Mission to Seafarers - Christmas message
Christmas Message from the Revd Tom Heffer
The last few weeks of every year are marked by a rollercoaster of emotions.
First we have the ‘waiting' and ‘expectation' of the Advent season - commercially intensified by the counting down of days through the chocolate-laden Advent Calendars from early November! Then we have the ‘joy' of Christmas and the important message of hope that this brings. Before we know it, the bells of the New Year ring out and we are challenged to reflect on time gone by, and to think about the year ahead.
For the world's seafarers, however, that Christmas joy takes place in a vacuum separated from those they love.
The 25th of December is just another working day. Out in all weathers, seafarers have endured ice-cold winds, raging tsunami waters and, for some, the man-made threats of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
In this year when the International Maritime Organisation called upon the Mission and the whole maritime and world community to come together in coordinating a response to piracy, the crews suffering at the hands of these sea criminals have never been far from our thoughts or our care. Our frontline chaplains have provided vital spiritual support and post-trauma counselling to many seafarers and their families caught up in this menace.
We have also ensured that their concerns have been heard both inside and outside the international shipping community, as we continue to champion seafarers' rights and to campaign for increased protection of those sailing in pirate-infested waters.
Away from the Mission's high-level advocacy, the reality of our work is to be found in the everyday encounters our chaplains, lay staff and volunteers have with seafarers visiting our ports.
This quiet ministry of welcome has a deep and often life-changing impact: the volunteer who greets a tired and lonely seafarer with a friendly smile; the chaplain who offers a prayer for safe passage; the centre manager who provides warm clothing and phone cards so a young cadet can call his mum - it is these simple gifts of faith in action which make the Mission a home away from home for those who need it most.
Earlier this year we marked the 125th anniversary of the death of our founder, the Revd John Ashley. Seeing how far we have come as an organisation gives us cause to celebrate as we carry forward Dr Ashley's vision of caring for God's children of the sea. Today, in more than 250 ports around the world the Mission reaches out with a message of love and hope to those working in a harsh and inhospitable environment.
The worldwide Mission to Seafarers [is thankful to all those who] make life at sea that bit safer, fairer, more bearable, and touched with kindness
The Revd Tom Haeffer is Secretary General, The Mission to Seafarers, London UK