The Mission to Seafarers
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The Mission to Seafarers is a missionary society of the Anglican Church. It serves seafarers of all races and creeds, working through a network of full- and part-time chaplains, staff, and voluntary helpers in 230 ports around the world. It is entirely dependent on voluntary contributions and is supported primarily by the efforts of members of the Church.
When the Missions to Seamen charity was founded in 1856, seafarers were under sail and using basic aids to navigation. 150 years on they are more likely to be aboard supertankers equipped with the latest technology, and yet in many ways seafarers' lives are still the same. They still spend long periods far away from home and family, contending with all the perils of the sea. At the same time, although the Mission's methods of working have changed from visiting by boat to welcoming seafarers in small centres equipped with e-mail and the internet, the requirements of the job have changed very little - to care for seafarers.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the change from sail to steam meant that ships no longer had to anchor at sea waiting for favourable winds, but could dock at the quayside. The Mission's response was to set up centres in ports to cater for the needs of men with time on their hands between voyages. In places with no Mission centre, seafarers were at the mercy of unscrupulous gangs who purported to offer hospitality and lodging, only to demand nearly all a seafarer's pay in return. The Revd Robert Boyer, the first Superintendent of the Missions to Seamen, played a large part in helping to stamp out this practice.
By the 1920s there were centres in Great Britain, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, U.S.A., Hong Kong, and Japan. The long slump in the British shipping industry after W.W.I led to queues of unemployed seafarers outside Flying Angel clubs, seeking food and accommodation. As the British economy improved, so did conditions of work for seafarers.
In response to changes following W.W.II, the Mission began a reorganisation of its network, closing some stations and re-establishing others. By its 100th anniversary in 1956 there were centres in 81 ports around the world.
Enormous changes in the shipping industry began in the 1950s. Larger ships with smaller crews, and quicker turnaround times for ships, meant there was less need for accommodation in ports. So the big clubs in port centres were phased out as the Mission opened small clubs on or near the docks, giving seafarers somewhere to spend a few hours ashore. By the 1980s, changes in the world economy had brought a huge change in the nationalities of seafarers. No longer predominantly from the West, two thirds now came from India, the Philippines, and China. The growth of flag of convenience shipping meant a significant number of ships sailed with untrained crew members, receiving inadequate wages and working in unsatisfactory conditions. Mission chaplains, increasingly concerned about the plight of these seafarers, started to campaign for improved conditions and in 1985 the first chaplain specifically to work in the area of justice was appointed.
In 2000 the name was changed to The Mission to Seafarers, reflecting a society which cares for all who earn their living at sea. The current challenge is how best to minister to seafarers of many different cultures and faiths who are facing ever-increasing physical, cultural and social isolation. However, the Mission will always be there in God's name as a source of help, strength, and hope for seafarers and their families.
