The church year once again went by in the blink of an eye.
There were many good things and plenty of challenges – lots of good challenges. During the year we have come to realize that our congregation can live very well as renters. We have experienced that the fellowship of the congregation can remain alive even though we don’t see each other on a weekly basis. We have hopefully learned to complain less, thank more, and our mutual respect and love for each other has increased.
December is a magical time even in the midst of a pandemic. The sweet sounds of Christmas, the scents, the colors are not only sensations we experience, but they touch us deep inside. Christmas cannot be explained, it must be experienced.
The shepherds were not satisfied with staying on the sidelines, but they had to experience the first Christmas up close. The words of the angel “For you, today is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” were not just an plain announcement, but a call to life through the birth of the Savior.
I believe that you have been called to the side of the manger as well, not as an onlooker, but as a participant in the Christmas story. This Christmas Jesus-child is born within us, and we as Christians can give form to that child in our family, in our congregation, and in our community. Our Savior lives in us through the words we speak and how we act. The light of Christmas is spread through us, by serving others unconditionally. Many of you are already great examples of this, and for that I thank our Heavenly Father.
I thank you all for the past year, the trust you put in me and your prayers. Peace and joy for Christmas time!
Pastor Mia
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We warmly thank all those who have remembered and supported our congregation through their gifts. We are living through economically challenging times, and we need your prayers as well as financial support, so that our work can continue year round.
May God blesse you and your gift!
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Preparing for Christmas
The previous church year is over and we have entered a new church year, the joyous time of Advent, and we are beginning to prepare for Christmas, the birth celebration of our Lord. This year, Covid-19 will overshadow Christmas like everything else in Anno Domini 2020, but let’s rejoice that the Lord is with us as always.
The winds of change are still blowing in our church, as we announced a short time ago. Pastor Mia's visa expires in early 2022. Due to this, the Pastor and the parish council have agreed that Pastor Mia will resign from serving our parish as early as June 30, 2021. We have more than six months to take care of the details for future arrangements. Our plan in the future is, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland will send a pastor for the winter season in the same way as, for example, to Costa Del Sol in Spain or the Canary Islands. The personal names will become clear later as long as the Church of Finland has agreed on personnel matters. In addition, we will use ELCA supply pastors and are also looking into the possibility of Sami Ettanen serving as our assistant pastor.
The activities of our congregation have grown and flourished during Pastor Mia’s time. The change that will come, of course, is big, but we can be confident that the Lord will continue to care for our church.
Many thanks to Pastor Mia already at this intermediate stage and welcome Sami, as soon as the corona restrictions allow travel.
The Council has agreed that our Annual Congregation Meeting will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2021. Please, mark this on your calendars. The practical arrangements for the meeting will be clarified later, depending on the corona situation.
A very peaceful and blessed Christmas for all!
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We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
(2 Peter 1: 19-20, NIV)
Pertti Pietarinen
Council President
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GREETING FROM THE BISHOP OF FINNS ABROAD |
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(Text is partly from a Harriet Urponen and Ritva Prinz interview)
In the Spring of 2019 Kirkkohallitus in Finland named the Bishop of Oulu-Jukka Keskitalo also the Bishop of all Finnish Lutheran churches abroad.
Jukka Keskitalo (58) is from a rural community from the Tornio-river valley. He earned his Doctorate of Theology from the University of Helsinki and served a long term as pastor in Jyväskylä. From 2010-2018, Jukka Keskitalo became a chief of staff in Kirkkohallitus, and was ordained Bishop of Oulu in November 2018. Bishop Keskitalo's wife Marja is also a theologian. They are parents to three adult children and grandparents of four.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FINNISH FOREIGN MISSION
"One's own mother-tongue is one of heart and belief. In my opinion it is very important that a person can participate in worship services and other church functions in their own language."
"Finns living outside of Finland are an important part of the church and are often more active members than those living in Finland. Also, congregations in Finland can learn from these foreign Finnish congregations about new ways to serve and engage with the community." says Bishop Keskitalo.
Click on the link below the picture to see the Bishop's presonal greeting to our congregation. The greeting in English is at the end.
