{"id":297,"date":"2019-02-18T16:48:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-18T16:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marereport.namma.org\/?p=297"},"modified":"2023-09-26T19:26:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T19:26:59","slug":"burns-harbor-ministry-gets-gofundme-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mare.renegadedigital.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/18\/burns-harbor-ministry-gets-gofundme-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Burns Harbor ministry gets \u201cGofundme\u201d upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Committed to his church and seafarers, Chaplain Marshal Bundren continued to pull alongside ships on the South shore of Lake Michigan in his 15-passenger rust bucket until December. That\u2019s when things took a surprising turn.<\/p>\n

Reed Wilson, second officer aboard the M\/V Burns Harbor, one of only sixteen 1,000 foot long self-unloading freighters in the world which routinely moves iron ore from the ports of Superior and Duluth to the steel mills on the Indiana shoreline, had watched the van as Bundren made rounds for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing was falling apart,\u201d said Wilson, about the beat-up vehicle Bundren used.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had 369,000 miles on it, one headlight, no brake lights, and was missing inside door panels. There was lots of rust. Bundren was afraid the starter might fail if he turned the engine off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 1974, Chaplain Bundren has served seafarers along the entire southern coast of Lake Michigan including ports of Burns Harbor, US Steel Gary, Buffington Harbor, Indiana Harbor, and the Port of Chicago. When funding changes occurred in 2011, depriving the ministry of any denominational support, he continued the chaplaincy independently, just his hand-me-down Chevy with duct-taped windows and one room of borrowed office space provided by a stevedoring company on Burns Harbor. Two years ago, the stevedoring company required their space full time for training new longshoremen, and Bundren had to move out. The ministry on wheels then became his office, chapel, post office, and taxi for the more than 1,200 seafarers he cares for during a ten month season.<\/p>\n

Wilson and Bundren crossed paths for more than 23 years. Bundren frequently transported Wilson from the ship to his pickup truck in the parking lot of a Burns Harbor steel mill and occasionally on a foray to Walmart with other crew members. Wilson grew to feel strongly that the ministry van needed replacement. He often told the chaplain that if he won the lottery he would get him a new van. But the lottery looked like a long shot. So, in early December 2018, Wilson accepted the challenge to set up a Gofundme<\/em> account: “Marshal\u2019s Van”. The site was up the day after Christmas with an impressive response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was dumb-founded,\u201d the mariner said. \u201cOn the first day, six grand came in! Central Marine Logistics and others gave; companies and individuals. It just started pouring in. It was really something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson used social media and word of mouth to spread the news of the account. The message went by radio as ships passed in the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cI posted it on Facebook and friended every sailor I knew,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Over $30,000 was raised within two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a sort of \u2018pinch me and wake me up\u2019 moment,\u201d said the 67-year-old chaplain.<\/p>\n

When the time came to pick up the new van, the pair traveled from Burns Harbor to Detroit where they overnighted at Wilson’s home. The next day they continued on, through the season’s first blizzard, to Findlay, Ohio where Wilson had located the best vehicle for the money. Marshal\u2019s new 15-passenger Ford van is a huge step up for the mobile ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d said Bundren.<\/p>\n

It is important that seafarers have someone to help them navigate when in port, Bundren says. He describes a sailor from another country as \u201ca turtle on its back\u201d when the ship docks. Bundren’s goal is to help them fulfill the needs they have, whether it is shopping for a computer for a son in college or cosmetics for a wife.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to create the most positive experience they have while in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with seafarers is my life,\u201d said the single chaplain. I married a ministry. It has been my wife and my children for all these years. I share meals in the mess room and see many crew members weekly as they travel between the Port of Duluth\/Superior and the southern shore of Lake Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n

The International Seafarer\u2019s Center of Burns Harbor began its outreach in 1972 when Reverend Cass Vincent, a Polish-American and veteran of the Polish navy; and his wife, a British navy veteran; created and directed the mission. They were a perfect fit. Both had been at sea and had a command of multiple languages. During a random church meeting a plea was made for volunteers. The Polish chaplain was offering an international experience to befriend others, Bundren recalls. The search was underway for people to become \u2018instant friends\u2019 to those on the ships. It was a divine appointment Marshal could not refuse. With hardly a pause, he joined the ranks as a volunteer.<\/p>\n

Over the years, his commitment to each seafarer he meets is the same. In addition, his long-standing memberships in the North American Maritime Ministry Association and Port Ministries International, two major organizations strategically caring for seafarers worldwide reveal the scope of his vision. With unwavering concern for those who work and live on ships, the former U.S. Steel worker continues his daily response to people\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Wilson and the port chaplain share a nearly 25-year relationship established through the shipping industry. The seasoned sailor identifies the needs of fellow crew members:<\/p>\n

\u201cSailors need to get off their ships, travel to shop, talk with others, and make connections at the train station or airport.  Marshal never turns people away, morning or night. He never asks for money. He is a very dedicated man. It\u2019s too bad more people aren\u2019t like him,\u201d said Wilson.<\/p>\n

The chaplain sees additional benefits for workers to get off vessels they live and work on. He feels a deep concern for the isolation the internet has introduced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe negative impact of high-tech face-in-screen time is distressing. Family contact is very important, but when crew members only eat together and then go to their rooms, there is very little fellowship. They can become a crew of strangers, which is not good for them, their families, or the company. At times, I have to use a crow-bar to get them off the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new van is a great tool for an old mission, to become instant friends to an international population of people with real needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod\u2019s timing is so amazing,\u201d said Bundren. When I first heard of this work, it was a life-saver for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outcome is reciprocal today.<\/p>\n

Author<\/strong>: Susan Huppert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Committed to his church and seafarers, Chaplain Marshal Bundren continued to pull alongside ships on the South shore of Lake Michigan in his 15-passenger rust bucket until December. That\u2019s when things took a surprising turn. Reed Wilson, second officer aboard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":298,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[155,159,158,156,60,157],"yoast_head":"\nBurns Harbor ministry gets \u201cGofundme\u201d upgrade - The MARE Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the success of a Burns Harbor ministry with its Gofundme campaign and the positive impact it has had on the community.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mare.renegadedigital.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/18\/burns-harbor-ministry-gets-gofundme-upgrade\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Burns Harbor ministry gets \u201cGofundme\u201d upgrade - 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