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MARINERS DEPEND ON SCI.
SCI DEPENDS ON YOU.
| | Left to right: SCI Chaplains, the Rev. Geoffrey Davis, the Rev. Grace Pardun, and Chaplain Associate, Glenn Mason, with ditty bags for mariners as part of the Christmas at Sea on the River Program | | |
IN THIS ISSUE – December 2025
- 25th River Bell Awards Luncheon
- Engaging the Maritime Community: Industry Outreach at the International WorkBoat Show
- Protecting Vulnerable Mariners and Seafarers
- No Mariner Stands Alone—Finding Connection on the Road to Recovery
- Adopt a Crew: A Year-Round Expression of Support
- A Season of Gratitude and Community: Christmas Services at SCI
- From the Archives: Robert Moses and the Transformation of South Street
| | THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS | |
From all of us at The Seamen’s Church Institute, thank you for your support. May this Christmas season bring peace, joy, and renewal to you and your family, and may the New Year be filled with hope and blessings. | | |
The 2025 River Bell Awards Luncheon, one of the inland maritime industry’s most prominent annual gatherings, was held in Paducah on December 11. This year’s luncheon welcomed well over 600 attendees, setting a new River Bell record, as the community came together to celebrate the industry and recognize outstanding leadership and service.
Congratulations to our award recipients this year. The River Bell Award was presented to George G. Leavell, CEO of Wepfer Group, LLC. The River Legend Award honored William R. Barr of Amherst Madison. And, the Distinguished Service Award was given to Marty Hettel of American Commercial Barge Line.
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This year’s Life Saving Awards recognized two heroic crews: the crew of the MV Susan Robinson of Crounse Corporation, for rescuing mariners from a capsized vessel at the Olmsted Lock in June 2024; and the crew of the Mary Moran, Moran Towing of New Orleans, honored for pulling mariners from the water following a towboat–tanker collision on the Lower Mississippi River near New Orleans in late December 2023.
“We had a fantastic gathering for this 25th River Bell, and we’re truly proud of the maritime leaders we’ve honored today,” said the Seamen’s Church Institute President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt. “The River Bell is a highlight of our year, and it’s always a joy to come together with our maritime friends and colleagues to begin the holiday season. We are incredibly grateful to our sponsors, event chairs, and donors. The success of this annual event would not be possible without them.”
The event raised more than $530,000 in support of SCI’s Chaplaincy, Crisis Response, Advocacy, and Training programs for mariners. Special thanks go to event chairs Aaron Barrett of Ingram Barge Company and Damon Judd of Marquette Transportation for their leadership and enthusiasm, along with the dedicated River Bell committee members who helped make the event a success.
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2025 River Bell Awards – December 2025 | River Bell Award
Pictured left to right are Damon Judd of Marquette Transportation, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; Aaron Barrett of Ingram Barge Company, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; John Wepfer of Wepfer Group, LLC; George G. Leavell of Wepfer Group, LLC, recipient of the 2025 River Bell Award; and the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute.
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2025 River Legend Award
Pictured left to right are Damon Judd of Marquette Transportation, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute; William R. Barr of Amherst Madison, recipient of the River Legend Award; and Robert McCoy of Amherst Madison.
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2025 Distinguished Service Award
Pictured left to right are Damon Judd of Marquette Transportation, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; Aaron Barrett of Ingram Barge Company, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute; Marty Hettel of American Commercial Barge Line, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award; and Mark Knoy, Chair of the Seamen’s Church Institute Board of Trustees.
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2025 Life Saving Award (Crounse Corporation)
Pictured left to right are Aaron Barrett of Ingram Barge Company, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; representatives of Crounse Corporation and six members of the crew of the M/V Susan Robinson, recipients of the 2025 Lifesaving Award; Mary McCarthy of Moran Towing Corporation and SCI Trustee; and the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute.
