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 seamenschurch.org

IA Season of Openingsby Jennifer Koenig, Associate Director of Development

“ You always get a special kick on Opening Day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.”

—Joe DiMaggio

In the coming months, a series of Opening Days in Port Newark and Houston hold enormous potential to benefit the interests of the worldwide maritime community. Thanks to your support, SCI can honor the significant contributions mariners make to our world by providing this and future generations with top-notch facilities and services.

When the doors open to the Institute’s renovated International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark, SCI offers “one-stop shopping” in one of North America’s busiest ports—business services, legal counsel, pastoral care, and recreation for seafarers—all in one building. Similarly, the open doors to SCI’s Center for Maritime Education in Houston showcase major upgrades to the Institute’s computer simulators, providing professional mariners the tools they need for enhancing their own safety, the protection of vessels, and the marine environment.

You helped open these doors. Where mariners knocked, seeking representation, counseling, or career advancement, we answered. Thanks to your contributions, our doors remain open.

In this new day, SCI endeavors to open more doors. Barriers persist to seafarers’ interests and safety, bringing new inquiries for aid. Challenges of a world that never sleeps, maritime security concerns, and changing technology contribute to the intense and relentless work of the maritime workforce.

Joe DiMaggio said that he always got a special kick on Opening Day. We think we know how he felt. Meeting the needs of mariners—that “Opening Day” of justice, education, and well-being—never gets old. SCI looks forward to finding the best and most useful means to address the needs of the maritime workforce. Because of the steadfast support of people who care so much about the hardworking men and women on the water, we know that whenever we open the door, something wonderful is going to happen.

fAll 2010 VOlUME 102/NUMBER 3

Director’s log

2ISC Reopening

3Houston Reopening + Roundtable

4Two New “Players”

5

Environmental Guides

Understanding

U.S. Pollution Laws:

A Seafarer’s Guide

6Gala & Auction

7Archives

7Why I Give

8Support SCI’s Opening Day by making a contribution using the envelope in this edition of The Lookout. Ensure mariners find help wherever there is need.

2 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2010

© 2010 Fall Volume 102, 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, Bliss Design

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

Executive Director’s log

“That’s where we’re called by the Gospel to be … where the action is. That’s what mission is all about.” —The Rev. David M. Rider, as quoted by Episcopal News Service in an October 15th published article.

Dear Friends,

Some of you may have read in The New York Times the recent article “Seamen’s Institute to Sell Its Building

and Leave Manhattan” about SCI putting its building at 241 Water Street on the market. In the wake of this article, one might think it strange to dedicate an edition of The Lookout to “openings.” You might be tempted to think that SCI is, in fact, closing. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In the twenty-first century, SCI runs its ministry with as much drive as ever. The Institute’s doors are open, and the services we provide for the world’s mariners grow and adapt to meet the needs of this dynamic community each day. SCI’s long-term success comes in carefully identifying the evolving needs of seafarers and adjusting our approach accordingly.

After East River floating chapels ran their course, SCI’s ministry did not stop. After the incredible growth of Port Newark/Elizabeth commandeered the activity of the New York Harbor, SCI’s ministry did not stop. SCI expanded infrastructure for mission, and the Institute continues to do so today—most recently in 2009 in Oakland, CA.

SCI puts its services to mariners—of which we offer the most comprehensive set in North America—where the maritime community needs them. We mirror seafarers—one of the modern world’s first mobile workforces—moving to meet the demands of the new century.

Part of meeting these demands means that we must also protect and wisely use our assets. The opportunity to arm our resources, including prime real estate in Lower Manhattan, enables us to strengthen our endowment, reinvest in simulation infrastructure for another generation, and reduce operating overhead expense while remaining agile and responsive to the changing needs of an international maritime workforce.

