The start of another shipping season has special meaning for a Point Edward church.
More than a century ago, the thin copper steeple atop St. Paul's Anglican would reflect light from the Fort Gratiot lighthouse in Port Huron, helping guide ships from Lake Huron into the St. Clair River.
The church stood at the corner of Livingston Street and Victoria Street in Point Edward from 1868 to 1902, before being rolled over on logs to its current location on Michigan Avenue.
Reverend Kristen Aikman said to honour the tradition, the church holds an interfaith service each year to offer prayers on behalf of those who serve on the water. "So coast guard, shipping industry, all of the various types of things that go along in our waterways," said Aikman. "Being part of Point Edward, we're right at the crossroads between the St. Clair River and Lake Huron where so much shipping traffic goes past. So we're fairly uniquely positioned to offer such a ministry."
Aikman expected a large turnout for their Sunday morning mariners' service which is seen as a harbinger of spring.
Guest speaker James Forsythe had a 35-year career with the Canadian Coast Guard, working both as a ships officer, and in shore-based management positions in Sarnia, Quebec City, and Ottawa.