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2025 Life Saving Award (Moran Towing Corporation)
Pictured left to right are Damon Judd of Marquette Transportation, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; Aaron Barrett of Ingram Barge Company, River Bell Awards Committee Co-Chair; two members of the crew of the M/V Mary Moran, recipients of the 2025 Lifesaving Award; Mary McCarthy of Moran Towing Corporation and SCI Trustee; and the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute.
| | Watch the Life Saving Award Recipient Videos Below | | Engaging the Maritime Community: Industry Outreach at the International WorkBoat Show | | |
Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of SCI's Center for Mariner Advocacy, regularly attends maritime industry events to better understand the issues currently affecting mariners. Most recently, Phil attended the International WorkBoat Show on December 3 in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of the largest commercial marine trade shows in North America, the event attracts thousands of professionals from the commercial marine, offshore, and workboat industries.
While at the show, Phil “walked the floor,” giving him the opportunity to meet and engage with a wide range of members of the maritime community. He also attended several related events held alongside the show, where he was able to connect with industry professionals in a more informal setting and further foster relationships with these professionals and their work. These opportunities to attend industry events allow Phil to stay informed about emerging challenges facing mariners and allow him to build relationships and share both the mission of the Seamen’s Church Institute and the work within the Center for Mariner Advocacy with new members of the maritime industry.
| | Protecting Vulnerable Mariners and Seafarers | | |
by Phil Shifflin, Esq.
Director of SCI's Center for Mariner Advocacy
from the December 2025 Quarterly Activity Report
As the Director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA), I am privileged to lead an organization that consistently steps in to defend the rights of seafarers facing unfair treatment. One recent case stands out as a testament to our commitment.
An Indian seafarer reached out to me seeking assistance because his contract was being terminated four months early, and no one had told him why. The seafarer had asked for the reasons for his early termination from both the vessel’s master and the manning agency, but both had ignored his request for an explanation.
I reviewed his employment contract and noted that he was covered by a CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and that his contract was an ITF (International Transport Workers Federation) contract. Although the seafarer was unable to forward a copy of the CBA, I thought it was likely that the CBA included provisions that would be applicable to the early termination. I determined that the vessel’s next port of call was Houston, TX, where I have a good relationship with the local ITF inspector (we had collaborated on previous seafarer cases). Since this was an ITF contract, the ITF inspector would likely be able to gain access to the CBA and be in a stronger position to enforce the CBA provisions. After getting the seafarer’s permission, I shared the details of the case with the ITF inspector. The ITF inspector then made inquiries to the company about apparent violations of the CBA provisions related to the early termination. In response to this inquiry, company representatives presented documents to the ITF inspector that appeared to fulfill the CBA process requirements. The documents alleged that the seafarer in question had failed to satisfactorily perform certain duties that resulted in a pollution incident occurring, and this was the reason his contract was being terminated early.
I then shared these documents with the seafarer, who advised that he had never seen them before and believed they were created after the ITF inspector made the inquiry. The seafarer further denied being the individual who caused the pollution incident; rather, it was another officer on the vessel who had previously sailed with the vessel’s master, and as such, they were good friends. In short, the seafarer now understood why no one would tell him the reason he was being sent home early. The blame for the pollution incident was being attributed to him, even though that was not factually correct. The seafarer had documents (logs, emails, etc.) to support his version of the events. Once the vessel moored in Houston, TX, and armed with this information, the ITF inspector visited the vessel, conducted his own inquiry, and found the seafarer’s version of the events to be credible. When confronted with the facts, a company representative, who had not been previously involved, withdrew the documents that attributed the oil spill to the seafarer and prepared a new evaluation of the seafarer’s work that accurately reflected the seafarer’s satisfactory performance.
Considering the circumstances, the seafarer elected to depart the vessel early because he no longer felt he could work with the Master and the other officers, since they had tried to hurt his career to protect another. The seafarer was very thankful to the Center for Mariner Advocacy and the ITF inspector for working collaboratively to find the truth and to help protect his career.