Even as it extends its mission internationally through the Center for Seafarers’ Rights, SCI plans to maintain a strong New York presence, remaining intensely connected to the religious and maritime community of Manhattan. Even as actual seafarers have migrated to Port Newark, SCI connects daily with marine insurers, admiralty lawyers, freight forwarders and other partners in a very interdependent maritime world. Whatever our architectural footprints in Manhattan turn out to be, we love the relationships, intensity, and opportunities for service in America’s great city.

SCI primes itself for the future. We have served mariners well by listening and reworking our tactics because of changes in the industry. In fact, throughout our 176-year ministry, nimbleness has reinforced our mission and nourished maritime commerce. Thank you for your continued support as we strive to meet the challenges of tomorrow, exploring modern ways to carry out our charter to serve the world’s mariners.

Yours faithfully,

The Rev. David M. RiderPresident & Executive Director

www.seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2010 • 3

TPrograms for Seafarers

Move to the Heart of the PortThe Center offers one of the only spots accessible to the general public in the secure areas of the port. A giant east wall made of glass provides a panoramic view of cranes and container ships, and inside the Center, SCI hosts a lot of maritime commerce activity with people from all over the world.

Noting hospitality as one of SCI’s trademarks, Rider says, “SCI opens its Center in Port Newark to lay bare the amazing work of seafarers, shining a light on their generous spirit and dedication. We’re putting

a mixture of people face-to-face and reminding each other of the valuable connections on which we depend.”

This season, North America’s largest mariner’s service agency begins reopening its renovated International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark, NJ. In addition to a substantial hospitality center for the Port’s maritime workforce, the three-story building presents a new home for several important SCI programs, closely integrating them with the activity of the largest container terminal complex on the East Coast.

Attorneys for SCI’s renowned Center for Seafarers’ Rights, who provide professional legal services for seafarers around the globe, will now also operate from the third floor of SCI’s new International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark. SCI also moves its Christmas at Sea “Knitting Room,” the assembly point for knitted gifts collected for mariners throughout the year, from Lower Manhattan to the third floor of the Center, giving volunteers opportunity to connect with the mariners they serve.

SCI’s 18,000-square-foot Center provides the maritime community with access to Internet, telephones, recreation, food services, and conference rooms. In 2009, the Center (then still under construction) served 37,980 seafarers, truckers, and port workers.

The Rev. David M. Rider, SCI’s President and Executive Director, sees tremendous potential in this new accommodation of programs at SCI’s Center.

Chaplains, attorneys, administrators, and volunteers work in the same building, collaborating on issues in tandem. “The Center integrates SCI’s ministry,” he says, “It’s a ‘super-center’ for mariners.”

Rider also believes that the new Center more closely assimilates a land-dwelling world

with a seafaring one. “Traditionally, society has regarded with mystery the industrial area of the port set away from the city center. We have often characterized the area ‘down by the docks’ as a shady, unwelcoming place.” SCI’s Center aims to change that view, according to Rider.

SCI offers volunteers a unique opportunity to connect with the work of maritime commerce at its renovated International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark.

SCI’s renovated Port Newark International Seafarers’ Center, scheduled to enter operation this month, combines multiple services into one ‘super-center’ for seafarers and the port community.

From the vantage point of SCI’s International Seafarers’ Center, one sees the Port of New York and New Jersey’s inner workings, a rare sight for the modern consumer.

Power Potential516:00

>> SIMULATOR DEMONSTRATIONSSCI–HOUSTON

CENTER FOR MARITIME EDUCATION

W

4 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2010

Major Updates to Houston Maritime Education Center

Overhaul Energizes Houston Center With major upgrades and refurbishments, Houston now holds some of the world’s most sophisticated technology used in training professional mariners. SCI’s refurbished Center for Maritime Education in the Port of Houston provides continuing education that saves both crew and passenger lives and meets the challenges faced in the new millennium of maritime security. During a three-day showcase surrounding the annual Maritime Training Benefit luncheon on October 20, SCI capitalized on the renewed vigor at the facility, hosting five simulator demonstrations and a high-level industry roundtable discussion on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

New SimulatorsSCI’s Houston Center for Maritime Education’s ten-year-old simulators required updates to remain on the cutting edge of training. According to Eric K. Larsson, Ph.D., Director of the Institute’s Center for Maritime Education, the major upgrades SCI has made to its Houston simulators “supply mariners with sophisticated and adaptable simulation possibilities.” Improvements place the technology at the top of its class. SCI’s simulators challenge mariners’ reactions and skills, using realistic, three-dimensional projections on a lifelike replica of a pilothouse.

