Loading...The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) has appointed the Rev. Kempton D. Baldridge to serve as its new Ministry on the River (MOR) chaplain, serving the Ohio River region, effective June 1. He replaces the Rev. Jim Wilkinson, the SCI's first chaplain dedicated to serve the ministry on the river full time. Based in Louisville at Diocesan House, Wilkinson is retiring at the end of April. Baldridge will be based at the SCI's Kentucky Center for Maritime Education in Paducah.
Baldridge will serve mariners along the Ohio River plus river regions surrounding Nashville, St. Louis and Memphis. In addition to his direct care for mariners and their shore-side counterparts, Chaplain Baldridge strengthens a network of river friendly churches who partner with SCI to provide ministry to mariners.
With more than 20 years of ordained experience, Baldridge brings a wealth of ministry experience to river chaplaincy. An active and reserve U.S. Navy chaplain, Baldridge completed many domestic and overseas assignments between 1988-1998, including Operation Desert Storm. He also engaged in campus ministry at the University of Delaware from 1993-1999. Since 1999, he has served as rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Waterloo, Belgium.
As a young man, Baldridge served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard as petty officer. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and his Master of Divinity degree (M.Div.) from Yale Divinity School. In addition to his extensive military and academic chaplaincy training, Baldridge holds a certification in critical incident stress management (CISM).
SCI’s Ministry on the River serves mariners along more than 2000 miles of inland waterways. The Rev. Mike Hammett, a former U.S. Air Force chaplain and ordained Methodist minister, serves as SCI’s chaplain along the lower Mississippi River, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and Houston ship channel. Ms. Ann Mills served on the MOR team, recently completing her ministry in January.
About SCI’s Ministry on the River
Established in 1998, SCI’s Ministry on the River is the nation's only full-time pastoral care ministry on the Ohio and Lower Mississippi River systems. From Pittsburgh, PA to Houston, TX and points in between and beyond, a network of clergy and lay volunteers on the inland rivers serves as a resource to mariners and their families. The program, operating 365 days a year, includes boat visits, counseling services, fellowship, and collecting and distributing gifts for Christmas and Easter.
