Director’s Log

2Year-End Gala

3Piracy Study

4SCI Goes West

5

ICMA elects Stevenson

6Technology Unveiled

7Construction Progress

8

Founded in 1834, the

Institute is a voluntary,

ecumenical agency

affiliated with the

Episcopal Church that

provides pastoral care,

maritime education, and

legal and advocacy

services for mariners.

Since 1910, the newsletter

of the Seamen’s Church

Institute’s programs

for mariners

In this issue

The Seamen’s Church Institute www.seamenschurch.org

by Jennifer Koenig Associate Director of Development

No matter how much maritime technology has changed (electronic maps, GPS satellite

navigation, and Automatic Identification Systems), the fine art of sailing relies on calculating a vessel’s position with the stars. To this day, many maritime authorities still require deck officers to show knowledge of celestial navigation in examinations.

For 175 years, SCI has served mariners, adapting to the changes of maritime commerce and the larger world. Our tools may have changed—a renovated center in Port Newark and a new presence on the West Coast of the United States—but we have steered using the same guiding stars. Our friends buoyed our “floating mission” through various unknown waters, and on that dedicated, dependable ship, SCI has met tests, one new experience at a time.

FALL 2009 VOLUME 101/NUMBER 3

Stars—both kinds, like the ones in the night sky and the ones in the dreams of our hearts—have guided some important journeys. Long ago, a star led three wise men to a miracle.

The stars that have guided SCI—the dreams of our founders—have taken the Institute many places through the years. Our founders dreamed of fair treatment, respect, and proper care given to the behind-the-scenes workers of a growing maritime commerce. In that constellation of dreams glimmered empowering mariners with valuable training, increasing safety in the maritime workplace, and becoming a world leader in advocacy for the merchant mariner.

Many people have stood beside those dreams. They have volunteered, spoken out, and continually opened up their wallets to, in

the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, hitch their wagons to a star. On that star hangs our ideal, and with your help we continue our course and more fully realize our great ambition.

Led by a Star

Use the envelope stitched into this edition of The Lookout to make your holiday gift to SCI.

Help us reach for the stars!

2 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2009

© Fall Volume 101, Number 3

Published byThe Seamen’s Church Institute241 Water StreetNew York, NY10038-2016212-349-9090fax: 212-349-8342sci@seamenschurch.org

David S. FrenchChairman, Board of Trustees

The Rev. David M. RiderPresident and Executive Director

Editor, Oliver BrewerAssistant Editor, Margaret LeeDesign & Production, BlissDesign

The Lookout is printed on recycled paper.

S C I S U S TA I N I N G S P O N S O R S

At her death, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who knew Mother Roper when he served on SCI’s Board of Managers, eulogized Roper’s “sympathetic understanding and practical helpfulness” to mariners. By supporting SCI’s mission, members of the Legacy Giving Society demonstrate that they share Mother Roper’s commitment to mariners.

Executive Director’s Log

The Institute’s LegacyDearFriends,At SCI’s 175th Anniversary celebration at New York City’s Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, guests had a chance to hear in story, picture, and even song (the a cappella group The Johnson Girls sang some sea chanteys of yesteryear) the history through which the Institute has ministered. Beyond the planned presentations at the Gala, it pleased me to hear some other stories told. These stories—the ones of personal experience—came from the likes of volunteers helping to pack Christmas boxes, Trustees remembering monumental times of growth, and friends of merchant mariners helped by SCI in the past.

These personal tales comprise the legacy of our Institute. Individuals, one willing person at a time, have impacted our course through countless acts of generosity. With their time, talent, and donations, they have contributed to our ministry, leaving their mark on the work we do together.

You, SCI’s supporters, author with us the future of SCI, too.

As an opportunity to rejoice in an individual’s contribution to our legacy, SCI humbly acknowledges the members of the Janet Lord Roper Legacy Giving Society. These men and women have made unique contributions during their lifetimes and continue their benefaction beyond, writing even more chapters in our ministry’s storybook.

Words and pictures only glimpse into the history of SCI. People mark our heritage. Individuals who care about SCI and its work make the Institute what it is today and what it will be tomorrow. I am grateful for this wonderful legacy and for those who claim it as theirs.