SCI's Center for Mariner Advocacy has always worked to assist seafarers who are dealing with a wide range of on-the-job challenges such as abandonment, repatriation, shore leave, injuries, living conditions, contract disputes, and wages. The seafarers whom CMA assists are often in very vulnerable situations and feel like they have no-one else to turn to.
| | No Mariner Stands Alone—Finding Connection on the Road to Recovery | | |
by the Rev. Grace Pardun
Supervisory Chaplain, Ministry on the River, Upper Mississippi & Ohio River Region
We often expect our members of the clergy, our pastor, and even our chaplain, to embody a certain level of reverence—to have a deep and rich spiritual life, and to be a living model of self-control and morality. While, as a chaplain, I feel that I am both spiritual and disciplined, I’m certainly not perfect. And with that, I wanted to share that I am grateful to be seven years sober.
With this article, I am choosing to touch on my own recovery journey, one that began in “fits and restarts,” because I want you to know that if you are a mariner and are struggling with sobriety, I get it. You’re not going to get any judgment from me, only grace (pun intended). I choose to be open about my recovery because someone I cared about first modeled that openness for me.
Several years ago, I encountered a friend, let us call him Jake, at a bar. I noticed he was drinking a plain soda, not as a mixer, but on its own. At the time, it had never occurred to me that I could be in a bar and simply choose not to drink alcohol. Jake shared that he was approaching one year of sobriety. This simple admission challenged my assumptions. I remember thinking, “You can stop drinking, and life continues?” What I did not yet understand was that life does more than continue; it has the potential to expand.
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Sobriety wasn’t easy. I had to quit alcohol a few times before sobriety stuck. The cravings lingered much longer than I anticipated. I had to let go of long-standing habits and cultivate new, healthier ones. I had to fully awaken to my own life and make difficult decisions, both for myself and for the relationships that mattered to me. For many, the recovery journey often leads through rocky and unforgiving terrain. That is precisely why, if you are considering confronting addiction, it is essential to know this: you do not have to walk that road alone.
In his 2015 TED Talk, Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong, Johann Hari suggests that the opposite of addiction is not sobriety but rather connection. This can be a difficult concept to accept, especially since sharing a drink with friends often feels like a meaningful way to bond. Yet, in retrospect, I recognize that I was not truly connecting. I may have been socializing and enjoying myself, but beneath the surface, I remained profoundly lonely. I relied on alcohol to dull my senses and soften the sharper edges of life until, eventually, even that coping mechanism failed me. What I needed was not another drink, but a genuine human connection.
And it was this desire for a meaningful connection that helped me to wake up to this new life, this sober life. I found the connections I was looking for in friends like Jake, who paved the way for me, clergy friends in recovery who held my hand while I tripped and stumbled on the rocky terrain, and new friends in 12-Step programs—they were and are happy just to see me there.
Recovery, to me, is not an ending but the beginning of an entirely new way of living. It calls to mind Jesus’ words to the disciples: “You must lose your life to gain it.” I had to release my former self in order to grow into who I am today—a chaplain who is far from perfect, yet profoundly grateful for the new life I am pursuing.
I am open about my recovery journey. If my story connects with you, if my openness makes you feel safer to reach out for help, realize again that you are not alone. Your journey, like mine, won’t be easy, but I, or our SCI Chaplains, or one of our Chaplain Associates, is ready to be a connection for you.
We’re here to stand beside you —24/7—just call 800.708.1998. We would be happy just to see or hear from you.
| | Adopt a Crew: A Year-Round Expression of Support | | Second from right: SCI Chaplain Michelle McWilliams visits with seafarers in Port Newark. | | |
by Chaplain Michelle McWilliams
International Seafarers' Center, Port of New York and New Jersey
From the December 2025 Quarterly Activity Report
Adopt a Crew is a new volunteer initiative implemented by SCI this year. It provides port and other maritime companies with the opportunity to volunteer in their own space by assembling care packages for a crew on a vessel. We provide them with a list of recommended items and other guidelines, but allow them the freedom to pack when and how they wish.
In the summer, Maher Terminals was the first to participate, packing eight care packages for Adopt a Crew. SCI Chaplain, the Rev. Dr. Bill Allport was able to take them to tugs in the area while conducting ship visits. This fall, we had Ocean Network Express (ONE) sign up to Adopt a Crew, and they participated across the country at eight of their offices, putting together a total of 800 care packages.
