One man
Many hats

Besides being the Boston Mission Director and Senior Port Chaplain, Bill is an accomplished Biblical Storyteller and model ship builder!

At right with his completed model of the SV Danmark.

My plans to attend a Saturday storytelling concert and dual workshops offered by our sister Tracy Radosevic at a local Boston-area church were interrupted by a message from a ship's agent the day before.  There was a critical incident that would require the presence of the Senior Port Chaplain: the Filipino captain of a ship waiting to dock had committed suicide out at anchorage.  All day Saturday I was on standby waiting for the ship to dock and then to be granted permission from the government authorities to board the vessel so as to be with the crew.  By the time I was eagerly welcomed aboard by both the officials and the crew, it was Sunday afternoon, and I was the only non-government person allowed across the  gangway of the ALTA MIRA FLORES (except for the ship's agent and nine newly arriving crew.)  There were many issues to address, as one might expect, with a suicide: suspicion of foul play: crew from two different cultures: and serious storm damage to the ship.  On top of this, nine of the Chinese crew were to have flown home that morning, but now had no way to tell their families that they would not be on the flight arriving in Beijing in 18 hours.

Fortunately, I was able to attend the worship service and brunch at the Swampscott church Sunday morning to say hello to Tracy and see her tell several stories, one of which was Jesus calming the sea with the disciples in the boat.  Later that evening, as things were settling down aboard the ship and I had done some pastoral "triage", the new Polish captain asked me to conduct a Sunday night worship experience for the crew that might include a memorial service for the departed captain.  What message should I bring?  What Scripture should I use?  Tracy's rendition of the "Calming of the Storm" story that morning immediately came to mind.

When I told that story in worship, I could see in the eyes of the crew an immediate resonance with the terrified disciples in the storm, and that just as Jesus calmed the storm and the disciples, God was present there on the bridge to calm them in the midst of their storm.  After the service, the crew had a new sense of peace.  In fact, the new captain commented on his amazement of both the power of the story and the calming effect it and the service had had on his new crew.  Never before Had I encountered such a confirmation of our gift of biblical storytelling and the value of our Network.  God does work wonders through us!

 Ten days later when the ship finally left, with my blessing the vessel just before departure, I waved goodbye as it passed through the drawbridge.  The captain spotted me, went into the wheel house, and let go with a long blast of the ship's horn in an "amen" salute.

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