Yours faithfully,

The Rev. David M. Rider President & Executive Director

SCI invites you to become a part of the Institute’s heritage to mariners through planned giving. If you are interested in learning more about gift planning options, please contact Jennifer Koenig, Associate Director of Development, jkoenig@seamenschurch.org

www.seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2009 • 3

175th Anniversary Gala Sponsors

Legacy SponsorThe Chubb Corporation

Heritage SponsorsAEP River OperationsGeneral Maritime CorporationIntrepid ShippingMcDonough Marine ServicePenn Maritime, Inc.

Water Street SponsorsAEP River OperationsCapital CounselConnecticut Maritime Association & International Marketing StrategiesEpiscopal Diocese of Long IslandHill Rivkins & HaydenIngram Barge CompanyGeorge M. Isdale, Jr.K-Sea Transportation PartnersKongsberg Maritime SimulationAlfred Lee Loomis IIIStarr Marine Agency, Inc.Watson, Farley & WilliamsKenneth Wheeler

Year-EndGalaCelebratesSCI’sHistorySCI marked a milestone this year—175 years of service to the maritime community. To celebrate, the Institute sponsored a major Gala at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine on November 11. Over 300 supporters, with a variety of associations, came to the event held in the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s mother church.

“It’s a leap from our small beginnings,” said David S. French, Chairman of SCI’s Board of Trustees, referring to the enormous 11,200-square-meter Cathedral. French reminded listeners during his Gala speech of SCI’s first headquarters, a small floating church made from wood moored in New York’s East River. “SCI has a rich history and a strong mission, which continues to be vital and necessary today.”

Images of SCI’s past, including archival photos projected onto a 20-foot screen at the Cathedral’s crossing, told the story of SCI’s mission. Guests mingled, sharing stories jovially, until the State Trumpets of the Great Organ (its loudest set of pipes) called the gathering to their tables for dinner. “We’d been warned that this was going to be shockingly loud,” said Carrie Christensen, SCI’s Special Events Coordinator, who communicated with the Cathedral’s organ loft via cell phone that evening. “I wasn’t disappointed.”

SCI invited supporters from all over the country to see and hear the Institute’s story. A supportive contingency from Paducah, KY, home to one of SCI’s two maritime training facilities, included its mayor, William F. Paxton. Others from global shipping corporations, loyal churches, and various volunteers purchased tickets for SCI’s Gala. (See the list of Gala Sponsors on this page.)

The dinner program featured two short addresses by leaders at SCI and a musical performance. The Johnson Girls, an all female a cappella sea chantey group, sang several songs from maritime trading’s storied past. Gracious Thyme catered the evening meal.

SCI’s President and Executive Director, the Rev. David M. Rider, set apart his remarks that evening with several words of thanksgiving. He said, “SCI has fostered associations with people from around the world who have helped mariners perform their jobs with dignity. Each gift—from knitted scarves to legacy donations—makes a difference in the life of a real person.”

SCI Board of Trustees Chairman David S. French and his wife, Marjorie French, joined in singing the hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” with the evening’s gathered assembly.

Bonnie Milner, Joy Bennett, Alison Kelley and Deirdre Murtha, better known as The Johnson Girls, have performed around the world bringing their unique all-woman, a cappella sound with emphasis on songs of the sea.

A

4 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2009

Piracy plagues international shipping and poses an intimidating risk to unarmed seafarers on the high seas. Hijackers hold vessels and their crews for months at a time until a ransom, often a multi-million dollar payout, is made in exchange.SCI Announces

Piracy Study

Post-AttackInformationGatheringtoHelpMarinerPiracyVictimsAt the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention in Anaheim, CA, SCI announced a new study examining the effects of piracy on merchant mariners.

In conjunction with the Disaster Psychiatry Outreach (DPO) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, this multi-year project explores the clinical assessment and treatment of piracy attack survivors. SCI’s study of the impact of piracy on seafarers and their families is the first of its kind in the maritime industry.

SCI has retained clinical psychologist Michael Garfinkle, PhD, to work in collaboration with SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights, which has studied piracy for more than a decade. Combining clinical, legal advocacy, and human resource practice, they will collaborate to develop recommendations to reduce crew trauma and promote crew resilience.

SCI’s program seeks to identify unique stressors of piracy hostage situations, along with immediate and ongoing medical evaluation strategies for crewmembers and their families. Study outcomes include plans for clinically assessing seafarers after piracy incidents, assisting families during prolonged piracy episodes, and triaging short- and long-term mental health treatment.