Benefits include enhanced training capability for various modes of transportation with superior graphics and visual systems, and new geographical databases for the area

surrounding the Port of Houston allow simulation of multiple events in different areas of the Port.

Larsson sees other advanced skill development applications combined with SCI’s 20 years of multi-bridge interactive training experience. “These upgrades introduce a path for future groundbreaking training,” he says, “including safety and security exercises and oil spill scenarios.”

Five DemonstrationsSCI explored unlocking the power and potential of these upgrades in five simulator demonstrations from October 19–21. Focusing on the improvements the technology offers to towboat training, interactive fleet work, security-based

events, oil spill simulations, and other likely uses, SCI invited maritime industry professionals to witness the Institute’s new resources and explore opportunities for training at SCI–Houston.

Refurbishments In addition to the simulators, SCI also made updates to the Houston Center’s physical plant. The Institute equipped classrooms with better, more functional floor plans, superior AV equipment and projection screens, and new furniture. The common areas of the Center received new life, too, including a large open-plan area for students. Throughout the Center, new large-format photos by noted maritime photographer Gregory Thorp revitalize the space, adding what Jennifer Koenig, SCI’s Associate Director of Development, calls “a story of real mariners in their everyday lives.”

Professional RoundtableOn Thursday, October 21, SCI hosted “Life Beyond the Crisis,” a roundtable discussion following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This invitation-only, closed-door event provided neutral ground for discussion of the regulatory and commercial changes that might emerge following the incident. The roundtable involved decision makers representing key stakeholders like the United States Coast Guard, shipping organizations, marine insurers, maritime attorneys, ship operators, and classification societies. The roundtable maintains the regularly occurring thought-leader forums sponsored by SCI, described by one former US maritime authority official as “ideal for open, candid dialogue among colleagues from across the spectrum of interests in our maritime industry.”

seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2010 • 5

With more than 20 years of ordained experience, Chaplain Baldridge brings a wealth of ministry knowledge to river chaplaincy. An Active and Reserve US Navy Chaplain, Baldridge completed many domestic and overseas assignments between 1988–1998, including Operation Desert Storm. Chaplain Baldridge also engaged in campus ministry at the University of Delaware from 1993–1999. Since 1999, he has served as rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Waterloo, Belgium.

As a young man, Chaplain Baldridge served his country in the US Coast Guard as Petty Officer (QM3). He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at The Citadel in Charleston, SC and his Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) from Yale Divinity School. In addition to his extensive military and academic chaplaincy training, Baldridge holds a certification in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).

SCI has appointed the Rev. Kempton D. Baldridge to serve as its new Ministry on

the River (MOR) chaplain, serving the Ohio River region.

Based from SCI’s Paducah, KY Center for Maritime Education, Chaplain Baldridge serves mariners along the Ohio River plus river regions surrounding Nashville, St. Louis, and Memphis. In addition to his direct care for mariners and their shore-side counterparts, Chaplain Baldridge strengthens a network of River Friendly Churches who partner with SCI to provide ministry to mariners.

Kempton Baldridge:New Ohio River Chaplain

Paige Sato: New Knitting Program Manager

Meet Paige Sato, the new Program Manager for SCI’s 112-year-old volunteer knitting program, Christmas at Sea. Sato steps into the shoes of former Program Manager Jeanette DeVita, who left SCI

in July of this year.

