THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS | GLADSTONE
 

Mission to Seafarers Logo

John Ashley

Mission to Seafarers building

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History

The Mission to Seafarers is a missionary society of the Anglican Church, and through its worldwide association of chaplains, staff and volunteers, meets the spiritual, social and practical needs of seafarers in over 230 ports around the world regardless of their nationality or faith. The mission reaches out to seafarers by visiting them on their ships and by welcoming them to the local seafarers' centre where they can do some shopping, contact home via the internet or phone, or just simply relax away from the work pressures of the ship.

The symbol of The Mission to Seafarers is the flying angel, which is inspired from Revelation 14:6
'Then I saw another angel flying in mid-air, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth - to every nation, tribe, language and people.'
For many seafarers it can be difficult at sea due to the danger of extreme weather, sometimes sub-standard working conditions, long work contracts that mean being separated from family and friends and the possibility of being subject to piracy. In the midst of this The Mission to Seafarers is in a unique position to proclaim the love and justice of God and offer hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Mission to Seafarers had its beginnings in the early 1800's when an Anglican priest named John Ashley (pictured left) started visiting ships at anchor in the Bristol Channel in England after being moved by their isolation and need. During 15 years of ministry he visited over 14000 ships and distributed over 5000 Bibles and prayer books to merchant seamen. The Missions to Seamen was formerly established in 1856 and it was not until 2000 that it became known as The Mission to Seafarers.

The Mission in Gladstone

The Mission to Seafarers in Gladstone was established in 1970 by The Revd Peter Calaminus. The Port Authority provided him with an office and later he moved the MTS to a recreational centre for seafarers located at the Auckland Point Terminal. These were closed as a result of further northern growth of the port. The present Mission Centre was constructed in its current location at the corner of Bryan Jordan Drive and Alf O'Rourke Drive with the financial support of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). The Centre was built in 1997 and is located on Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) land that was offered freely to the Mission and selected as a central location to service the port and any future port expansion.

Facilities provided at the mission centre in Gladstone include:

  • Shop (foodstuff, souvenirs etc)
  • Foreign currency exchange
  • 8 Telephone booths for international calls
  • Wireless Internet
  • Plasma TV
  • Games including table tennis, billiards
  • Musical instruments
  • Chapel
  • Library
  • Free second-hand clothing
  • Free Bibles and Christian Litereature
  • Free bus service for seafarers
  
 

Page Last Checked / Updated June 26, 2014
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