The travels of Logos Hope

Having called at Edinburgh and Belfast, the first-ever UK visit of OM’s new Logos Hope ship is at the halfway stage.

Tens of thousands of people have already climbed up the vessel’s gangway, including church groups, schoolchildren and the homeless who attended a special programme on board. Reading the Christian literature in the Logos Hope book fair or hearing testimonies from crewmembers, many of those visiting have been drawn closer to God.

The Right Honourable George Grubb, Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, officially opened Logos Hope to the first visitors in the UK. “This is a wonderful experience and a wonderful service of bringing literature to transform and change people’s lives,” said the distinguished guest as he walked through the ship’s book fair. Nearly 15,000 people then followed in Lord Grubb’s footsteps during the ten-day visit to Scotland’s capital. The range of onboard conferences and seminars were also popular in Edinburgh, and highlights included Ann Hey, the wife of the Logos Hope Director, challenging a hundred local women to trust in God’s promises.

“I would like to talk about our city and your ship of hope coming together,” began His Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Tom Hartley, as he welcomed Logos Hope and her crew to Belfast. “It is a very simple message about the value of human beings and human experience and how we translate that into our everyday experience,” he continued. Among the 18,000 who stepped on board Logos Hope in Northern Ireland, demand for behind-the-scenes tours of the vessel was high. The exploration of how this floating community of 300 Christians from 40 countries lives fascinated all those following the 45-minute guided route.

OM UK Director Gary Sloan is thrilled by the public’s response so far: “I first visited an OM ship as a teenager and immediately felt called to serve God in a deeper way. With this current visit of Logos Hope to the UK, I am encouraged to hear that many others are taking that same journey.”

After calling at Dublin, Logos Hope docks in Cardiff from Thu 28th May to Sun 7th June. The UK visit will then conclude with a stop in London from Fri 12th to Sun 28th June. For further details visit www.hopestartshere.info.

Christians Together, 19/05/2009