A ‘Home’ Away From Home

Before You Go

By Anthony Bucci, Contributing Writer On Sep 29, 2016

The International Seafarer’s Center of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) dates back to 1834, when the East River in Manhattan was bustling with ships. In the 1960s, most of the operations of New York’s port moved to New Jersey so SCI moved with them, building a center that today provides a “home away from home” for the men and women of the maritime industry.

Stephen Lyman, the director of SCI’s International Seafarer’s Center, says the personal, professional and spiritual welfare of seafarers and mariners is what the center strives for.

“We care for mariners’ spiritual needs via full-time chaplains and volunteers, mostly on board the ships that are on call at Port Newark,” he says. However, SCI also has an 18,000-square-foot building, where mariners, as well as port workers, can visit if they so choose.

“Sometimes, the individuals who come to the port aren’t looking for formal spiritual services,” Lyman says. “We don’t force people to be religious in any way. If they ask us for prayers or a blessing, then we will provide them with that.”

In 2015, approximately 18,400 people passed though the center, of which 8,800 were seafarers. Those who arrive at the port from all over the world can stay for as little as six hours, to up to two days, on average.

“Many times when ships come to the ports, the crews do not have much time here,” Lyman says. “Often, they still have work to do aboard their ships, so time is precious. But, when they are able to leave, they have a comfortable place to come to.”

Additionally, the center has phones where visitors can use their own phone cards to call their families, and computers with Wi-Fi so they can use the Internet. It also has a gym and a large outdoor space, where visitors can play basketball or kick around a soccer ball. The center even transports seafarers to local stores, to buy anything they may want or need.

“When seafarers come into the port, they are basically traveling, working and living in the same rooms for the six to eight months that they are on contract,” Lyman says. “So, it is nice when they have some free time to get out, stretch their legs and see something different than their living quarters. And, in 2015, we transported approximately 14,000 individuals to local shopping centers to make any purchases that they’d like.”

The irony is that many of those products in malls and shopping centers are there because of seafarers.

“I never really thought about the impact seafarers have on all types of industries before I came to the center,” Lyman concludes. “The clothes we wear, the electronics we use – and much more – are here because of them. And those within the maritime industry are passionate about what they do. So, it is our responsibility to take care of them when they are here and make them feel ‘at home’ when they are away from their homes.”