All year round, Britain’s ports are a stopping point for the world’s seafarers. From the largest container ships and cruise liners, to tank carriers and small boats, London City Mission chaplain Paul Cave is there to greet them when they dock.
It’s no surprise to the crews, he says, when a chaplain climbs up the gangway to visit them. Chaplaincy to seafarers is a long tradition and London City Mission has been doing it for over 170 years.
Although it’s a working environment and port time is busy, the largely male crew is often only too happy to see a new face, having spent weeks or months out at sea with the same 10 or 20 people, Paul explains.
If he’s managed to catch them at their lunch break, there’s time for a longer chat.
“When the ship is in port they are pretty busy but I have a chance to spend some time with the guys in the mess room. Very often everybody’s having a bit of a laugh and there is a lot of banter, and then maybe you see a guy in the corner not saying very much and when the other guys have gone, you can go and sit and talk to him.
“We often say as chaplains that we use the things stuck on our heads that God gave us and there’s a reason why God gave us two ears and one mouth. Very often a guy will open up to you because what seafarers suffer from is isolation and loneliness.”
The crews are multinational but a large proportion of them come from the Philippines and China, and they are at sea for a long time – Filipinos nine months, Chinese a year.
Regardless of the crew’s size and make-up, Paul’s aim is to meet their needs, be a listening ear, and demonstrate the love of Christ. That means a lot of what he does is practical.
“We’ll see if there’s anything we can do for the guys, give them telephone cards because contact with their family is so important. We’ll invite them into the seafarers’ centre at the port and show hospitality to them by inviting them to our own homes for dinner,” he says.
If the crew members want to, the chaplains will take them to a place of worship and this year some Filipinos from one ship went to a Christmas carol service where they sang in their own language.
Although Paul loves his job all year round, Christmas is a particularly special time. Most of the crew spend every second Christmas at home, but Paul has met men who haven’t been home for five or six Christmases.
It’s an opportunity to give that bit more
“Guys away from home at Christmas, it’s tough, it’s not easy,” he says. “And these are guys with families.”
In addition to holding carol services, Paul and the chaplaincy team at Tilbury handed out thousands of parcels in the last few weeks.
Each parcel contains gloves and hats knitted by churchgoers across the country, toiletries, a personalised Christmas card, and Christian resources, including an SGM Lifewords presentation on the Christmas story.
The crew – even those of different faiths and none - really appreciate the visits, says Paul, but the Christmas parcels add that something special to what he does.