Douglas B. Stevenson, Director of SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights, explains that many pirate attack survivors simply disappear with no post-attack care systems in place to monitor their return to normal life. “Some shipping

companies and some governments have gained a lot of experience in providing for survivors of pirate attacks,” says Stevenson, “but no best practices for mariners’ care have emerged, nor has anyone conducted clinical studies on the possible short- and long-term traumatic effects of piracy on merchant mariners after experiencing an attack.”

“We should do everything that we can to prevent piracy,” says Stevenson, “but until piracy ceases to exist, we are accountable to respond with help for the world’s global workforce after these attacks.”

In April of this year, the world became transfixed by the hijacking of the American-flagged Maersk Alabama and its 21-man crew 350 miles off the coast of Somalia

www.seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2009 • 5

SCI now has a base of operations on both sides of the American seaboard. As of July 1, 2009, SCI’s Executive Committee assumes management of the

International Maritime Center in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Last year, the Bay Area Seafarers’ Services (BASS) approached SCI about adding a West Coast resource to the services SCI provides to the world’s mariners.

The Bay Area International Maritime Center, like SCI’s existing International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark, provides services to mariners during their stay in the Port. Mariners can use the Center to access the Internet and phone home using low cost phone cards; speak to new friends, including chaplains; relax, play sports, and have some refreshments; and even pick up a few souvenirs from their journey. The Center also serves as a station from which chaplains visit seafarers onboard vessels.

“Our ministry expands to meet the needs of mariners,” says the Rev. David M. Rider, President and Executive Director of SCI. “We do our best to look after them and their needs, and answering the call, ‘Go West!’ is an important step in reaching out to mariners in other locations around the United States.” Rider says that SCI’s expansion meets not only the needs of the mariners visiting the Bay Area but also the International Maritime Center, which sought to strengthen its efforts and infrastructure.

SCI Goes West, Adds New Operations in CA

The Executive Committee of SCI’s Board of Trustees will manage the International Maritime Center as it is integrated into the framework of the Institute during this transitional year. Two new SCI employees will operate from the Center, serving all of the commercial ports in the Bay Area—a Senior Chaplain, Jim Lindgren, and a Bay Area Development Coordinator, Adrienne Yee.

Each brings knowledge and experience of the Port and the International Maritime Center. SCI will also foster the Center’s ecumenical spirit, entering into a covenant partnership with other denominations’ existing ministries to seafarers operating out of the International Maritime Center.

A Reminder to Americans over 70CharitableContributionsfromanIRA2009 is the final year to give away up to $100K from a traditional IRA to qualifying charities like SCI. The US Government extended a special rule allowing IRA owners who are 70½ or older to make a tax-free distribution of up to $100K for the year. Contact your tax professional, who can evaluate the best options with you.

(Left) New photos by notable maritime photographer Gregory Thorp don the walls of SCI’s new West Coast operation, the International Maritime Center in the Bay Area of California.(Bottom of Page) On Wednesday, July 1, volunteers and employees at the International Maritime Center in the Bay Area of California welcomed the Rev. David M. Rider, President and Executive Director of SCI, and Jennifer Koenig, Associate Director of Development, to SCI’s new “home” on the West Coast.

I

6 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2009

same addressNEW WEBSITE

Redesigned to provide

you with enhanced

access to information

and resources, SCI

launches a new

online presence for

mariners and friends.

Come take a fresh look

at North America’s

largest mariners’

service agency. Point

your browser to our

web address and

visit the new site.

Special Events Calendar

ICMA Elects Stevenson Chairman

seamenschurch.org

The 33rd Annual Silver Bell Awards DinnerThursday, June 10, 2010Pier 60, New York City

The 10th Annual River Bell Awards Luncheon in support of Ministry on the RiverThursday, December 10, 200912:00 pm

The Walker BuildingPaducah, KY

HonoringRonnie James, River Bell AwardHoward Brent, River Legend Award

In June, the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA), an association of 28 Christian not-for-profit seafarer welfare organizations, named Douglas B. Stevenson as its new Chairman. Stevenson, Director of SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights, succeeds former, retired chairman, the Rev. Hero Feenders of the Deutsche Seemannsmission. The 8 members of ICMA’s Executive Committee, including the new Chairman, work for separate, independent ministries to mariners, collaborating as member organizations of the 40-year-old seafarers’ ministry partnership.

