In the latest episode of Marine Log’s Listen Up! podcast, Editor-in-Chief Heather Ervin speaks with the Rev. Grace Pardun, supervisory chaplain for the Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) Ministry on the River program, about the challenges facing inland mariners and the resources available to support them. Pardun discusses her role with SCI and provides a closer look at how Ministry on the River works with mariners on a day-to-day basis. The conversation explores some of the personal and professional challenges SCI chaplains encounter while working with mariners and why human connection can be particularly important for those spending extended periods away from home.       The episode also looks at SCI’s newly launched U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment, an initiative designed to provide a clearer picture of the well-being of mariners working on the nation’s inland waterways and identify areas where additional support may be needed.      Pardun explains why SCI launched the assessment, what the organization hopes to learn from participating mariners and how the findings could help shape its work going forward.   The conversation also touches on SCI’s history of supporting mariners during personal hardships and broader industry crises, as well as the role maritime companies and organizations have played in supporting that work.

Listen to the full episode of Marine Log’s Listen Up! podcast on Spotify or SoundCloud to hear more about SCI’s Ministry on the River, the U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment and the effort to better understand and support the people who keep America’s inland waterways moving.