What we achieved at the ICMA World Conference 2019 and the fun we had along the way
by Kevin Walker, NAMMA ICMA’s 11th World Conference was held over the week of 21-25 October in the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, hosted by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan’s Seafarers’ and Fishers’ Service Center (PCT SFSC). By all accounts a
ICMA Meets the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Seafarers’ and Fishers’ Service Center (PCT SFSC)
After three days of enjoying our Taiwanese colleagues’ hospitality, on Wednesday evening the attendees of the ICMA 2019 World Conference finally got to visit our hosts at their center in the Kaohsiung fishing port and see the work that they
ICMA Conference Opening Day
By Kevin Walker, NAMMA The first day of the ICMA World Conference 2019 has been full of entertainment, culture, ceremony, and fellowship among Christian maritime welfare workers. Attendees have already seen in today’s activities the importance of our unity in service
Gamification in Online Learning: MARE Training’s Approach
by Kevin Walker, NAMMA MARE Training A top priority of the developing strategic plan for NAMMA is the focus on training to attract and retain people in seafarers' ministry. This continues a trend developed in the last few years: NAMMA has prioritized
Book Review: Into the Raging Sea
Rachel Slade, Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm and the Sinking of El Faro. Ecco, 2018. On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin brought down the El Faro along with every member of its 33-person crew. Boston-based journalist Rachel Slade’s
Mobile Hotspot Program sponsored by ITF Seafarers’ Trust in partnership with NAMMA
High speed internet access is the number one request of seafarers from port-based seafarers’ welfare providers. Most seafarers’ centres provide free or cheap internet access in their facilities and many also sell data-capable SIM cards. Until recently however, those SIM
Seafarers’ Welfare in Canada Seminar Montreal
On April 13, 2018, members of the Canadian maritime community gathered at the newly-constructed Montreal Seafarers’ Centre for a one-day seminar on seafarers’ welfare in our country. Addressing more than forty attendees, the panelists represented a diverse cross-section of the
Protecting Migrant Populations from Forced Labor at Sea.
Free COMPASS E-Learning Courses are Now Available! The commercial fishing industry, deemed one of the most important economic sectors in the world, relies on large numbers of migrant workers to flourish. These migrants are frequently recruited from refugee and displaced populations
Never Too Old to Learn: Reconsidering an Old Method in Maritime Ministry
A short time ago, I read Virginia Hoel’s monograph, Faith, Fatherland and the Norwegian Seaman. The work of the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission in Antwerp and the Dutch Ports 1864-1920 (Verloren, 2016). This study provides us with a beautiful insight into the
Book Review: The Remarkable Life of Father Charles McTague
Richard L. Byrnes, Christ with a Priest’s Face: Spirituality in Action: The Remarkable Life of Father Charles Hubert McTague. 2002. 139pp. As the continuous stream of container trucks rumble past, the Stella Maris Chapel on Corbin St. in Port Newark, NJ