5 October 2016 | Helsinki, Finland [Victor Hulbert]
A Helsinki congregation recently took the brave decision to sell the church building they have owned for the past fifty years, purchase a shop in a needy part of town, and intentionally serve the community. It is the best decision they ever made.
The members of the Kallio (Rock) church, one of the two main churches near the centre of Helsinki, were inspired by hearing reports of the Happy Hand second hand clothes shop in Denmark. Run as a voluntary project by a local Copenhagen church, the shop sells high quality second hand clothes, books and other materials, provides a space for visitors to sit and chat, enjoy a hot drink, and on occasion, listen to the local pastor play his guitar. The Copenhagen shop has become so successful that another two shops are now in development in other parts of Denmark. [See Alastair Agbaje shares inspiration for service.]
Could this congregation, mainly consisting of elderly members, do the same thing? Not exactly! They looked at the Danish model and adapted it to fit their situation in Finland. With the encouragement of the city authorities, they chose to locate in an area with needy communities, including refugees and migrants. They partnered with ADRA Finland who run the shop during the week. Every second Wednesday they take the shop out onto the wide pavement in front where volunteers and up to four pastors take time to talk with passers-by, give demonstrations, and share love in action.
“There is no place I would rather work,” shop manager, Gintice Serepiniene states. People are always passing through her shop, looking for quality clothes or just browsing. Some will sit in the café area to enjoy a cup of rooibos tea, listen to the tranquil music playing in the background and join in friendly conversation.
Those numbers increase on ‘demonstration Wednesday’ or when, twice weekly, crowds queue for up to five hours for the council run soup kitchen next door. Originally from Lithuania, Serepiniene understands the mentality and needs of many of the migrants who pass by the shop. Her friendly disposition makes for easy conversation. With ADRA displays and Christian literature on view those conversations often turn to spiritual things.
Migrants are not the only visitors. Finnish people also like to browse in the store and pick up a bargain. Sometimes they pick up even more.
“I was so excited when six visitors who have become friends of the shop decided to go to our Bible camp this summer,” Serepiniene exclaimed with a broad smile on her face. “One of them now comes to church every Sabbath.”
And where is church? Come Friday evening the racks of clothes and tables loaded with china and other desirable items are pushed to one side and church happens right in the shop. About forty people are joining them for worship service. This means there is no barrier for customers who are now friends. They feel in safe territory.
Atte Helminen is also pleased. He is part of the pastoral team that works together to care for and develop all the churches in the Helsinki area. “This project has been going for over a year now and we are so pleased with it that we plan to start another community project in the central church,” he said.
“Initiatives like this make me proud to be part of the church in Finland,” Aromäki states. “For too many years a number of our churches have been, in effect, comfortable and insular clubs, catering for their own needs, but forgetting there is a community out there.”
The city council is also pleased and is encouraging the Adventist Church to open a second shop in the eastern part of Helsinki, serving the community and planting a further congregation. Church members are acitvely searching for a suitable premesis.
With projects like Happy Hand in Helsinki, or Pizza church that reaches out to young adults in Tampere, an hour and a half further north, and plans for the family centre in the Central church, Aromäki believes that the Adventist church in Finland is coming alive. In a country where less than two percent of the 5.5 million population go to church, it would seem that the 4,500 Adventists are starting to make a difference. [tedNEWS]
See also: Being more Christian leads to school sucess in Finland.
tedNEWS Staff: Victor Hulbert, director; Esti Pujic, editor
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