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From the Spring 2023 Lookout

Chaplain Christine Brunson, an Episcopal priest and former counselor with experience working with veterans and trauma responders, joined SCI in January 2023. Christine is based at SCI-Houston and focuses her work on the Houston Ship Channel
and Gulf Coast region.

How did you come to find the job with SCI, and what motivated you to apply? Had you heard of the organization before you joined us?

I was having a conversation with my Transition Minister (the person in charge of helping clergy transition into new jobs), and she mentioned SCI. I was curious about it, but not sure. Despite having done years of work with military personnel and first responders, the maritime world felt unfamiliar to
me. However, as I read the job description for the Chaplain position, I felt drawn to it. I looked up at her and said, “This is me.” She gave me a knowing smile. When I got home, I pored over all I could learn about maritime ministry and port chaplaincy. That day, I emailed Mark Nestlehutt and the mutual discernment began. I had not heard of SCI before, but now my goal is to tell as many people as I can about this organization. Mariners are just as much a part of this country’s past as they are its future. Not only do we need them, we need to care for them. I am grateful to be on their care team.

How have you found your first few months as a maritime chaplain? Has anything surprised or challenged you?

My first few months in this work have been packed with trainings, conferences, and settling into my own style of chaplaincy. I am deeply enjoying it all. I love the thrill of driving into the Port Houston campus each morning and not knowing what will unfold that day. I love traveling the coast and meeting the various crews. As I step onto each vessel, I hold reverence for their space, and I say a prayer for the mariners I’m about to meet.

How do you see your role with the mariners you meet? What difference do you see SCI making to mariners?

I see my role with mariners as being a companion along the way for them. I hope they see a chaplain who respects their faith traditions, who will work hard to troubleshoot with them, and who will listen to anything they want to share. Working with mariners reminds me so much of working with military personnel and first responders. The culture is similar, so I’ve found it easy to talk with mariners and I especially enjoy connecting with them through humor. I also enjoy doing advocacy work for mariners at local churches and groups.

Through SCI’s ethos—in the very marrow of the organization—is a holistic approach to mariner care. When mariners see the SCI logo on my life vest, they often mention their memories of Christmas at Sea or training at the Center for Maritime Education here in Houston. SCI has built a reputation over the years, and I am proud to do this sacred work with our mariners. I am grateful to be their chaplain.

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Vessel: The Navigator

The Rev. Christine Brunson
Pastoral Activity Report, March 2023

Being escorted into the world of maritime ministry has been a holy adventure—an adventure filled with a joyfully steep learning curve. From onboarding with various chaplains, North American Maritime Ministry Association training, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, American Waterways information, and all the training in between, I have been thoroughly saturated in the beautiful work of SCI’s chaplaincy and the Ministry on the River program.

Throughout the flurry of preparations and classes over the past month, I found myself looking forward to the opportunity to board a vessel on my own, meet a crew, and simply be with them. I was eager to begin to figure out my style and to have time with the mariners.

Surveying the row of towboats on my first morning, solo, there was one name that caught my eye. As I climbed on board The Navigator, I felt a growing excitement and some nerves. I knocked and opened the door. It was as if I had walked into my own surprise party. I was greeted exuberantly by five cheerful crew members. They saw my SCI jacket, shook my hand, and greeted me as an old friend. With pleasantries exchanged and a demonstration of my security credential to the deckhand, the fun began. I immediately picked up on their humor and began slinging it back to them. We talked about surface level things with ease, which helped them feel comfortable as we moved into more deep-rooted issues in their lives. I stayed with that crew as I listened to their experiences on the water, their family dynamics off it, and their joy when they get a hand-made hat from Christmas at Sea. We talked about mariner advocacy and their hopes for their future careers. They know I am SCI’s first Houston-based chaplain, so at the end of our conversation, I told them The Navigator was my first boat to visit on my own. They celebrated that fact with gusto.

From them, I learned about the pride mariners have in their work, in their vessels, and in their vision for the future. From deckhand to captain, these men shared their common goals, with the understanding that these goals could only be reached with the participation of each member of their team. That solid teamwork is born from an atmosphere of respect. This crew loved and cared for each other. I know that they will continue to accomplish their goals, and I hope to be along with them for the ride.

I am grateful that The Navigator welcomed me onto their team. That is so much of what chaplaincy is—meeting people exactly as they are, where they are, and walking with them from there. I picked The Navigator as my first boat because of the name. I stayed because of the people. They are navigators themselves; they are the lifeblood of this country. What a joy it is to be invited onto their vessels and minister to them as we navigate this world together.