Steve Combe recently achieved a long-held dream when he was cleared to board his first ship as Chaplain to Seafarers.
The seafarers on board also welcomed the contact, something that stopped more than two years ago when shore leave ended in the pandemic.
Steve said it was a privilege to be invited on board, to have the opportunity to talk and pray with seafarers and give them copies of the Bible.
There is so much opportunity for these guys to hear about Jesus but they are restricted in their mechanisms to hear the good news and so seafaring chaplaincy is such an important ministry.
Steve said that he has wanted to do ‘chaplaincy on water’ ever since he joined the Royal Australian Navy 15 years ago.
He completed theological study after leaving the military and until last year was serving at Broome Anglican Church before moving to Karratha/Dampier in 2022.
“The pidgin English I learned to speak with Aboriginal people in the Kimberley has been really helpful,” he said.
“English is the official maritime language worldwide, so seafarers have to have some English to function at sea.
“I find the simplified English I used in Broome is useful when talking with Chinese or Indian or other non-English speaking nationalities.
“Because of my Navy background, I can understand a little of their life and challenges in being away from home for months and months.
Please pray for limits on shore leave to be lifted so they can escape the confines of the ship and enjoy some rest and recreation.