翻譯: 鍾來興
在一艘巨大郵輪的蔭蔽下，一個帳篷正矗立在維多利亞市的 Odgen Point，它肩負著一顆奇妙的福音傳播使命。這簡陋的場地在五至九月忙碌碌地接待那些停泊在這裡的郵輪上工作一批又一批的海員。
在最近的日子裡，很多本地教會的基督徒都在慶祝維多利亞市海員事工(以下簡稱「維事工」)的開展。他們都聚集一起同心合意禱告，求神大大使用這個事工去接觸更多的海員，好叫他們都認識耶穌基督。事實上，在維多利亞市向海員傳福音可追溯至開埠的日子。當時，第一位基督教主教 Bishop Cridge 便帶領會眾來到港口為到埗的海員做崇拜。150 多年後的今天，我們還是有機會參與同樣的福音事工。
海員福音事工源於十九世紀初的英國，眼見那些基督徒海員因工作關係而被孤立，又得不到屬靈的餵養，教士們開始走到船上探訪海員，漸漸地便有了全職的傳道人專門服侍他們。時至 200 年後的今天，很多的海員福音事工已在世界不同的港口開展。
「維事工」隸屬北溫哥華海員事工，事工的主任傳道T eus Kappers 及太太 Maria 主持了「維事工」的開幕禮，並述說神在過往如何呼召他們從英國來到這裡作為開展北溫哥華海員事工的先鋒。
早在 1980，Kappers 夫婦已在倫敦服侍一班海員，因著神的帶領，他們與一批正計劃開展本地服侍海員事工的溫哥華基督徒開始聯繫起來。經過短暫的商討，夫婦二人便帶著三個幼小的兒女遠道溫哥華並成立北溫哥華海員事工。事工正式在 1981 年登記成立，之後，在兩個港口（另一港口是素里）設立中心服侍在貨輪上工作的海員。中心除了熱情款待海員使用其設施外（如電話、上網），更著重向他們傳揚福音訊息。在過往的30餘年裡，有來自多達120 國家超過40萬的海員曾經到訪兩個中心。除此之外，北溫哥華海員事工更協助乃磨(Nainamo) 及鲁拔太子鎮(Prince Rupert) 建立海員事工（詳情請參考網站 www.sealight.org 資料）。
熱情款待、對話、友誼、以致祈禱都是海員事工服侍的方式，亦是「維事工」的員工或義工所採用的模式向郵輪上的海員分享基督的福音訊息。在神的奇妙引領下，海員竟從不同的國家來到加拿大的港口！「維事工」的傳道 Cecil Kleu 最近便與幾十個到來使用互聯網及享用咖啡的海員交談，他們來自印度、菲律賓、印尼、及尼泊爾，而這些國家中有些是不容許宣教士入境的，但這些海員卻可在加拿大奇妙地聽聞福音(譯者按: 最近亦有不少的中國海員到訪) 。
弟兄姊妹若有興趣透過海員事工事奉神，可參予的工作包括:代禱、做曲奇、織冷帽、招待、傳福音以致奉獻金錢。垂詢請致電 604-988-5084 林楚基傳道或電郵 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.。
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Lighthouse Mission opens in Victoria
- (Taken from article written by Dan Rutherford)
Dwarfed under the shadow of one of the mighty cruise ships berthed at Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C. is a tent which is the site of a wonderful new outreach ministry. This humble site is a place of welcome for some of the multitude of cruise ship crews who visit Victoria weekly during the May to September cruise ship season.
Recently, Christians from a variety of local Churches celebrated the grand opening of the Victoria Crews Ministry (VCM). They gathered to pray that God would use the work to reach many people for Christ. Those present were reminded that outreach to sailors in Victoria dates back to the founding of the City. The first protestant pastor, Bishop Cridge, was known to take his congregation down to the harbour where services were then held for arriving crew members. Now, some 150 years later, new opportunities are available to do the same Gospel work.
Missions for seafarers (formerly called "seamen") were formally begun in the United Kingdom in the early 1800s to care specifically for those who are isolated in their Christian faith because of their occupation. In response to the recognition of this need, clergy began visiting sailors aboard their ships and this led, eventually, to the establishment of full-time chaplaincies for seafarers. Almost two hundred years later, missions for seafarers exist in many ports around the world.
VCM is a new ministry of a North Vancouver based mission for seafarers called Lighthouse Harbour Ministries (LHM). LHM Senior Chaplain Teus Kappers and his wife, Maria, were on hand at the opening ceremony for the VCM and Teus spoke about how God had called them from the U.K. to help pioneer the Lighthouse Ministry.
In the early 1980s the Kappers, who had been serving the Lord among seafarers in London, were divinely connected to a group of Vancouver Christians that was considering the formation of a local ministry to seafarers. The two parties met and shortly thereafter the couple, along with their three young children, were on their way to Vancouver to help establish LHM. Since its official registration in 1981 the Ministry has established two seafarer centres in the Lower Mainland. These are places where warm hospitality is combined with a Gospel outreach for crew members who work aboard cargo ships. Over four hundred thousand crew members from over one hundred and twenty nationalities have visited the Ministry's centres over the past three decades and LHM has also been instrumental in the establishment of seafarers outreaches in Nanaimo and Prince Rupert (see www.sealight.org for more information).
Hospitality, conversation, friendship and prayer have always been central in the Ministry of LHM and they are also the means commonly used by VCM workers to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the cruise ship crew members. It is remarkable to see how God is bringing the nations of the earth to Canada's shores on ships! VCM chaplain, Cecil Kleu, shared about a recent evening at the crew tent when dozens of crew members from India, Philippines, Indonesia and Nepal crowded in to use the internet, chat and have coffee. Some of these are countries are restricted to missionaries but, amazingly, the Lord has brought their people to Canada!
Those who are interested in serving the Lord through VCM can do so in a variety of ways. Help is needed in the areas of prayer, biscuit baking, toque knitting, hospitality, chaplaincy and the provision of finances. For more information, please contact Lighthouse Harbour Ministries Vancouver at 604-988-5084 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.