This week I had the pleasure of gathering with crewmembers, their families, and other well-wishers to bless a new boat in the Channelview area.  Boat blessings are much more low-key than the more “official” christening of a new boat; yet there were at least fifty or sixty people present for this “small” event.

Driving from the SCI office at the Port of Houston to Channelview, Texas, the rain poured down unrelentingly, moisture from the fringes of Hurricane Dolly wreaking more havoc further south of us.  Roads and highways were full of standing — and rushing — water.  Dark clouds hovered over us, punctuated occasionally by the flash of lightning.

Arriving at the boat company, I found the rain to be lessening a bit.  By the time we were ready to begin saying our prayers for the boat, the crew and their families, the rain had stopped.  It was time to begin.

Because there were so many in attendance, we said our prayers outside next to the boat’s bow tied up behind us, under a canopy.  I lighted a candle, expecting it to blow out quickly, but instead it blew out by itself at the end of the service at its appointed time to extinguish.  During the service, the captain held the candle, and the pilot read this passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

You are God’s chosen race, his saints; He loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.

Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love.

And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful.

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other, and advise each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God;

And never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

At the very moment we finished the brief service and said “Amen” in unison, a towboat horn sounded!  What a fitting conclusion! 

After the blessing, we all met to have refreshments and share fellowship.  It was a wonderful morning and a blessing to have a little break in the rain.

- Chaplain Pam

Posted: July 31st, 2008 under Pam's Posts, Towboaters.
Comments: none

Low water? Low water? When all we’ve heard about for the last several months, when all we’ve seen for the last several months, is flooding, we have a low water advisory here in Paducah? Come on! This is beyond comprehension! Except that you understand it, don’t you? You live with this, don’t you? This is life, isn’t it?

Low water.

So we wait and watch and remember that you’re out there.

Even when there’s low water.

Be safe, and let us hear from you.

Ann  

Posted: July 23rd, 2008 under Towboaters.
Comments: none

The stories below are true.  Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent (or is it the “guilty?” … guilty of not calling MOR when you really needed to?)

Joe (not his real name) sits alone on the edge of his bunk on board the m/v Anonymous. He thinks sadly how his five-year old daughter will be starting kindergarten tomorrow and how excited she was on the phone about it earlier this evening. Then she said, “Daddy, can you come and see me get on the bus tomorrow?” He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice from choking as he told her, “Sweetheart, Daddy has to work on the boat. Your mommy will take pictures and send them to me. You have a good first day of school!” His daughter said reluctantly, “Ok,” and then, “I miss you, Daddy!” Joe sighs as he recalls this conversation, and can still hear his daughter’s words echoing in his ears.  Joe pulls the small photo album from his dresser drawer, the one with the number 800-708-1998 printed on the front, and thumbs through it, looking at photos of his daughter.

Meanwhile, a river chaplain looks at her phone and thinks how strangely silent the MOR 800-708-1998 number has been the past few days. “I guess all the mariners are doing fine and don’t need to talk to a chaplain.” She continues writing a blog entry at the desk in her office.

The next morning, somewhere in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Brent (not his real name) boards the m/v Noname to begin his 28-day shift. A few hours earlier, he had to say goodbye to his new girlfriend, who he met on the second day of his ten days off. He thinks, “She might be the one!” Now he is starting back on the boat and remembers how hard it was, trying to explain why he wouldn’t be able to see her again for a month. Brent feels torn between the river and his girlfriend; he loves working on the waterways, but he misses her already, and he wishes there were someone for her to talk to while he’s away. If only there were someone who could explain a little more to her about what his work is like and why he can’t take more time off or call her when he’s on watch.  Brent takes out the navy blue bandanna from his pocket, the one with the Ministry on the River number printed on it, and mops his brow as he secures a line.

Meanwhile, on the road, a river chaplain looks at his phone to see if any calls came through while he’s been driving. Nothing shows up on the phone. He puts it back in his pocket and keeps driving to the next river town to look for boats to visit.

