International Christian Maritime Association

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The International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) is an ecumenical association of 26 Christian organisations, Protestant and Catholic, representing different churches and Christian communities actively engaged in welfare work for people who work at sea, including seafarers, fishers and the families of both. The Association is registered as a charity in the UK and, through its members, operates internationally.

Contents

ICMA was founded in 1969, and its first secretary was Daisuke Kitagawa. [1] [2] It seeks to encourage ecumenical collaboration and mutual assistance between its member organisations at international, national and individual port levels.

Code of Conduct

All organizations applying for membership in ICMA are expected to submit their constitutions to ICMA's board and sign a Code of Conduct declaring their commitment to interreligious cooperation and respect for seafarers' religious convictions. The Code of Conduct prescribes that members: [3] [4]

  1. Show an unconditional love to the seafarer as a human being, created in the image of God, and a sincere respect for her/his personal values and beliefs;
  2. Serve seafarers and their dependants of all nationalities, religions, cultures, language, sex or race;
  3. Fight prejudice, intolerance and injustice of any kind;
  4. Respect the diversity of ICMA Members and Churches and to develop that which unites them;
  5. Respect the loyalty of those engaged in maritime ministry to their particular ecclesiastical discipline and tradition and refrain from proselytising seafarers; and
  6. Co-operate with persons, organisations and institutions, Christian or non-Christian, which work for the welfare of seafarers.

The specifics of interreligious and ecumenical cooperation have often been sources of controversy, particularly as regards sacraments and Catholic seafarers. [1] [2] The 2000s and 2010s saw a renewed emphasis on the Code of Conduct in ICMAs gatherings in response to these questions. The modern form of the Code was written and approved in 2001. [1]

Activities

The International Christian Maritime Association is a professional association for port chaplaincy. It sets the standards for chaplains' education and training, accrediting courses and soliciting funds for course delivery. It signed an agreement with the North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) in 2017, 2020, and 2023 to have NAMMA's staff carry on its activities until 2027. [5]

ICMA considers itself an enabling network, strengthening partnerships among members and across denominations to provide a continuum of care for seafarers who move from port to port. This is achieved by regional and global meetings and conferences, a network directory, communication systems and ecumenical relations.

ICMA members employ more than 1,000 port chaplains and many more volunteer personnel. They also maintain more than 400 seafarers' centres and other shore-based welfare facilities and services in many international sea- and river ports. Its members specialise in providing face-to-face frontline pastoral care to seafarers, fishers and families in ports, on board and at home.

The Association's ministry of advocacy for seafarers rights and justice is achieved by participating in the United Nations' International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). ICMA contributed to the formulation and ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006. Members of the ICMA network also provides legal advice for chaplains who support seafarers. For example, The Mission to Seafarers has a Justice desk in London and the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey (SCI) runs the Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA) (formerly Center for Seafarers' Rights) from its office in New Orleans.

ICMA collaborates in social partnership with the industry to promote the dignity and welfare of seafarers. ICMA members cooperate locally with unions and representatives of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), shipping companies, agents and governments. ICMA is a member of the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network.

Member organisations

Member organisations include: [6]

Further reading

Bill Down, “Seafarers,” in Chaplaincy: The Church's Sector Ministries, ed. Giles Legood (London: Cassell, 1999).

Kaarlo Kalliala, Strangership: A Theological Étude on Strangers Abroad and Aboard. Trans. Hal Martin (Helsinki: The Finnish Seamen's Mission, 1997).

Roald Kverndal, Seamen's Missions: Their Origin and Early Growth, 1986.

Roald Kverndal, The Way of the Sea: The Changing Shape of Mission in the Seafaring World, 2007.

Roald Kverndal, George Charles Smith of Penzance: From Nelson Sailor to Mission Pioneer, 2012.

R.W.H. Miller, The Church and the Merchant Seafarer: An Introductory History (Cambridge: Lutterworth, 2012).

Paul G. Mooney, Maritime Mission: History, Developments, A New Perspective (Zoetermeer: Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, 2005).

Paul G. Mooney, “Serving Seafarers Under Sail and Steam: A Missiological Reflection on the Development of Maritime Missions from 1779 to 1945,” Occasional Papers of the International Association for the Study of Maritime Mission (June 2000).

Paul G. Mooney, A History of ICMA. ICMA, 2019.

Vincent A. Yzermans, American Catholic Seafarers’ Church: A narrative history of the Apostleship of Sea and the National Catholic Conference for Seafarers in the United States (Washington: The National Catholic Conference for Seafarers in the United States, 1995).

