For those of us who live in the mountains, it’s hard to imagine a life spent working at sea. Yet each year millions of seafaring men and women head out onto the open ocean where they face a litany of challenges both emotional and physical.
Whether that’s missing loved ones back home or dealing with acute depression, the Seaman’s Church Institute has made it their goal to serve as a resource mariners in distress. By giving these souls a home at port and on the sea itself, SCI is proud to serve as a helping hand whether that’s bending a spiritual leader’s ear or simply providing cell phones to connect with those onshore.
“Taking place on land and water, the SCI Mountain Challenge acknowledges many of the hardships mariners confront on a daily basis: the elements (facing northern New England’s notoriously unpredictable weather), isolation (teams work self-sufficiently on the mountain and water race courses) and physically demanding work (participants ascend over 3,000 feet each day).”
This weekend, the SCI and roughly 150 mariners will ascend a mountain in Western Maine in order to raise money through a “philanthropy challenge” that encourages teams of competitors to raise money for this worthy cause. So far, they’re just over $10k short of their $300,000 goal. Help them raise it now!
donate HERE: SCI Mountain Challenge
About Seaman’s Church Institute
Hardworking men and women of the maritime industry make huge sacrifices to provide the world with a way of life to which it has become accustomed. Spending many months on board a vessel, away from family and friends, mariners face dangers and challenges unique to their round-the-clock profession.
Away from the support of their local communities, SCI gives mariners a place to feel “at home.” The Institute offers a warm welcome at a seafarers’ center in the Port of New York and New Jersey. SCI also meets mariners right where they work—aboard cargo ships and on the vessels that travel the inland river waterways of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico.
As part of its round-the-clock ministry, SCI maintains a staff of professional chaplains with interfaith and cross-cultural backgrounds. Chaplains and volunteers assist thousands of mariners each year, offering a hand of friendship and pastoral care. They also bring with them practical services like wire transfer forms, calling cards, and cell phones to connect with loved ones at home.
SCI provides a wide spectrum of support services—chaplaincy, legal aid, and continuing maritime education. Whenever a mariner connects with SCI, he or she can count on a comprehensive response.