"For those in peril on the sea"
Back in 2004, I went to a ministry fair in the Diocese of Olympia. These are conferences at which people can learn more about the ministries in which they are already involved, or find out about ministries that they didn't know existed. In addition to a seminar on the development of lay liturgical leadership and another on starting a hispanic ministry in the parish, I went to a presentation by the Seattle area Mission to Seafarers. MTS has its roots in England's 19th century naval supremacy, and was founded in 1856 as a Church of England outreach program for mariners around the world. Now there are something like 230 ports with Mission to Seafarers ministries operating in them, and several of the volunteers from the Seattle port were talking to us. I've grown up loving the sea and I was interested in what they had to say, but we were about to move to the Bay Area so I didn't follow up with them.
A few weeks ago, though, a combination of conversations and news articles got me thinking about that seminar. I got busy on Google, of course, and found the International Maritime Center. IMC is operated by the Episcopal Church here in the Bay Area, but is an ecumenical effort involving Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, and Baptists. I'm going to start volunteering there next Monday.
This will be interesting on a number of fronts. First, despite being a missionary effort of several Christian churches, the center doesn't seem be here primarily to evangelize. The population of seafarers is remarkably varied, with lots of Filipinos, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Ukrainians, and Turks coming through. More than anything, they want to call their families, use the Internet, and go shopping. So that's what we give to them. It's better than being stuck in the middle of a vast industrial dock area, with no familiarity with the surrounding area, and no friendly faces offering to give them a bit of space to unwind, a pool table and a basketball court to play on, and some peace and quiet.
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.