Mission to Seafarers Parish Representative

Updated 22 Jul 2011

The Mission to Seafarers is a mission of the Anglican Church of Canada and a community of interested people needs to support it. A general comment when talking to people is, I have never heard of the Mission to Seafarers before, how long has it been around? The Mission to Seafarers needs help in making itself known.

Appointment
The parish appoints the Mission to Seafarers Parish Representative and the parish is to advise the Mission to Seafarers of the appointment.

If the parish has made a financial donation to the Mission to Seafarers in the preceding year, the parish can designate the parish rep as the corporate member of the Society of the Mission to Seafarers, and be entitled to vote at a General Meeting [MtS Constitution Article 6.1 (c)].

Responsibilities
The Parish Rep should make him or herself knowledgeable about the Mission to Seafarers, including reading the publicity print material, and viewing the web site, www.missiontoseafarers.ca, and attend the public events sponsored by the Mission to Seafarers.

The Parish Rep will need to shape their role in the parish based on the parish situation. The Parish Rep could:

1.         Ensure that publicity materials are available to the parish: Friend’s pamphlet, Information Sheet, Volunteer Opportunities, etc. The Mission to Seafarers will make publicity materials available at the Seafarers’ Centre for the Parish Reps to pick up. Please encourage people to fill out the insert in the Friends Pamphlet and send it in, which enables them to receive a copy of the newsletter.

2.         Encourage people to volunteer for the Mission to Seafarers, and explain what is involved, see sheet, ‘Volunteer Opportunities’ that is also posted on the web site.

3.         Facilitate the collection of financial donations, clothing, magazines and pop cans and get them to the Seafarers’ Centre.

4.         Publicize Mission to Seafarers’ public events such as the Volunteer Appreciation Social (January), Annual General Meeting (April), Blessing of the Fleet (June) and Open House (October). Check the calendar on the web site for dates.

5.         When the Board organizes a fund-raiser such as the Meat Sale (May), the Parish Rep should coordinate fund-raising activity within the parish.

6.         Encourage the observance in the parish liturgy of Sea Sunday (2nd Sunday in July). Intercessions can be made for seafarers and the Mission to Seafarers, the mariner’s hymn Eternal Father can be sung, and publicity material distributed in the bulletin.

7.         Coordinate the collection for the 3^rd week of November of items for Christmas gift bags for seafarers, see www.missiontoseafarers.ca/thunderbay/Christmas.htm for suggestions on what to get.

8.         Coordinate the visit of a Mission to Seafarers speaker and/or display to the parish; and host the display at least once a year.

For resources see Publicity.