Sato claims a zeal for charitable work. She holds a Graduate Certificate from Seton Hall University’s Center for Public Service. She also has a passion for knitting. In 2005, Sato channeled her business sensibility and training into Modern Yarn LLC, a knitting store which she co-owns in Montclair, NJ.

About the winning combination of her skills with the mandates of the position, the Rev. David M. Rider, SCI President & Executive Director, says, “Paige brings incredible personal energy, life experience, and entrepreneurial skills.”

Sato began knitting at Colby College, where she endured what she characterizes as “insanely long bus trips.” Sato played varsity women’s ice hockey at Colby, and one of her teammates taught her to knit. A prolific output of knitted garments continues throughout her adult life.

Sato enthuses about her new appointment, which ties her keenness for knitting with public service. “The possibilities are endless,” she says. “All the aspects of the organization—from the maritime education, to the advocacy, to the ministry and hospitality—serve such a great need, and I think I can really help advance the organization’s mission through the Christmas at Sea program.”

Two New Players

Paige Sato lives in Glen Ridge, NJ and has three children (ages 14, 12, and 6). Sato is the new Program Manager for SCI’s holiday gift-giving program, Christmas at Sea.

©2010 The Seamen’s Church Institute of New York and New Jersey

seamenschurch.orgTo view this pamphlet online, visit http://seamenschurch.org/environmental-guide

UNderSTaNdINg

The Consequences of Violating Environmental Laws:

1

Understanding

The Importance of Protecting the Marine Environment:

A Seafarer’s Guide

Understanding

U.S. Pollution Laws:

A Seafarer’s Guide

6 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2010

A grAnt from the

SCI Produces Environmental Guides for Seafarers

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the Massachusetts

Maritime Academy and SCI secured funding for a new set of educational materials for seafarers on environmental issues. Three guides, an instructor’s manual, and an online version of the information aims to equip those calling at the Port of New York and the Ports of Massachusetts with information on their rights while employed.

The guides offer a condensed, practical overview of some of the environmental laws that apply to seafarers. “Most seafarers behave honorably throughout the course of their employment,” notes the author of these materials. The environmental guides underscore the importance for all seafarers to understand the United States’ laws that govern pollution offenses and the consequences of violating those laws.

Douglas Stevenson, Director of SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights, believes that these guides sensitively address seafarers’ needs, examining the specific tasks seafarers perform. According to Stevenson, these materials demonstrate SCI’s commitment to seafarers, helping them make educated decisions with continued support when further questions arise.

The educational materials enlist seafarers’ assistance in the protection of the world’s marine environment. Noting their critical role, the author observes that as many as half a billion people draw their livelihoods from the sea in one way or another and its continued use depends on good stewardship.

SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights has completed work on the guides and online content and currently is developing the accompanying materials for instructors. SCI will distribute the materials through chaplains and ship visitors. When complete, these materials make available a new, clear and easily accessible set of guidelines for seafarers on environmental laws.

Illustrations by Lisa Lavoie

seamenschurch.org The Lookout Fall 2010 • 7

O17th Century Deed Found in Archivesby John Thayer, Associate Archivist

Over the course of its 176 years of activity, SCI has accumulated many items related to the development of downtown Manhattan. One of the oldest such items in SCI’s archival collection is a deed from 1697 granting property on “Dock Street,” located between what is now Pearl Street and Hanover Square, to Conraet Teneyck. Teneyck’s father, also named Conraet, emigrated from Amsterdam in 1651 and settled on Dock Street with his wife, Antje. The area soon became known as “Coenties” Slip, a rough combination of the couple’s first names.

During the 1850s, Coenties Slip developed into a hub for the city’s growing shipping industry. Seafarers, bargemen, boatmen and “canallers” were all active in the area, either loading and unloading

shipments or looking for entertainment during their off-work hours. SCI quickly recognized the need for a missionary presence at Coenties Slip, appointing the Reverend E. F. Remington its first “Missionary at Large” in 1852. Remington tended to his “floating congregation” through weekly open-air services, individual consultations, and the distribution of reading material. By 1857, Remington reported that attendance at services numbered between 100–250 people.

