International (MNN) — As piracy continues to headline the news today, a ship ministry is looking for volunteers to help reach the lost with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Operation Mobilization just launched their newest vessel, Logos Hope. OM's Vice President of Partner Development Myles Toews says this ship is the reason they need more help. "This ship is considerably larger than the ship that it replaced, the Logos II. So we need significantly more people than in the past to maximize the potential of this new ship. Just to put it in perspective, this new ship is twice the size of the Logos II."
While the ship is operating, Toews says about 60 crew members are still needed to help maximize OM's ministry of reaching out to the world with the Gospel– bringing knowledge, help and hope.
Toews says a variety of people are needed — some with experience and some without. "Captains, deckhands, ship mates, engineers, and we also need some I-T people and other specialties. But for the most part, we need willing workers who would like to commit two years of their life to serve on the ship."
Workers are needed for housekeeping, kitchen, and similar positions to help behind the scenes. Toews says, "We 'intake' people who serve on the ships twice a year. One intake is in the summer. The other one is at the beginning of the year."
The age of the volunteers also varies. "We have people join us right out of high school. They serve for two years before they continue their education. Then, we have another wave of people that come after college. We also have a whole range of young adults and middle-aged people," says Toews.
Each staff member is responsible for raising support. Toews says, "When you work everything in, it averages about $900 a month. That would include airfare to get to the ship."
With the difficult economic times, you would think raising support would be difficult. "Individuals who are interested may find it a little more challenging to get sponsorship, but one thing about the difficult economy is that it really does make people go back to thinking about what really is important. So I think there are people who may be even more motivated to invest in eternal things as a result of the economy."
