Chris Evans and his wife, Judy, arrived in Hawaii in January to begin a new ministry to the ports in Honolulu.
They immediately set out to introduce themselves to the workers on the boats at Pier 38. Pastor Jerry Saludez of Waipio Community Baptist Church, Waipahu, accompanied them since they found many of the fishermen were Filipino.
Saludez and his wife, Stella, had an instant connection with the fishermen as they have provided meals, clothes and other necessities for the workers in the past.
Chris Evans is no stranger to ministry to fisherman. He and Judy served at the Seafarer’s Center in American Samoa for more than two years and his reports were filled with accounts about connecting with the fishermen from different countries and leading them to a faith in Jesus. His vision was to evangelize the men and help them to reach the other workers as they were on the boats.
As they visited Honolulu, Chris Evans became burdened for the hundreds of ships and boats in Honolulu Harbor. After two years of wading through the visa process and North American Mission Board (NAMB) applications, the Evans’ arrived ready to begin this new ministry.
Prepared to minister
Preparation for this ministry began months before with Waikiki Baptist Church, Honolulu, sponsoring the Seafarer’s Ministry. Waikiki Baptist Pastor Andrew Large and his staff also took on the responsibility of securing the visas for the Evans’ to work in Hawaii.
From that point on, the ministry became a team effort. Waipio Community Baptist provided an apartment and a van for their use. The Hawaii Woman’s Missionary Union asked churches to sew toiletry bags and collect items for the bags. The Oahu Baptist Network provided Tagalog-English Bibles. Hawaii Chinese Baptist Church, Honolulu, provided a room to have Bible studies and a place for fellowship.
After the Evans’ arrived, the boats were contacted and one of the first needs to be met was a home-cooked meal. Because the men weren’t allowed to leave the pier everyone gathered around the cars parked close to the boats for a home-cooked Filipino meal.
Needs revealed
As the fellowship progressed, the men began to open up about other things they could not get while on board the boats. They explained that while hauling in the fish the lines sometimes brought up jellyfish and the tentacles stung their arms. Because of the intense work they could not stop to put medication on their arms. Long-sleeved shirts were needed so their arms could be protected from the jellyfish stings. Other things like lip balm, Band-Aids, beanie hats and small tools also were put on the list.
Other church members from Waipio Community Baptist and individuals from areas such as Mililani in Honolulu County have become involved in this ministry which has grown to more than 20 boats (as of March).
In the few months Chris Evans has been working with the fishermen great needs have been met and now the ministry is looking for churches or individuals to help in providing basic necessities and meals for whenever the boats dock in Honolulu.
For more information about the Seafarer’s Ministry, visit the Waipio Community Baptist Facebook page at www.facebook.com/waipiobaptist.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article appeared in the Hawaii Pacific Baptist, newsjournal of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention (hpbaptist.net). (BP)
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