In this episode, we consider the year that was and reflect on the chaos that has ensued.  We also consider what might be emerging for each of us, and what God might be doing in our midst.  We also look forward to the year ahead, and topics that will be covered when As the Crow Flies returns for Season Two starting in March 2021.

Since 1969 the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) has championed ecumenical partnerships at both the global and the local levels.  In this episode, we are joined by Dr Jason Zuidema, the General Secretary of ICMA, and together we consider both the benefits and challenges of working together.    

For the longest time, Maritime Ministries have relied on volunteers for a myriad of roles.  In many ways, volunteers are the backbone of what we do.  But attracting volunteers and keeping them engaged isn't easy.  In this episode, we are joined by the Executive Director for The Mission to Seafarers in Seattle, Washington, Mr Ken Hawkins who has devoted his life to nurturing a strong and focussed volunteer culture.   In his eleven years at the helm of The Mission in Seattle, he has built a phenomenal team of passionate volunteers who don't just give their time to the work, but through the story that Ken tells, they have become his team of ambassadors for the work wherever they go.  Today Ken shares some of his incredible insights.

In the second of a two-part series on listening, we consider some of the essential skills of effective listening.  We are joined again by our special guest, the Reverend Dr Lynne Baab author of The Power of Listening: Building Skills for Mission and Ministry who has studied the art of listening for over two decades.  She shares more of her incredible and insightful wisdom with us.

The world is filled with noise and distraction.  We are bombarded with noise wherever we go.  Today, more than ever people want to be heard, they want us to listen.  Yet listening intently can be exhausting and something that is hard to do.   In this episode, we discuss the power of listening and why listening well to others is so vitally important.  We are joined by a special guest, the Reverend Dr Lynne Baab author of The Power of Listening: Building Skills for Mission and Ministry who has studied the art of listening.  She shares her wisdom with us.

It is no secret that the people who work or volunteer for us are a hugely important factor in the success of our organisations.  Ensuring that our people have the right skills to succeed in their role is critical.  In a world that is rapidly changing it is important to keep on top of the changes in our sector and to ensure that we are maintaining best practice.  Ongoing professional development is one means of keeping our skills current.  In this episode, we discuss the importance of ongoing professional development.  We are joined by a special guest, the Reverend Canon Garry Dodd from Australia.

Ritual and ceremony are important markers in our lives.  We celebrate births, coming of age, graduation, marriage and retirement.  We commemorate life with funerals and memorial services.  In the maritime ministry sector, we are often asked to mark significant events, and this often involves a liturgy, a ritual or a ceremony of some kind.  In today's episode, we are joined by a special guest and one of my good friends, Sande Ramage, who has done a considerable amount of thinking about ritual and the role it has in our lives.

In this episode, we consider the role and place of professional supervision as a part of self-care and reflective practice.  Using the kairos circle as a model we unpack a couple of instances that sit uneasily and reflect on what we might learn from them and how we might approach them differently in the future.

The third of a special three-part series focusing on suicide.  This episode will consider how to take appropriate action when we perceive that someone might be having thoughts of suicide.  This will be explored further through a case study of a brief encounter with a seafarer.  We will also consider what might happen if we ask someone about suicide and we get it wrong, or they try to avoid answering.

The second of a special three-part series focusing on suicide.  This episode will consider in-depth what some of the signs of suicide might be and how to look out for them.  This will be explored through a case study of a brief encounter with a seafarer.