Sea Sunday

The Gospel in B.C.P.
St. Luke v. 1ff

IT came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: and so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Seafarers are our lifeline
Please remember them on Sea Sunday – July 8

On Sea Sunday we are asked to remember and pray for the seafarers who bring so many essentials for our daily lives to our shores. Over 90 per cent of our imports are brought to this country by sea, including much of our food, clothes, oil, toys and electrical goods.

Even though seafarers play such a vital role in our lives, they are easy to disregard as they are mostly out of sight. They spend little time ashore as ships can load and unload in a matter of hours, and many ports are situated far from towns and cities.

For seafarers, this means that they are not only isolated when they are at sea, but also when they are alongside in port. If you add to this the fact that they spend many months away from their homes and families and that ships can be dangerous places, it is clear that earning a living at sea can be lonely and hard.

This is why the practical and spiritual support offered to them by The Mission to Seafarers, the international mission agency of the Anglican Church, makes such a difference to their lives.
In some 230 ports worldwide, its chaplains, staff and volunteers visit seafarers on their ships and offer a welcome and whatever help they need. This can range from enabling them to telephone or email home, to offering comfort to the bereaved and assisting in cases of injustice.
While most seafarers are well treated, some are still abandoned in ports far from their homes, or remain unpaid or forced to work in unsafe or unacceptable conditions. In such situations, the Mission plays a vital role in providing practical care and moral support.

In over 100 major ports the Mission runs centres where seafarers can relax briefly away from their ships. In addition to offering leisure facilities and shops, they all have chapels or quiet rooms for meditation and prayer, and Bibles and other Christian literature in different languages.

The Mission has recently developed a new way of supporting Christian seafarers through a partnership with the Diocese of Oxford’s internet church, i-church. A Mission web pastor has been appointed and a seafarers’ section set up to enable them to become members of a church community which is not limited by geography and time zones.

Other new work includes re-establishing a full-time ministry in Colombo, Sri Lanka; appointing a second chaplain to the United Arab Emirates; and building a support boat in Dubai to visit crews of the hundreds of ships at anchor off the coast.

This work is only possible with prayers and support. So, on Sea Sunday, please remember seafarers and The Mission to Seafarers’ care for them.