That same afternoon, in a town in Southern Louisiana, Missy (not her real name), the wife of a river pilot, has just gotten a call from her sister that their dad has been diagnosed with cancer and that he’s in the hospital. She tries to call Mitch (not his real name), her husband, on the boat to talk to him, but the call doesn’t connect. She tries a few times, and then gives up. Both her sister and their dad live in another town out of state. Missy wants to travel there to see her dad, but she needs to talk to Mitch first about leaving their home and making travel arrangements. Mitch is due home in a few days. She wishes there were someone she could talk to who could listen and maybe make some suggestions, because she isn’t thinking too clearly right now.  She happens to glance at the refrigerator where, among the recent photos of her, her dad and her sister, is a magnet with the number 800-708-1998 printed on it.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? It seems that every time I visit a boat, I hear stories similar to these about what’s going on in your life and the lives of your family members. I’ve been giving out my business card like crazy, mainly because on it is our 800-708-1998 number. Ministry on the River is here for emergencies, but we are also here for you to talk to at other times.

Maybe you don’t consider the events in your life to be a crisis situation. We are certainly here for crises, but we are here for “minor crises” too. I would love to hear about, or see, the photos you have of your 5-year-old going off on her first day of school; to talk with you about some of the events going on in your life or your family’s daily life. We are here to talk with you, your spouses, significant others, and family members any time.

That number again is …

800-708-1998

Posted: July 23rd, 2008 under Pam's Posts, Towboaters.
Comments: none

Click to see a larger version of the flyer. Right-cllick and choose “Save target as…” to save a copy on your computer

Cincinnati, OH - Thursday, September 11, 2008 at Christ Church Cathedral
10 am - 1 pm

St Louis, MO - Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at St Peter’s Episcopal Church
9 am - 12 noon

Metairie, LA - Friday, November 7, 2008 at St Augustine’s Episcopal church
10 am - 1 pm

Learn about the history of Seamen’s Church Institute and the services SCI provides for mariners; hear about Ministry on the River, the towboat industry, the mariners we serve, and our special programs like Christmas on the River and Pass-it On videos and books.  And most importantly, find out how you and your parish can help us minister to mariners in your area, by donating candy and other items on our “wish list,” packing Christmas and Easter boxes, and helping us distribute the boxes to towboat companies in your neighborhood.

Please call Ministry on the River at 800-708-1998 to reserve a place at one of the workshops, or for more information.  We look forward to seeing YOU there!

- the MOR team (Ann, Jim+ and Pam)

Posted: July 16th, 2008 under Ann's Posts, Churches and Groups, Jim's Posts, Pam's Posts.
Comments: none

Greetings, and welcome to our new blog!  We are the chaplains from Ministry on the River, of the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York and New Jersey (SCI).  Our ministry is the only full-time ministry that works with the towboat industry.  Chaplain Jim Wilkinson ministers to towboats working on the upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and northern areas.  Chaplain Pam Stephens provides ministry to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways including the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston areas.  Ann Mills, Coordinator of Special Projects, is responsible for organizing our Christmas on the River and Easter on the River boxes that go out to each towboat working on those holidays. She also provides ministry from her home office in Paducah, Kentucky.

The towboat industry is, literally, constantly moving!  You towboaters know that your boats rarely stay in one place for very long.  River conditions change constantly; crews change regularly; special events like luncheons and company meetings happen weekly, our families’ lives continue on daily, as we work on the river and inland waterways.  This blog is a place where we river ministers can give you short, easy-to-read updates, stories, and thoughts about life on the river.  This blog has been created with you, the towboater, in mind.  We will have items of interest to the churches and individuals who are interested in assisting with our ministry, too.

You’ll find that there are already some blog entries below. We wrote these over the past few weeks as we practiced writing for you!  We hope you’ll read these entries and enjoy them, even though the events mentioned in them have already passed.  Our thoughts and prayers are always with you, just as they were when we wrote these entries.  And we hope you’ll continue to check our blog for new entries.  The three of us plan to contribute to the blog a few times a week, and we look forward to your comments as you read something that touches your heart or jogs your memory. 

Blessings to you reading this, and again, welcome to the MOR Chaplains’ Blog!

- Chaplain Pam Stephens

Posted: July 8th, 2008 under Towboaters.
Comments: none