Tag Archives: port of houston

Seafarers Boxes Report 2017

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements, Men's Ministry and tagged with , , , ,

 

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Photo:  Boxes being unloaded at the Houston Seafarers Center.

 

Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers 2017

We had a fantastic year of preparing, packing and delivering the Christmas Boxes for the Port of Houston Seafarers.  Thank you to the numerous people who donated items, sorted items, packed boxes, wrapped the shoe boxes, and brought the items to the Houston Seafarers Center.  Thank you to the Men in Mission of MLLC for sponsoring this program each year.

Here is a bit of history of our preparation and sending of boxes:

In 2014 there were 34 boxes assembled.

In 2015 there were 50 boxes assembled.

In 2016 there were 49 boxes assembled.

In 2017 there were 63 boxes assembled.  This is a record high since we revived our participation in this ministry.

 

The Port of Houston Chaplains are our ambassadors to these seafarers. They visit the ships and bring the boxes to the crews. On their web site the chaplains tell us: “Crew sizes vary between 8 and 30, with an average number of 22 seafarers to gift per ship. In 2015, we placed 12,278 gifts on board 538 ships which had seafarers from 65 different countries! These gifts had been donated to the seafarers by 246 churches and organizations! The Christmas boxes are personally carried to each ship by your staff of Port Chaplains.” Their web site is here – Click Link.

Here are some photos of the work of assembling the boxes in November 2017.

 

Here are some photos of the new Houston Seafarers Center and the delivery of the boxes on November 28.

 

 

Getting Ready for the Next Time

For this year (2018), please gather items such as these for the men on the ships – you can buy things throughout the year and drop these off at any time. We will be assembling the boxes on Monday, November 26, 2018, at 6:00 p.m.

There is a large blue storage bin for this purpose in the room directly across from the church office.  Here is the list:
Empty shoe boxes or purchased plastic shoe boxes to pack the items.
Address books
Band-aids (fabric)
Baseball caps
2019 Calendars
Comb
Dental Floss
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Disposable razors
Flashlight and batteries
Kleenex – small packs
Lip balm
Lotion
Nail clippers
Gold Bond cream
Gold Bond powder
Hot Chocolate (individual serving size)
Needles and thread
Q-tips
Shaving cream
Soap
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Gum and hard candy
Key chains
Pocket-sized notebooks
Mechanical pencils
Pens
Playing cards
Microwave popcorn (individual packages)
Socks
Sudoku books
Texas souvenirs
T-shirts
USB flash drives
Word search books

 

Seafarers Boxes Packing – November 27

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements, Men's Ministry and tagged with , , ,

seafarers-2016-wrapping-2

We are looking forward to our packing day for the Christmas Boxes for the Port of Houston Seafarers.  This time of collecting items, packing, and then delivering the boxes has become a very positive part of our love for our neighbors.

The Packing Day is Monday, November 27.

We will gather in the Parlor – the room between the church offices and the sanctuary – at 7:00 p.m. with the Men in Mission to pack and wrap the boxes.  Every year friends of the Men in Mission participate.  That means that anybody who wants to gather for the fun, service and fellowship on this night are welcome.

You are also invited to gather items for the boxes.  Here is a link to our page about these items:  click this link.

Together we are sharing God’s goodness and love with others.  We look forward to seeing you on Monday, November 27, at 7:00 p.m.

2017 Christmas Boxes for Seafarers

Posted by mllccarmine in Men's Ministry and tagged with , , , , ,

seafarers-2016-group

Photo:  The packing crew for the 2016 Christmas Boxes for Seafarers.

 

Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers 2017

We are looking forward to another generous and joyful year of preparing and sending the Christmas Boxes for the Seafarers at the Port of Houston.  A few years ago we revived this ministry and it has gone quite well.  The Men in Mission organization of MLLC organizes this each year.  They are thankful for the congregational partnership in this caring ministry.

