Bricks for Haiti Campaign: A HUGE Success!

[From our Bishop, The Right Rev. Gregory H. Rickel]

Dear Ones,

Today, I am full of gratitude for your generosity and for your vision. When our diocese joined the effort to help rebuild Holy Trinity Cathedral in Haiti, I knew to expect great things. Our diocese has a long history of responding to the needs of others, both abroad and at home. Our dedicated parish lay leaders and clergy "walked the walk" in supporting recovery in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, fighting malaria in Africa through NetsforLife, and providing clean water through the Wine Into Water campaign. I knew that despite the daily demands of your lives and the economic challenges of our time, you would share generously of all your gifts in answering the call of our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Today, I am pleased to say that the people of the Diocese of Olympia have exceeded all our hopes
and expectations! Working together, the members of more than 65 churches have contributed over $118,700 toward rebuilding the center of spiritual life and community in the largest and poorest diocese of the Episcopal Church. As is typical for our diverse diocese, each church "did it their own way" -- tailoring the campaign to fit their talents, capabilities and priorities. We know that some gave directly, individually, and that was just as crucial and appreciated in our reaching this goal. As a result, our diocese is one of the most generous in "grass-roots giving" in the Episcopal Church. Thank you! I give special thanks to all of the local organizers, and most especially to the person I entrusted with this campaign, and who "knocked it out of the park" Jennifer Daugherty. She has proven herself an amazing leader.

As the Bishop of Haiti has said, your generosity will do more than raise up bricks and cement. It  ill raise the hopes of a people who have lost so much of their earthly habitation. It will raise the spirit of a community made weary, and it will inspire the minds and hearts of the young men and women who knew Trinity as their intellectual and artistic home. On behalf of them all, I am deeply grateful and I bless you.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel
Bishop of Olympia

Always There for Seafarers in 250 Ports Worldwide

Piracy, shipwreck, abandonment and separation from loved ones are just a few of the problems merchant seafarers face. Here in the Port of Seattle, The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) provides help and support for many of the 50,000 men and women from seventy or more nations whose efforts secure billions of dollars of products from logs and agricultural goods, to electronics and aircraft parts. Our port is vital to our local economy, providing up to two hundred thousand jobs in this state alone.

St. Peter's volunteering at the Port of Seattle MtS in 2011

For cruise ship employees, often away from their families for up to ten months a year, we provide transportation to the City Center where they can spend their time shopping, get needed medical care and pharmacy services, and a meal away from the ship. Our shuttle service between Pier 91 and Downtown Seattle is a vital link for hundreds of cruise ship employees who have only a few short hours away from the ship.

As a Christian agency, we work in 250 ports worldwide caring for seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs. Through our global network of chaplains, staff and volunteers we offer practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers through ship visits, drop-in centers and a range of welfare and emergency support services.

In over 100 ports our Flying Angel centers provide a ‘home away from home’ for seafarers who may have been at sea for up to two years. Here they can enjoy time away from their ship and use internet and phone facilities to get in touch with loved ones after months away.

In an emergency, the MtS is often the only help on offer. No matter what problem a seafarer is facing, be it injury, abandonment, non-payment of wages or personal difficulties, they know they can turn to the local Mission for help, advice and support. Our chaplains and volunteers offer practical and financial support, advocacy services, family liaison or simply a space to talk in a time of crisis.

The Mission to Seafarers was founded in 1856 and is entirely funded by voluntary donations.