The Reverend Robert J. Walker replaced Remington as Missionary at Large in 1859. He was followed by the Reverend Isaac Maguire in 1872. By then, the Institute operated a Reading Room at 21 Coenties Slip with publications both religious and secular available for seamen. Maguire oversaw services at the Coenties Slip station until 1906, when the Board decided to shut down the station and the Reading Room closed its doors for the last time.

(top) A 1697 deed stating that land on Coenties Slip “may be granted and confirmed unto [Conraet Teneyck] they paying after the rate of nine pence for each square foot that shall be found fronting to their respective purchases.”

(bottom) The Reading Room at 21 Coenties Slip.

SCI has always offered mariners a place to unwind in the port. Although it has been a long time since the Institute ran a Reading Room at Coenties Slip, each of SCI’s Centers around the country has a lounge where mariners can read, surf the Internet, chat with friends, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.

n

Celebrate the holidays on both sides of the United States

In New York, come to the CAS Gala & Auction on November 30 at

the Union League Club, supporting SCI’s volunteer knitting program and holiday gift distribution. The event, featuring live and silent auctions, begins at 6:00 pm. For tickets, contact Carrie Christensen, Special Events Coordinator, at (212) 349-9090 ext. 244 or cchristensen@seamenschurch.org. For more information, visit seamenschurch.org/sci-special-events

In the Bay Area of California, come to “A Celebration of Light—A Christmas

Experience,” a holiday concert on Saturday, December 4 from 7:00 pm–9:30 pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Alameda, CA. The concert, featuring The Allen Temple Baptist Choir, benefits SCI–Bay Area in partnership with Seafarer’s Ministry of the Golden Gate. For further details, please contact Adrienne Yee, SCI-Bay Area Development Coordinator, at 510-844-1130 or ayee@seamenschurch.org

SCI The Seamen’s Church Institute241 Water StreetNew York, NY 10038

seamenschurch.org

SCI The Seamen’s Church Institute241 Water StreetNew York, NY 10038

seamenschurch.org

SCI CenterS: Port newark, Paducah, Houston, Oakland

Non-ProfitU.S. Postage

PAIDNewtown, CTPermit No. 100

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

8 • The Seamen’s Church Institute The Lookout Fall 2010

Meet Jo Ellen Heil from Ventura, CAWhen Californian Jo Ellen Heil and Minnesotan Susan McCoubrie peered through the back door at SCI’s Center in Paducah, KY, they never suspected that what

they would discover inside would spark their enduring involvement with the Institute.

Jo Ellen still remembers that day almost ten years later. “Looking at the river bank, hearing the ripples on the water and reading about SCI, I marveled at the Institute’s history, ministry, and hopes for the future. I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

A passionate advocate for SCI, she taught herself to knit for Christmas at Sea, became a member of the Janet Lord Roper Legacy Giving Society and helped staff

SCI’s booth at The Episcopal Church’s 2009 General Convention. Jo Ellen says that she and Susan continue to pray for SCI regularly. When we recently asked her why she is so keen on the Institute, she replied:

“ Having met several staffers, particularly Ministry

on the River folks, I’ve been impressed by their

dedication and hard work. As a knitter, I revel

in the fun I share with the Christmas at Sea

community. Having taught Women’s History at the

college level, I’ve always been inspired by the life

of Janet Lord Roper

[for whom SCI’s Legacy

Giving Society is

named]. But I suppose

the deepest reason I

give to SCI is that they

help workers who are

otherwise forgotten. Whether it is a grimy loading

dock or a lovely river town, an international

courtroom or a local church where believers pray,

SCI is always there, reaching out, welcoming the

weary, reflecting God’s love. Who wouldn’t want to

be a part of that?”

Indeed, who wouldn’t?

Want to share your story of SCI’s ministry? Email us at sci@seamenschurch.org Your support makes a difference in the lives of the mariners we serve.