Here is a link to our special page about this project.  It will have the information from this page, plus updates as these become available.

Here is a bit of history of our preparation and sending of boxes:

In 2014 there were 34 boxes assembled.

In 2015 there were 50 boxes assembled.

In 2016 there were 49 boxes assembled.

 

The Port of Houston Chaplains are our ambassadors to these seafarers. They visit the ships and bring the boxes to the crews. On their web site the chaplains tell us: “Crew sizes vary between 8 and 30, with an average number of 22 seafarers to gift per ship. In 2015, we placed 12,278 gifts on board 538 ships which had seafarers from 65 different countries! These gifts had been donated to the seafarers by 246 churches and organizations! The Christmas boxes are personally carried to each ship by your staff of Port Chaplains.” Their web site is: http://houstonseafarers.com/

With our work together at MLLC we can help reach even more with the love of Jesus Christ.

Here is the official notice about this program from the Port of Houston Chaplains.  Click this link.

For this year (2017), please gather items such as these for the men on the ships – you can buy things throughout the year and drop these off at any time.  There is a large blue storage bin for this purpose in the room directly across from the church office:
Empty shoe boxes or purchased plastic shoe boxes to pack the items.
Address books
Band-aids (fabric)
Baseball caps
2018 Calendars
Comb
Dental Floss
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Disposable razors
Flashlight and batteries
Kleenex – small packs
Lip balm
Lotion
Nail clippers
Gold Bond cream
Gold Bond powder
Hot Chocolate (individual serving size)
Needles and thread
Q-tips
Shaving cream
Soap
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Gum and hard candy
Key chains
Pocket-sized notebooks
Mechanical pencils
Pens
Playing cards
Microwave popcorn (individual packages)
Socks
Sudoku books
Texas souvenirs
T-shirts
USB flash drives
Word search books

 

Here are some of the crew working, and some photos from when our boxes were delivered to the Houston International Seafarers Center.

Seafarers Boxes 2016

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Men's Ministry and tagged with , , , ,

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An Invitation to Love our Neighbors at the Port of Houston

We have begun gathering items for the 2016 Seafarers Boxes.  This annual program brings Christian Care and Christmas Cheer to the men who work on ships.  Our Christmas Boxes are distributed through the Seafarers Center Chaplains at the Port of Houston.  The MLLC Men in Mission group organizes this program each year.

Click this the link to the page which describes this annual ministry, and how you can participate.

The photo above shows an abundance of boxes which are ready to be given to the seafarers in Houston.

Boxes for Seafarers – November 30

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, Men's Ministry and tagged with , ,

Christmas Boxes 2014 filling

Packing of boxes will take place on Monday, November 30, at 6 p.m. in the parlor at MLLC – the room just before the church offices.
All are invited to participate.

 

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Martin Luther Men in Mission want very much to express our appreciation and thanks to all congregation members and friends who chose to contribute to the Port of Houston Seafarers Shoe-box Christmas project. You did a very good job last year, but you have exceeded that this year.

I know that many times it’s not wise to single out someone for the fear of missing someone who has contributed as much. However, I’ll take the chance (and if I learn that someone has done likewise, I’d gladly apologize and give them their due). About four to six weeks ago Ms. Dianne Sager told me that she and Mr. Ted Sager had applied for a $250.00 grant from Thrivent Financial for items to fill the shoe boxes. Several weeks ago she told me she had received the grant. Two weeks ago she had purchased the items and had filled the collection box, and if we needed help she would gladly help. It is hard to beat her enthusiasm.

We will be packing and wrapping the boxes on Monday, November 30 at 6:00 p.m. All congregation members and friends who want to join in the project are invited to come when they can. Again, thanks.

Yours in Christ,
Alvis Mueller – MLLC Men in Mission President

Christmas Boxes for Seafarers 2015

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements, ELCA, Men's Ministry and tagged with , , ,

Christmas Boxes 2014 out front

Photo:  Pastor David Tinker and his son delivering the boxes last year at the Port of Houston.

Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers 2015

We invite you to participate in this caring ministry of MLLC.  The Lutheran Men in Mission of MLLC will again prepare the Christmas Boxes of Port of Houston Seafarers. This is a ministry which brings cheer, God’s love, and practical gifts to people from around the world who must be away from family at Christmas. Between now and Thanksgiving weekend 2015 we invite you to collect items for the Men in Mission to pack for the seafarers. A collection station for these items will be set up during September. Last year there were 34 boxes assembled. Here is the address to our web page article about last year’s efforts: https://mllccarmine.com/2014/12/07/christmas-boxes-for-houston-seafarers/

The men on the ships truly appreciate the love and hospitality offered by these Christmas Boxes. Think about your life. Most of us get to be home every night with family and/or near friendly neighbors. Those who work in shipping are away from home for months at a time. They are thankful for the work, but they miss their families, friends and home communities.

The Port of Houston Chaplains are our ambassadors to these seafarers. They visit the ships and bring the boxes to the crews. On their web site the chaplains tell us: “Crew sizes vary between 8 and 30, with an average number of 22 seafarers to gift per ship. In 2014, we placed 11,392 gifts on board 512 ships which had seafarers from 69 different countries! These gifts had been donated to the seafarers by 223 churches and organizations! The Christmas boxes are personally carried to each ship by your staff of Port Chaplains.” Their web site is: http://www.venturecd.net/SeafarersCenter.org/Home_Page.htm

With our work together at MLLC we can help reach even more with the love of Jesus Christ.

Here is the official notice about this program from the Port of Houston Chaplains.  Click this link.

Please gather items such as these for the men on the ships:
Empty shoe boxes or purchased plastic shoe boxes to pack the items.
Address books
Band-aids (fabric)
Baseball caps
2016 Calendars
Comb
Dental Floss
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Disposable razors
Flashlight and batteries
Kleenex – small packs
Lip balm
Lotion
Nail clippers
Gold Bond cream
Gold Bond powder
Hot Chocolate (individual serving size)
Needles and thread
Q-tips
Shaving cream
Soap
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Gum and hard candy
Key chains
Pocket-sized notebooks
Mechanical pencils
Pens
Playing cards
Microwave popcorn
Socks
Sudoku books
Texas souvenirs
T-shirts
USB flash drives
Word search books

Christmas Boxes for Houston Seafarers

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Men's Ministry and tagged with , , , , , ,

Christmas Boxes 2014 working

A caring tradition of MLLC was revived this year.  The Lutheran Men in Mission of MLLC resumed filling and distributing Christmas Boxes for the Port of Houston Seafarers.  This had been done by the Men in Mission of MLLC for several years in the past, but the practice was set aside for a few years.   In 2014 we resumed the preparation of Christmas Boxes.  Check out this link to learn more about what our chaplains at the Port of Houston do for the seafarers from around the world.

During the past few months people of MLLC have been donating items for the boxes.  On December 1 the men and friends worked together to pack and then wrap the boxes.

Christmas Boxes 2014 Carol

Christmas Boxes 2014 filling

Christmas Boxes 2014 boxes

On Thursday, December 4, these 34 Christmas boxes were brought to the port chaplains office for distribution.  Pastor David Tinker and his son presented the boxes to Chaplain Lacey Largent.  By the time our boxes arrived another 5,500 boxes had been donated.  The expected total for 2014 is about 11,000.  Check out the photos of scenes from around the Seafarers Center.

Christmas Boxes 2014 out front

Christmas Boxes 2014 chapel

Christmas Boxes 2014 nativity

Christmas Boxes 2014 rec room

Christmas Boxes 2014 sign inside

Our boxes were immediately packed up for delivery to the next ship in the port.

Christmas Boxes 2014 Off to ship

Thank you very much for donating to this cause.  Thank you to all the team who put these together for delivery to our seafarer friends who visit the port at this time of year.