Sea Sunday is a special opportunity to reflect, pray, and raise funds for the brave men and women who work at sea. Seafarers often face dangerous and lonely conditions, spending months away from their families. By coming together to pray as we did in Rye Harbour on Sunday July 13, we showed our support and appreciation for their tireless efforts.
We sang and prayed for all those connected to the sea. Rev’d Paul White took the service dressed in his RNLI kit. Not only is he the Chaplain at RNLI Rye Harbour but is also shore crew.
Thank you to everyone who came, especially to Rev’d Philip Wagstaff, Methodist minister, who played the organ for the hymns. He is retiring in two weeks and we all wished him a happy retirement.
Martin Bruce sang the shanty celebrating two hundred years of the RNLI and ‘Adieu, sweet lovely Nancy’ to much applause.
Rev’d Paul White gave a sermon explaining that a day on land was a “wasted day” as he most liked to be on water. The sea is in his DNA and now he is part of the RNLI crew and working with Sailability in the Harbour he has many opportunities to be afloat.
Angela Tyson, from the Roman Catholic Church read the first lesson, Rev’d Fiona Gill read the gospel and Philip took the prayers.
Thank you to Lucy, Iain, Jack and Mark from the RNLI who came to support.
Paul White commented after the service: “It was lovely to lead the Sea Sunday service at Rye Harbour last Sunday. This is one of the regular events of Rye and District Churches Together and it was delightful that people from across all the churches in Rye took part in and attended the service. I was also really pleased to be joined by members of the Rye Harbour RNLI crew, not least as I was dressed in some of my lifeboat kit as I spoke about how the work they do is a great practical example of helping others regardless of who they are, just as we are shown in the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was a joy to worship in the sunshine, in this beautiful setting, and to bring to mind the importance of the sea on the history, life and culture of this place.”
Image Credits: Kt bruce .