I raced from the Blessing of the Boats in St. David's over to York Street, St. George's, for Ebenezer Methodist Church's special heritage service on this Fifth Sunday of Easter. Pastor Margaret Sagur and guest preacher the Rev. Dr. Erskine Simmons led the congregation of families through prayers and hymns onto their respective sermons tailored to 'our maritime connections'. Young children of the gathering were called up front to enact a parable of Jesus and the boat, with the congregation joining this crew in creating wind and wave sound effects. Prayers and readings using the metaphor of the ship followed including Pilot Mario Thompson's maritime gospel lesson and thanks for the church's recognition of sailors, mariners and those connected to the sea in one way or another.
The Rev. Dr. Simmons went on to speak of Bermuda's long ties to the sea and the contuinity of this relationship, despite so much change, that has brought us' where we are today'. He emphasised how essential maritime methods or philosophies have remain embedded in our practice, environment and landscape, albeit in diferent forms or as diminshing reminders. His examples included jumping overboard in dinghy racing references the dumping of ballast on ships, or the triberoads that once ran across the island sea to sea (though only one in Warwick remains), or the enduring wind that pushes you 'down' to St. George's but can be a bitter struggle against sailing 'up' to the west end. He also spoke of the origins of the Bermuda rig and the extent this had influenced maritime history globally, with kudos to the endemic cedar, a wood with no need of seasoning. He spoke of dinghies and Comets as extensions of the rig, particularly in embodying teamwork and collaboration, and as 'the two mainstays of our maritime history today'. He noted the overshadowing or forgetting of local maritime history, using the exmple that emancipation, although now commemorated with cricket and 'Cup Match' specfically, was once celebrated with boat races.
Rev. Sagur then offered a prayer of thanks, some of which I've excerpted here as she kindly provided me with copy:
'Holy God, we give you thanks and praise for the work of your Spirit amongst those shipwrecked by such a storm that they scarcely hoped to survive, let alone find themselves to be safe upon these islands. For those pioneers and explorers who followed them and settled Bermuda; for all the gifts of culture and labour that they have brought with them over the centuries, we give you thanks and praise, O God. For the slaves, ripped from their homes in Africa and brought across the ocean in the suffering of the Middle Passage, for native Americans also brought here as slaves, who all contributed to the heritage of this nation, and for their descendants whose labour and skills helped to build a prosperous nation, we thank you, God. For all who make these islands their home, both those whose roots are long and deep and those arrived more recently who have fallen in love with the friendly people, the beautiful land and the stunning turquoise sea that surrounds it, we thank you, God. For the all whose labour and livelihood is related to the sea both now and in the past: for fishers, mariners, ship-builders, lighthouse keepers, pilots, radio operators, ferry boat crews, coastguard, divers, traders, businesses, tourists, oceanographers, marine biologists, other researchers, and museum curators; for fish and all creatures of the sea, for coral reef, for sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, for birds and plants; for all the living heritage of the sea and for all the maritime connections, we thank you, God, and we pray for their safety and protection.'
As Rev. Sagur noted during the service, reminders of the sea had been especially placed around the church for this heritage service, converting the church to a maritime museum for the day. In the windows: conch shells and ships models. Hanging: various paintings of sea and coastal scapes, Dockyard, and cruise liners. At the entrance and throughout the church: small hogges, fishing nets, minature boats and Bermuda onions, lillies and live potted herbs associated with St. David's. I later spoke with volunteers Rose Smith-Douglas and Sandra Hodson who had decorated the church to discover the meanings behind this variety of material and its temporary display at Ebenezer Methodist.
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