I’ve already been able to deliver packages to several container and roll-on/roll-off vessels, and the feedback has been exceptional, much like that which we experience with Christmas at Sea. Unlike that program, however, this one isn’t limited to a single month, giving us as Chaplains much more flexibility. When deciding where to deliver, I take into account factors such as low crew morale and whether seafarers lack visas to go ashore. As temperatures continue to fall, Adopt a Crew has given us yet another meaningful way to bring comfort on board. For instance, when I recently distributed packages on the M/V Morning Champion, I watched the crew members’ expressions brighten instantly. The megawatt smiles are always priceless.
After spending considerable time talking with the AB and OS on the deck of the Kyoto Express, and later with the Chief Officer and Chief Engineer, I knew this was an ideal vessel to receive Adopt a Crew packages. As I prepared to leave, I told the C/O that I would return shortly with 25 care packages. He was momentarily speechless. When I came back, he expressed deep gratitude, saying how much the crew needed this boost. He explained that they had been extremely busy with repairs, operations, and inspections up the coast, leaving little time for rest. On top of that, only a few crew members could take shore leave because of tight schedules or lack of visas.
Adopt a Crew offers seafarers a gentle yet meaningful reminder that they are valued—and that SCI is here whenever they need support. As a Chaplain, I really appreciate this new program and being able to have another tool to utilize to foster connections during a ship visit. Fellow SCI Chaplains, the Rev. James Kollin and the Rev. Dr. Bill Allport, are also delivering, often to tanker and bulk vessels, and have shared similar expressions of deep appreciation from the crews.
| | A Season of Gratitude and Community: Christmas Services at SCI | |
This month, Seamen’s Church Institute welcomed mariners, maritime personnel, and their families to two joyful Christmas Services and Celebrations—gatherings rooted in gratitude, fellowship, and the enduring spirit of the maritime community.
Port Newark, NJ – International Seafarers’ Center
On December 17, SCI hosted its second annual Christmas Service and Celebration at the International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark. Approximately 40 mariners, port partners, volunteers, and members of the maritime community gathered for a festive event filled with warmth and connection.
The celebration included a brief, bright, and welcoming holiday service with live music, beloved carols, and an abundance of food and drink. The event was a joyful expression of gratitude for the work of seafarers, the strength of port communities, and the relationships that sustain SCI’s mission throughout the year.
Paducah, KY – Center for Maritime Education
Also on December 17, SCI’s Center for Maritime Education in Paducah opened its doors for the launch of its own inaugural Christmas Service. The service offered mariners, maritime professionals, and their loved ones a meaningful pause during the busy holiday season—a chance to reflect, give thanks, and celebrate together in community.
Together, these celebrations reflected SCI’s ongoing commitment to meeting mariners where they are—offering hospitality, spiritual care, and community during the holidays and all year long.
| | SCI Supervisory Chaplain for Ministry on the River, the Rev. Grace Pardun, presiding over the first Christmas Service and Celebration at the Center for Maritime Education in Paducah, KY. | | |
These photos highlight the generosity of our amazing volunteers who made Christmas at Sea and Christmas at Sea on the River possible.
From knitting and crocheting warm hats and scarves to sewing ditty bags and packing Santa sacks for our chaplains, your time and care help deliver warmth and holiday cheer to mariners and seafarers. Deliveries will continue into the new year, ensuring this spirit of giving reaches even more mariners.
Thank you for all you do.
| | Robert Moses and the Transformation of South Street | | |
On December 18, 1888, the person who did more than anyone else to shape New York City, notably its shorelines, bridges, and highways, the "power broker" Robert Moses, was born.
South Street, the street of ships, had long been a place of extraordinary traffic congestion, and addressing this had been a civil engineering priority even before Robert Moses came into power.
Moses’s consolidated power was an important factor in making the highway known today as the FDR Drive. SCI celebrated the opening of the section adjacent to 25 South Street in May 1954, just two years before containerization began, resulting in the port moving to New Jersey.
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