Jason Zuidema and Kevin Walker, "'Welcoming the Orphans of Globalisation': The Case for Seafarers' Ministry," Science et Esprit 72/3 (2020): 311–324.

Jason Zuidema and David Wells, 50 Years of Caring for Seafarers in Port Houston. NAMMA, 2019.

Jason Zuidema, "Seafarers' ministry in ecumenical perspective," Studi emigrazione (April–June 2015): 249–260.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaplain</span> Spiritual representative attached to a secular institution

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The Mission to Seafarers is a Christian welfare charity serving merchant crews around the world. It operates through a global Mission 'family' network of chaplains, staff and volunteers and provides practical, emotional and spiritual support through ship visits, drop-in seafarers centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian Church Abroad</span> Religious organization serving Scandinavians traveling abroad

The Norwegian Church Abroad or The Norwegian Seamen’s Church is a religious organisation serving Norwegians and other Scandinavians travelling abroad. Founded in 1864, The Norwegian Seamen's Mission – Sjømannsmisjonen – was established to secure the moral and religious education of Scandinavian seafarers, but also to give them a "breathing room" where a fellow countryman was available to lend an ear and give some attention. Today, the churches and their staff together with travelling pastors around the globe represent a "resource center" for all Norwegians travelling internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish Seamen's Mission</span> Christian organisation

The Finnish Seamen's Mission was established in 1875. It was established to help Finns travelling abroad, particularly seafarers and migrant workers. It is a Christian organisation which provides church services and pastoral care, and also aims to provide cultural and social services to the Finnish community. The Secretary General (Pääsihteeri) as of 2015 is Hannu Suihkonen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Maris (seafarers' ministry)</span> Agency of the Catholic Church

Stella Maris is an international agency of the Catholic Church that provides pastoral care to seafarers, other maritime workers, and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centres for Seafarers</span> Ecumenical collaboration

Centres for Seafarers was an ecumenical collaboration between The Apostleship of the Sea, The Sailors Society and The Mission to Seafarers. It was a registered UK charity formed in 2006 and dissolved on 2 April 2019.

Sailors’ Society is an international Christian charity working in ports across the world. The organisation has chaplains and ship visitors in 91 global ports, who help seafarers and their families, from all faiths and none, with welfare and practical support.

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The United Seamen's Service, sometimes abbreviated as the USS, is a non-profit, federally chartered organization founded in 1942 to promote the welfare of American seafarers and their dependents, seafarers of all nations, US government military and civilian personnel, and other persons engaged in the maritime industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime Labour Convention</span> International Labour Organization Convention

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITF Seafarers' Trust</span>

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The Merchant Navy Welfare Board is a registered charity located in Southampton, England, that acts as the welfare umbrella for the United Kingdom Merchant Navy and fishing fleet charity sector. Its mission statement is "Supporting the provision of quality welfare services for seafarers and their dependants."

Paul Gerard Mooney is, as of 2017, the dean of Ferns.

The International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) is an international NGO and UK registered charity that aims to assists seafarers and their families. ISWAN is the result of a merger between two organisations. These were the International Committee on Seafarers' Welfare (ICSW) and the International Seafarers Assistance Network (ISAN). ICSW was formed in 1973 and ISAN was established in the late 1990s. These two welfare bodies merged in April 2013 to form ISWAN. ISWAN's headquarters are in Croydon, Greater London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duckdalben International Seamen's Club</span> Seamens club

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Daisuke Kitagawa (1910–1970) was a reverend and episcopal priest who was a leader in racial justice and social justice movements.

The German Seamen's Mission is a Protestant organization centered in Germany that provides pastoral and social welfare services to commercial seafarers. It operates seafarers' centers in Germany and internationally, with full-time and voluntary workers. The Mission's offices are in Hamburg.

The North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) is an ecumenical Christian seafarers’ welfare organization and professional association for seafarers’ welfare workers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mooney, Paul (2019). A History of ICMA. ICMA. ISBN   9780990582380.
  2. 1 2 Kverndal, Roald (2007). The Way of the Sea. William Carey Library. ISBN   9780878083664.
  3. ↑ "About ICMA". ICMA.as. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Code of Conduct" (PDF). ICMA.as. May 6, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ "ICMA and NAMMA Extend Partnership Agreement – ICMA". 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  6. ↑ "ICMA Members – ICMA" . Retrieved 2022-01-14.
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