The Seamen's Church Institute (SCI), which provides a team of chaplains serving mariners and seafarers on the East Coast, Gulf Coast, and inland waterways, has appointed the Rev. Charles Uhlik as its newest "Ministry on the River" chaplain. Based in St. Louis, Uhlik will serve mariners throughout the Upper Mississippi River region.
A native of Fremont, Neb., Uhlik began his ministerial service as a Roman Catholic priest and later as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve. Most recently, he served for 11 years as rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Paducah, Ky., where he was first introduced to former SCI chaplain the Rev. Kempton Baldridge. From those early introductions to inland mariners, Uhlik began volunteering as an SCI chaplain associate.
"I am deeply grateful for my time at Grace Episcopal Church in Paducah and especially to the parishioners who made my family and me feel so at home," Uhlik said. "I am excited to join SCI in St. Louis, as it feels like a natural extension of my roots in chaplaincy and the work I've been called to throughout my ministry.
"Mariners do demanding work," Uhlik added, "often unseen by those of us who depend on what they make possible every day. I'm excited for this next chapter and honored to meet them where they are, listen to what they're facing, and support them however I can."
Uhlik's appointment in St. Louis marks the culmination of SCI's $5 million capital campaign to expand its Ministry on the River, expanding the organization's pastoral care team serving mariners throughout the United States' inland river system and the Gulf Coast. SCI has three other chaplains serving in its Ministry on the River. The Rev. Grace Pardun, supervisory chaplain, is based in Paducah and serves the Upper Mississippi and Ohio rivers; the Rev. Geoff Davis, based in Baton Rouge, La., serves the Lower Mississippi River and Gulf Coast; and the Rev. Nancy Simpson, based in Houston, serves mariners along the Houston Ship Channel and Gulf Coast.
"Having Charles in St. Louis is the capstone of our effort to expand Ministry on the River," said the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, president and executive director of the Seamen's Church Institute. "We are deeply grateful to our board chair, Mark Knoy, our board of trustees, our development team, and everyone who helped bring this campaign to fruition. Their commitment has allowed us to build a stronger chaplaincy presence across the inland waterways, and Charles is a wonderful addition to that team. His arrival in St. Louis is a fitting culmination of the vision so many people worked together to achieve."
