Mascot: What is a "Mariner"

A Mariner is not an Italian sauce. That would be marinara. Great for dipping, but lousy mascot. It's also not a marionette. That would be Pinocchio. Nor is it a beach-landing soldier. That would be a Marine, deserving of great respect.

A Mariner is a sea-going voyager who leaves the shore’s safety and comfort to heed the Captain’s call to promised adventure, purpose, and reward. Not a soldier for conquest, nor a pirate for plunder, a Mariner transports precious cargo, light to the farthest reaches of a dark world. Against pounding waves and a rising, angry tide, Mariners travel with the power of an unseen wind in their sails. Not a loner, a Mariner is a committed crew member, with a unique and vital role in a body of sailors. A Mariner serves and submits to a higher authority, the Captain. Sent into deep and dangerous waters, there’s no one better qualified than a loyal Mariner. A Mariner ventures confidently in calm or squall, trusting the one Captain who has power to calm the storms. “Man overboard” is a call to highest duty. A Mariner willingly risks all to save the lost and to bring them safely aboard. And no one celebrates a rescue like a victorious mariner and the Captain.

In short, a Mariner is an excellent nautical representation of what it means to follow and to serve Jesus Christ. While the American Dream lures many to desire life as a pleasure cruise liner, and as others use their faith as a battleship to blow others out of the water, Mariners serve as disciplined students of navigation and rescue to serve their Captain and fellow human beings.