St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley
visits
the Stream Express and the Polar Chile
February 24, 2004

by Roger Thorne

St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley has had a relationship with the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) of Philadelphia dating back to World War II. However, in recent years the level of active volunteer support has waned. Recently, under the leadership of Lloyd Reynolds, St. Peter's has committed to strengthen its partnership in ministry with SCI. Lloyd and others are currently determining how best to increase our effectiveness in welcoming and ministering to seafarers passing through the Port of Philadelphia.

The Seamen's Church Institute , under the leadership of their Executive Director, the Rev. Jim Von Dreele, and Operations Director Jack Mudge, has been ministering to seafarers in the Philadelphia area since 1843. In all seasons and weather, throughout the year, an SCI staff member or volunteer associate makes every effort to visit each ship. Ship visitors bring with them pamphlets and maps of the area, reliable phone cards to sell to the seamen, as well as religious literature. They bring Christian solace, mediate conflicts, and listen to pastoral and work-related problems. They also arrange free SCI transportation for seamen from the many isolated docks to the warm hospitality and club-like atmosphere of SCI's new Seamen's Center, as well as to medical clinics, shopping areas, and historic sights.

On February 24, 2004, four parishioners from St. Peter's Church including Bess Scott, Jan Muck, Lloyd Reynolds, and Roger Thorne, were introduced to the privilege of serving in this worthwhile ministry. We began our day with an orientation by Jack Mudge and the man who would be our escort, SCI's Senior Ship Visitor Mesfin Ghebrewoldi. Mesfin is a retired seaman who originally came to Philadelphia from East Africa, and has ministered to seamen in a non-denominational way for over 25 years. We learned that in the wake of “9-11”, ship visitors volunteering under the auspices of SCI can only enter the commercial terminals by means of one of three SCI vans. We also learned that homeland security requirements prohibit oil tanker crews from leaving their ships, and that only professional SCI staff are allowed to board tankers and visit their crews. Needless to say, we followed Mesfin's lead very closely.

This day's visit focused on the Port of Camden, and specifically the Broadway Terminal and the Gloucester Terminal. Almost half of the annual ship visits made by SCI takes place along the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. We would visit a ship in each of these two terminals. The purpose of these visits was to welcome members of these crews, and to learn from Mesfin how parishioners from St. Peter's Church can tangibly demonstrate God’s love by visiting with seamen paying call to Philadelphia and its adjacent ports.

The first vessel we visited was the Stream Express, a container ship of Panamanian registry berthed at the Broadway Terminal, and which routinely carries bananas in refrigerated containers between Costa Rica and Philadelphia. The 23 man crew, both officers and men, are from India. While many of the crew were involved in active unloading operations, we were warmly greeted by, and had opportunity to speak with, the ship’s Third Officer Arun Malhotra; Bale, the Chief Cook; the ship’s Assistant Cook Kapadia; and others.

We then drove south to the Gloucester Terminal for our second visit on the Polar Chile, a container ship with Liberian registry which carries fruit, principally grapes, between Valparaiso, Chile and Philadelphia. We learned that the Polar Chile takes 10 days to sail from Philadelphia (through the Panama Canal and down the west coast of South America) to Valparaiso with empty containers. The ship spends approximately three days unloading the “empties” and reloading 128 full refrigerated containers each weighing over 30 tons, and then returning fully laden back to the Philadelphia area.

The officers of the Polar Chile hail from Poland, and the crew are from Tuvalu, an island group in the South Pacific half way between Hawaii and Australia. During the visit we were privileged to meet and speak to the ship’s Captain, Przemyslaw Lenard, and the First Officer Michalak Krzysztof. Our group was warmly greeted, and we were courteously allowed access to much their ship.

After these visits our group returned back to Philadelphia to the Seamen's Center at 475 North Fifth Street where we met with Father Von Dreele and Jack Mudge to plan St. Peter's volunteer efforts for the future. Stay tuned for details on visitor opportunities for both men and women, as well as teenagers. Also, take the opportunity to become better acquainted with one of St. Peter's long-time parishioners Peter Norton, who has been a faithful SCI visitor for over 40 years. Peter has much to teach us!

To get a glimpse of some of the people we met, and the opportunities for service that we witnessed, click on the thumbnails below:

SCI's new Seamen's Center at 475 North Fifth Street in Philadelphia.	Orientation for the morning's visits. L to R: Mesfin Ghebrewoldi, Jack Mudge, Jan Muck, Bess Scott and Lloyd Reynolds.	One of three SCI vans used to transport seamen and visitors between the terminals and the Seamen's Center.
The fruit container ship Stream Express berthed at Camden's Broadway Terminal.	Unloading one of 30-ton Del Monte containers, one of 150 carried by the Stream Express.	The St. Peter's group follows Mesfin as we board the Stream Express.
Meal preparations in the galley of the Stream Express.	L to R: Jan, the Stream Express's Chief Cook Bale, Mesfin, and Lloyd.	L to R: Stream Express's Chief Cook Bale, and the Assistant Cook Kapadia.
The Stream Express's Third Officer Arun Malhotra.	Unloading the Stream Express.	The Panamanian registered Stream Express.
The new Camden Seafarer's Center, jointly operated by SCI and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.	The Liberian registered fruit container ship Polar Chile.	Boarding the Polar Chile berthed at the Gloucester Terminal.
Looking down on the Polar Chile from its bridge.	Bess, Lloyd and Jan are welcomed to the Polar Chile's bridge by First Officer Michalak Krzysztof.	First Officer Michalak Krzysztof of the Polar Chile (we hope his wife Sylvia enjoys this picture).
L to R: Jan, Polar Chile's Captain Przemyslaw Lenard, Mesfin, and Bess.	Fr. Jim Van Dreele, Executive Director of SCI.

Would you be willing to play a part in this sharing ministry? Contact Lloyd Reynolds at 610-889-0878 for information.