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Sea Sunday 2022 - Reflecting on calming the storm

8 Jul, 2022

Sea Sunday. It is a time to remember seafarers in prayer, give thanks for the crucial work they do and support them. Our CEO Sara Baade has been reflecting on why spending time focusing on our seafarers is so important:

Sea Sunday is more than just a date in the diary for churches around the globe.

It is a real chance for us to create an understanding of the important role seafarers play in our day-to-day lives and to highlight the many challenges they face.

This year, Sailors’ Society’s Sea Sunday theme is ‘Calming the storm at home, in port and at sea’.

We have taken our inspiration from Matthew’s telling of the story of Jesus calming the storm, reminding us not only of the power of faith but of the unpredictability of life and how storms can beset all of us.

As CEO of the leading charity for the welfare and wellbeing of seafarers and their families worldwide, every day I see how we help calm the storms facing seafarers at home, in port and at sea.

These storms can be global – the war in Ukraine, record tsunamis and the Covid pandemic. Or they can be individual - sickness, unemployment, and bereavement.

Recently, I accompanied two of our chaplains as they visited seafarers in the Southampton port. I listened as the crews shared their stories and I heard first-hand about the storms they face.

Norman is a chef and judging by the empty plates in the mess, he’s a good one! In 2020 he travelled to Manila, hundreds of miles from his home, his wife and daughters, ready to start a new contract.

But the pandemic meant the contract and his income were delayed for six months.

During this time, with no money coming in, Norman was forced to rely on the hospitality and kindness of friends to provide him with food and a bed for the many nights he waited.

Eventually he was allowed on board the ship but only to find his eight-month contract had to be extended to 12 months as Covid-19 prevented his replacement from joining the ship.

In all, he spent 18 months away from his family, six of those without any income reaching them.

The global storm that was Covid meant his story was repeated throughout the maritime world.

Norman proudly showed us the pictures of his family and explained that the SIM cards and Wi-Fi units our chaplains supply make the long months away from home bearable.

“Thank you Sailors’ Society, for all you do,” he said.

Sailors’ Society chaplains and family support workers reach out to 200,000 seafarers and their loved ones every year, helping whatever the storm. They offer a hand of friendship and pastoral care, as well as assisting with practical matters like SIM cards or even shopping.

Our chaplains tell me that high on the shopping list are reading glasses and underwear - both important but not so easily obtained when confined to a ship.

But Sailors’ Society also provides wider support for seafarers - a 24-hour free- helpline, peer-to-peer support groups and a range of easily accessible grants.

We gave out almost 100 emergency grants to Ukrainian families struggling to pay for food and shelter over the past few months.

And life on board is also difficult for Ukrainian seafarers now.

Stefan* is just 18. He is the youngest member of his crew and looks permanently like he is about to cry. He explained that while his parents were safe in Romania, his grandparents were trapped in Mariupol, too frail to leave.

“Sometimes I can’t get through on the phone and I don’t know if this is because the lines are down, or they are dead,” he whispers.

This is the reality of war for working Ukrainian seafarers. But mental health is a concern regardless of the nationality of the crew.

It is why Sailors’ Society aims to calm some of these storms before they start.

Sailors’ Society leads the way with our pioneering Wellness at Sea programme, providing comprehensive wellness support and training for seafarers and their companies.

And our community projects support seafarers and their families at home with health clinics, community ambulances and library boats.

We have been there through the storms for over 200 years, providing spiritual, welfare and educational support to seafarers - and we will continue to be as we face the future together.

Sea Sunday 2022 is on 10 July but you can mark the day on any Sunday of the year. This year we have a range of materials in our free worship pack for churches including resources for a mission and outreach event suitable for coastal churches. You can download the pack at: https://sailors-society.org/sea-sunday-2022

*names have been changed for confidentiality

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