Together, We Are the Ministry

Collectively, we

• provide transportation for crews for their personal shopping needs and leisure activities;
• receive packages that crews have shipped to our center which are delivered to their ship when it arrives at one of our Bay Area ports;
• offer the International Maritime Center as a comfortable, quiet area to rest, play table games, or spend time in our chapel for prayer and reflection;
• offer prayers, conduct sacred rites, and sacraments to crews on ships and at the International Maritime Center (when requested).

From its beginnings in the early 1900s until now, the Seafarers’ Ministry of the Golden Gate has been meeting the needs of seafarers as they come ashore from months of isolation aboard ships.  Yet, the times are changing.  The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating effects on all aspects of our world, especially for seafarers and the maritime sector, including maritime welfare organizations like the Seafarers’ Ministry of the Golden Gate.  To remain relevant, effective, and sustainable, we had to decisively answer several important questions:  What will seafarers need in the future?  How can we be of greater service to the maritime industry and to the greater community?  What will be the scope and range of maritime services?

In the fall of 2021, the leadership of the Seafarers’ Ministry of the Golden Gate at the International Maritime Center engaged in a thoughtful process to address these questions and other realities.  The result of those deliberations and discernment is a strategic direction that is now detailed in a three-year strategic action agenda-Full Speed Ahead 2027.  Our agenda is bold, innovative, and achievable with three primary pillars.