Statement of Mission

as unanimously adopted by the Annual Assembly in New Orleans
September 24, 1990.

In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him. ... The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:13,14)

Through the gift of faith we abide in Jesus Christ. We experience life in new ways. Our discovery is not that of a last word, completed; but of a process. We know His presence. With our lives and experiences, we humbly share our own presence, our being, our values, our convictions, our faith, our beliefs. We have relationships with dimensions that are common and different, distinct and new.

Sensitive to one another, we listen attentively in order to understand, to receive, to accept, to respect, to value, and to grow together. We find areas of agreement, areas in question, and even areas of disagreement. Painfully and joyfully, we discover that words can mean different things to different people.
In order that Jesus Christ and we may be understood, received, accepted, respected, and valued, we sincerely cherish opportunities to be fully present to one another.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we manifest our common belief . . .

• by initiating -- by going to seafarers and their families in person to acknowledge their dignity, presence and worth; to receive them; to welcome them; to journey with them in life port-by-port. It is our common belief that God took the initiative creating and continues to take the initiative in saving and sustaining His people. We believe that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, in person to redeem all people and all of creation. We believe that Christ commissioned His followers to be His presence in this world and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Christ entered our story and shared His story, a life of love filled with grace, peace, and justice extending to all peoples.
• by standing with seafarers and their families in radical equality, and unconditional love.
• by serving seafarers and their families by inviting them in turn to serve others.
• by standing up for seafarers and their families as advocates of their human - rights and dignity.

We cherish the common foundation we have in the Old and New Testaments, and in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

In accordance with Christ's Great Commission to

Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. (Matthew 28:18-20 JB)

we invite all people to follow Him.

Through witnessing to our faith by word and deed, we seek to evangelize and invite. We proclaim the Word. We do not impose upon others. We long for a unity that respects diversity. We are committed to ecumenical collaboration, and the promotion of community in Christ on land and sea. We affirm a human solidarity that respects plurality of cultures and peoples, and which can be enriched by dialogue with persons of other faiths. We share a passion for life, and compassion not only for seafarers and their families, but also for all people when life is threatened, diminished and denied through ignorance, insensitivity, or injustice.
In summary, we journey together with the humble awareness that all of life is gift from a gracious God revealed to us in Jesus, the Christ, who invites and values our response through a ministry of presence, witness, service, and advocacy to, with, and for seafarers and their families. Conscious of the complexity and incompleteness awaiting the coming of the fullness of the Kingdom of God, we walk together in faith guided by this motto:

Agreement in essentials, freedom in non-essentials, love in everything!

North American Maritime Ministries Association
Rev. Lloyd Burghart
Executive Secretary - NAMMA
US: Box 2434, Niagara Falls, NY 14302
CAN: 13-159 Canboro Rd., Fonthill, ON L0S 1E5
NAMMA Phone: 905-892-8818
Mobile: 905-327-0448
to send e-mail to the Rev. Lloyd Burghart

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