Anne-Marit Karhu
It is Saturday evening and communion service is about to begin in the beautiful German Church in Stockholm’s Old Town. Eric Jurmu, who serves as minister in the Rockford congregation in Minnesota, is due to assist during the Holy Communion. He is sitting in the front part of the church, waiting for the service to begin.
During his short mission trip Jurmu has been scheduled for three sermorns at the Summer Services. He says that he has visited Sweden a couple of times before and knows many of the Swedish speaker brothers. However, this is his first time at the Swedish Summer Services. The last time he attended the Finnish Summer Services was in 1991.
– I would say that, in terms of size, the American Summer Services are somewhere between the Swedish and Finnish services. When it comes to culture, Sweden reminds me more of America than Finland does, Jurmu says.
Listening to the English translation of Swedish and Finnish sermons through headphones has worked really well. Also, the sermons have seemed familiar and secure. Jurmu tells about a memorable incident during the Summer Services. A small boy and his grandparent, whom he had never met before, came up to him after one of his sermons.
– The grandparent told me that the little boy had been listening to the services where I preached and after a while he had turned to his grandparent saying: ”It feels like I know this man!” We all belong to God’s Kingdom and the word that is preached is the same here and in America. That feels secure, Jurmu concludes.
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