Seafarers International House (SIH) was founded in 1873 by the Augustana Lutheran Church, initially as a mission to Swedish seafarers in the Port of New York and shortly thereafter as a mission to both Swedish seafarers and Swedish immigrants. Incidental to the consolidation of various Lutheran judicatories in the United States over the years, Seafarers International House became an affiliated mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1987. It is a tax-exempt, 501 (c) (3) organization, incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under the laws of New York State. It is a sanctuary organization welcoming the stranger. Nationally the primary Lutheran charity that caters to the needs of seafarers (mostly crew members on containerships), SIH is governed by a board with nation-wide representation and receives financial support from donors across the United States. While Seafarers International House (SIH) is a Lutheran organization with a spiritual home within the Christian tradition, neither its port chaplains nor other staff proselytize or seek to convert beneficiaries to any faith. SIH provides its services to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, or family/parental status. SIH offers pastoral care, hospitality, social assistance, and advocacy to a multi-national and multi-faith community in maritime ports on the Eastern Seaboard (Baltimore, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia), and in an 84-room Guesthouse in New York City.
