{"id":51160,"date":"2025-10-13T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/?p=51160"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:26:27","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T21:26:27","slug":"florida-baptists-pray-for-seafarers-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/florida-baptists-pray-for-seafarers-miami\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Baptists unite in prayer for seafarers aboard Icon of the Seas"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI\u2014 On Saturday, Sept. 13, pastors, business leaders, civic officials and ministry partners gathered aboard Icon of the Seas, the world\u2019s largest cruise ship docked at Port Miami, for the 2025 Gala and National Day of Prayer for Seafarers, hosted by the International Seafarers Ministry of Miami<\/a> (ISM).<\/p>\n

Sponsored by the Florida Baptist Convention and supported by Miami Baptist Association<\/a>, the event became more than a banquet\u2014it was a mission moment, calling the church to intercede for seafarers, their families and the global maritime industry.<\/p>\n

\u2018Those who go down to the sea in ships \u2026\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThose who go down to the sea in ships \u2026 they see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep\u201d (Psalm 107:23\u201324). These words framed the day as speakers reminded participants of the unique opportunity God has given the church to reach seafarers with the hope of Christ.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod has brought the nations to our doorstep in Miami,\u201d said Julio C. Salas, executive director of ISM Port Miami, one of seven seaport ministries<\/a> of the Florida Baptist Convention. \u201cEvery year, thousands of crew members from over 100 countries dock here. They carry with them the burdens of family separation and spiritual need\u2014but also the potential to carry the gospel back to their homelands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meeting an overlooked mission field<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each year, ISM Port Miami, which partners with Miami Baptist Association, ministers to approximately 30,100 seafarers\u201427,100 from cruise ships and 3,000 from cargo ships. At the International Port Campus, the ministry welcomes 180\u2013200 crew members daily during high season and 75\u2013100 daily during regular season.<\/p>\n

Through hospitality, prayer and the ministry of presence, ISM helps seafarers connect with families back home, receive spiritual and emotional care, and hear the gospel. \u201cMany of these men and women are far from home for months at a time,\u201d Salas said. \u201cThey need a place to belong, a place to be reminded of God\u2019s love and truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Partnerships that advance the mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

Royal Caribbean generously hosted this year\u2019s gala aboard Icon of the Seas, underscoring the company\u2019s commitment to the well-being of its crew. \u201cWe are deeply grateful for Royal Caribbean\u2019s hospitality and support,\u201d said Salas. \u201cTogether, we can encourage seafarers to not only serve passengers with excellence but also to grow in love for God and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Florida Baptist Convention\u2019s sponsorship of the gala highlighted its commitment to ministries that meet both physical and spiritual needs across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe International Seafarers Ministry is a powerful reminder that the Great Commission begins right where we are,\u201d said Marc Johnston, director of community ministries for the Florida Baptist Convention. \u201cThrough partnerships like this one, our churches and associations are living out the gospel by reaching the nations that God is bringing to our ports. ISM is not just a ministry at the port\u2014it\u2019s a ministry of the local church, serving people who will carry the hope of Christ back to their own countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

A call to the churches<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a ministry \u201cof the church, for the church,\u201d ISM invited pastors and congregations across Miami, South Florida and beyond to consider seafarers part of their mission field. \u201cThe nations are literally coming to us,\u201d Salas said. \u201cBy partnering together, our churches can engage in local international missions\u2014reaching men and women from all over the world right here at Port Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n

Be part of the mission<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though the gala was a one-day event, the mission continues. ISM\u2019s chaplaincy, outreach and care for seafarers depend on the prayers, volunteer service and financial support of churches and individuals.<\/p>\n

To support this ministry, gifts can be made securely at www.ismportmiami.org\/give<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, Sept. 13, pastors, business leaders, civic officials and ministry partners gathered aboard Icon of the Seas, the world\u2019s largest cruise ship docked at Port Miami, for the 2025 Gala and National Day of Prayer for Seafarers, hosted by the International Seafarers Ministry of Miami (ISM).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":51162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161,11,17,18,22,23,24,25],"tags":[982,2910,2911,2912,360,2913],"class_list":["post-51160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-community","category-expanding","category-missions","category-multicultural","category-providing","category-sharing","category-region-southeast","category-stories","tag-community-ministries","tag-international-seafearers-ministry","tag-ism","tag-julio-c-salas","tag-miami-baptist-association","tag-port-miami"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51160"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69454,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51160\/revisions\/69454"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}