Happy New Year!! 2015
 Salt from Chile brought in by the SINOP.  Chelsea, MA.
  
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Matthew 5:13

Dear Friends,

As we step out into the wild blue yonder of this New Year, we'd like to welcome you to keep in touch with our ministry through our monthly e-newsletter, website and Facebook page (we are in the process of updating both- please bear with us!) 

2014 was a period of great transition here at Seafarer's Friend.  With the addition of several new members to our Board of Directors as well as changes in our support staff, we will be making a concerted effort to keep our faithful supporters up-to-date on our latest news and exciting developments.

We have high hopes for 2015 (higher than the salt mounds featured in the above photo!) To truly appreciate the scale you must see this in person. We invite you to come aboard with us for the journey!

God Bless,
Meredith Connell
Executive Director
Rob Bacon (center, Port Chaplain) and Meredith Ellis (far right, Admin Support) on board with crew and Captain of SINOP salt ship Jan. 5, 2015 in celebration of Epiphany

The SINOP crew spent the holidays at sea, en route from Chile to Boston.  They made decorations from supplies on the ship, including toilet paper died with ink for streamers. If you notice the tree in the background, it is secured to the wall with masking tape.
 
Seafarer's Friend would like to recognize and thank everyone once again, for collecting warm clothing items from your own closets and communities, knitting hats and scarves, bibles and reading materials, and for all of the other items that were gathered for stuffing into the ditty bags this year.  The number of organizations and individuals that took part in this effort is remarkable!

The coldest of the winter months are upon us.  While we have yet to experience our first major snow storm in New England, the seafarers are exposed to extreme conditions EVERY DAY and are in need of warm clothing (particularly outer wear-coats, sweaters, pants, etc.). Our storehouse is in constant need of re-stocking. Donations are always needed and appreciated!

A Ship Visit Story
 
    Salt of the Earth
For one week the cranes at Eastern Minerals in Chelsea swung back and forth, all day long, unloading bucket after bucket of salt from Chile from the massive holds of M/V Sinop, a bulk carrier flagged out of Malta and staffed with 18 seafarers from the Philippines and one from the Ukraine.  Only one had a visa, the rest were DOB (detained on board) and thus could not leave the ship (through no fault of their own).  And so our indefatigable volunteer, Bob Spry, cheerfully visited every day to make sure they had everything they needed so that they could communicate with their loved ones back home, and he brought gifts, Bibles, warm clothes, puzzles, reading materials and toiletries on behalf of us all, from generous donors such as yourselves.  Bob offered, too, that we would love to come and celebrate the Holy Eucharist (the Mass) with them, and so Meredith Ellis (our admin guru) and Fr. Rob Bacon (one of our Chaplains) went aboard to offer the Mass and to celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with them.  The Feast of the Epiphany (from the Greek word Epihaneia, meaning 'manifestation' or 'striking appearance') is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of "God the Son" as a human being in Jesus Christ.  It commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, and thus Jesus' (God's) physical manifestation to the world.  This is also where we get the word Theophany, which means the "visible manifestation of God to humankind."  The Epiphany marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and is traditionally known as the beginning of when it is our turn to take the "Light of Christ" out into the world.  (For as Meister Eckhart, the German Dominican, wrote in the fourteenth century, "What good is it for the Creator to have given birth to his Son if we are not also to give birth to him in our own time and culture?")   Meredith and Rob saw the Light of Christ in the faces of the sailors gathered around the Eucharistic Table, and in their eyes as they came together to receive Christ in the Sacrament.  For a moment, everything for which Christ stands - everything for which he came into the world - was true; there was peace and unity; there was kindness and compassion; there was faith, hope, and love.  Meredith and Rob were offered hospitality beyond measure (even though they had not yet received their long-awaited supply of new stores), and they were given a tour of the Bridge by the Captain himself.  It was a holy moment of fellowship and peace and joy.  And then it was time for everyone to go back to work.  Yet in the ordinary daily tasks required of everyone assembled the Light of Christ did shine (and continues to shine).  That encounter lingers in us all.  And thanks to the generosity of so many people who work to supply Seafarer's Friend with everything we need to conduct our ministry, we have the privilege of going aboard hundreds of ships that comes into Boston Harbor each year and saying "Thank You" to the sailors who bring us all the things we need for our daily life and work on your behalf.  Your support allows us to experience the vibrancy of the Gospel as we seek to welcome sailors from every corner of the globe into this port.  We see "the visible manifestation of God to humankind" everywhere we go.  It is a beautiful thing to behold!  Would you like to come join us?  We'd love to take you out and show you what we do.
Blessings, Rob
Rob Bacon-Port Chaplain, Boston 

  (Meredith Ellis and Bob Spry-Front, along with the Filipino crew from the MV UBC Boston and Meredith Connell-Center)
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to volunteer at Seafarer's Friend?  There is no time like the present!  We are always looking for volunteer ship visitors, help at our administrative office in Chelsea, people to gather and pack items for ditty bags, knit scarves or hats.  Think about it.  Call us!  617-889-3222. 

 
Know someone else that would be interested in our organization?
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Sincerely,
Meredith Connell, Executive Director