a time when Londoners and the rest of the country are in desperate need of hope, Pat Allerton, also known as Portobello Priest, is providing just that.
The vicar, from west London, has gone viral by singing hymns and offering prayers outside of London hospitals.
A video of him singing outside Charing Cross Hospital has received the best part of five million views on Facebook and he has no plans of slowing down.
He also sang at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and St Thomas,’ where the Prime Minister is being treated for coronavirus.
Pat spoke about his work as a vicar and what started the viral “hymn and a prayer” sensation.
He said as soon as the Church of England decided to shut churches due to the lockdown, he had to find a way of reaching people.
“As soon as the church couldn’t gather, I thought if people can’t go to the church, the church should go to the people,” he said.
“I had the simple thought of ‘what if I had a speaker and could play some music down the streets.’”
Starting on his local Portobello streets, Pat had has housemates record him as he began singing hymns, such as Amazing Grace, for residents self-isolating in their homes.
“People have been really respectable. They join in with the singing. When the music stops, a ripple of applause comes out. I think people realise it really lifts their spirits,” he said.
“It’s a really challenging time, but it’s also having a positive impact because people can see what’s important - your relationships , your family, your health, which workers in society are the most important.
“People are being challenged about the fragility of life and being confronted about their own morality.
“They’re asking the question of what happens next.
“I’m doing this to point to Jesus Christ and help people know they can look to him. I want to bring people hope, peace and joy right now.”
Pat, who has been the vicar of St Peter’s Church, in Notting Hill, for two-and-a-half years, expressed the difficulty that even members of his congregation are facing during isolation and how tough this time is for people struggling with mental health illnesses.
Like almost all religious churches across the country, St Peter’s Church has taken all its gatherings to become virtual due to the lockdown, and will even be gathering virtually for their Easter Sunday drama service.
Pat shared that although his life now is about sharing the gospel in his community and online through his alias, Portobello Priest, he did not grow up around Christian roots.
“I wasn’t always a Christian. I just started having big questions about life and a friend started taking me to talks. I went to a Christian camp and
I heard a talk on the evidence for the resurrection,” he said.
“That was 23 years ago and the penny dropped for me. Everything changed from there. I knew I wanted to be a preacher.”
Being able to bring people hope in a time like this is essential work, Pat said, and while he can do so safely, he plans on continuing to bring joy while being a viral sensation.
Pat has shared videos from his hymn and a prayer performance on his Instagram pages – @portobellopriest and @patallerton.