ICMA promotes ecumenical cooperation among a variety of ministries to seafarers. Its charter and Code of Conduct explain that each member organization should provide for “seafarers, fishers, and their dependants regardless of nationality, religion, culture, gender, or ethnic origin.” ICMA’s membership represents 526 seafarers’ centers and 927 chaplains in 126 countries.

Serving on ICMA’s Executive Committee since 2007, Stevenson embarks upon a new responsibility as Chairman. Earlier this month, Stevenson said, “I am honored to work in ICMA with leaders of other maritime ministry organizations. ICMA and what it represents—a common desire for the welfare of mariners—is important and harmonizes with the work that we do at SCI.”

Stevenson’s appointment is one of several modifications to ICMA’s Executive Committee in the new fiscal year. About the changes, the Rev. Hendrik F. la Grange, ICMA Secretariat, blogged, “ICMA wishes every blessing on the members of the Executive Committee who are taking up new roles.”

Stevenson has served as Director of the Center for Seafarers’ Rights at SCI since 1990. A maritime lawyer and retired US Coast Guard officer, Stevenson works simultaneously one-on-one with merchant mariners requiring legal assistance and globally with international governments and organizations to establish and enforce fair practices that protect the men and women of the maritime workforce. He continues work as Director of SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights alongside other leadership roles in maritime ministry.

www.seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2009 • 7

OWorld-Class Technology Unveiled in Paducah, KYHave you ever wondered what it would be like to navigate a multi-barge 25,000-ton tow down the Ohio River? SCI’s Open House provided everyday citizens an opportunity to experience it in realistic detail.

On Wednesday, June 24, 2009, SCI hosted an Open House, unveiling its newly installed, highly developed computer simulators used in training inland river mariners at the Center for Maritime Education in Paducah, KY. The Paducah Center, closed for the month of May, officially reopened Wednesday with a dramatic bottle-breaking ceremony. The Open House showcased the new simulator with tours and made public a new photography exhibit of river industry images by photographer Gregory Thorp.

Simulator improvements at SCI add photorealism to the training. The projected images mimic real-world geography and landmarks; the computer software generates changeable weather conditions; and the entire system integrates with an interactive communications system. A student training on this simulator can experience a recognizable route of travel with unpredictable emergencies, interacting with other river traffic in real-time.

Eric K. Larsson, Director of SCI’s Center for Maritime Education, explained some of the advantages of the enhanced simulators. “Firstly, they prepare pilots to handle dangerous, life-threatening situations without risk,” he said. “Secondly, the simulators allow for analysis and repetition of exercises.” According to Larsson, training with technology that closely mirrors the “real thing” means that when dangerous situations arise, pilots are better prepared.

Larsson also made clear that the technology unveiled at this Open House does not just benefit the companies that train at SCI’s Paducah Center for Maritime Education but the entire industry, raising the benchmarks of safety. One river transportation company insurer saw SCI’s demonstration and commented on the high level of commitment from industry leaders to training and safety.

Industry leaders AEP River Operations and Ingram Barge Company pledged the financial assistance that enabled the Center to upgrade its simulators, including hardware, software, and related databases. Their principal co-sponsorship built on a grant from the Western Kentucky Workforce Board to replace the simulator’s projection systems and enabled SCI to purchase and implement these upgrades in May 2009.

“ The new photos installed on the walls of the renovated center are a testament to our industry,” said the Rev. David M. Rider, President and Executive Director of SCI. “The images translate the rich tapestry of maritime companies, supporters, and volunteers at SCI into a visual masterpiece.”

USCG RADM Mary Landry breaks a bottle of champagne to christen SCI’s newly refurbished Center for Maritime Education in Paducah, KY on June 24, 2009.

18342009175 years

T H E S E A M E N ’ S C H U R C H I N S T I T U T ENon-Profit

U.S.PostagePAID

Newtown,CTPermitNo.100

Headquarters241 Water StreetNew York, NY 10038

SCI Centers:Oakland, CA Port Newark, NJPaducah, KYHouston, TX

8 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2009

SCI’s International Seafarers’ Center in Port NewarkPhotosfromtheConstructionSite

Our Holiday Appeal: HELP US REACH FOR THE STARS!