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By purchasing a handmade star decoration from the church (star prices are $10 and $30) you will participate in our Christmas Charity Drive. You can also donate to the drive through our Pay Pal account. Just write Christmas Charity Drive in the message field. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US IN BRINGING JOY TO A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS! |
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GREETINGS FROM THE CONGREGATION BOOK STORE |
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A book in Finnish about the life of Peter Mäkilä,
"The American Dream"
will soon be available for ($20)
purchase from the church. Part of the proceeds will go to our congregation.
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Another fine book in Finnish language for your stocking is Miika Aalto's joyfully illustrated book "Me, Martin Luther". The book is a great gift for children as well as grandparents, if they like to read Finnish to their grandkids. The price is $10. Proceeds go to the congregation. Thank you Miika Aalto for this donation.
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We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! At school we painted handprint turkeys, talked about our many blessings and baked pumpkin pie. We adopted two cute one day old chicks as part of our farm studies. For almost three weeks we weighed them daily and observed the changes as they tripled in size. They have now moved on to a new home and hopefully will visit us a few times in the coming months. The children also made their own butter and really enjoyed eating it on crackers. |
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The end of the year has snuck up on us again and in December we will be busy preparing for Christmas. We are singing Christmas songs, decorating the school tree, making ornaments and learning about Baby Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas. We will be studying the different ways Christmas is celebrated around the world. The children will learn about holiday traditions in Mexico, Sweden and Finland, Germany, Netherlands and Italy.
Our own traditions will be very different this year. Unfortunately Covid19 precautions will prevent us from singing during the church service the way we do every year. Our annual performance and school Christmas party is cancelled. We are however still practicing our Christmas songs and we hope to video a mini program for our families and friends.
The school will be CLOSED December 21st – January 1st. We return on Monday, January 4th.
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Best wishes for a Blessed, Safe Christmas and Happy, Healthy New Year!
Pirjo Komonen Campitelli
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ADVENT GRETTING FROM TARJA AND SAMI |
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THE EARLY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
My good friend Raimo has a habit of wishing people a happy early Christmas as soon as January. This usually gets a very surprising reaction. The truth is that there are just more days leading up to Christmas in January than there are in November. This is a good comparison to a Christian, who is said to be waiting for the second coming of Jesus. He is not immune from confused comments and stares. Either way you want to look at it, the Bible urges us to be prepared for both of these events, the celebration of Jesus’ birth and His return.
We are definitely a Christmas family and prep and decorating starts early. Not quite in January, but as we are in Christmassy Finland (not our choice!), I put the outside lights up already at the end of October. If we were in Florida I wouldn’t dare put them up this early. Inside, Tarja took the candles out of storage, and at the same time, decorations found their places. Here in Suodenniemi, we don’t have to worry about the distraction of street lights shining on windows (read, it’s pitch black outside)
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We start listening to Christmas radio as soon as the broadcasts begin, and at the same time tarts, gingerbread cookies and glög are bought from the store shelves as soon as they arrive. I can admit that they are eaten pretty quickly as well. The Bible study group have seen some of these goodies, although only virtually this year. The time spent waiting for Christmas is a wonderful time that somehow tickles the heart strings. The birth of our Savior is a starting point for the bigger plans of being saved and making this a reality. And it fells unbelievable that He has made this plan for you and me. This waiting is a common theme throughout the Bible, and God wants to talk to us during this waiting period and prepare us for the future. Let’s take everything we can from this time spent waiting for Christmas. |
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A blessing filled wait for everyone!
Tarja ja Sami
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Sometimes our birhtday lists are not up to date. If you notice someone's name missing, please notify us. THANK YOU! |
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Among others, these loved congregation members celebrated their birthdays in November. We could not include all the dignitaries here, unfortunately, but you are all in our hearts and prayers.
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We fondly remember the bringer of light and good cheer, poet
Unto Aro (1927-2020)
Our prayers are with his wife Irja.
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RELAXED AND NOURISHING VIRTUAL BIBLE STUDY |
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Our congregation Bible study began its meetings under the direction of Sami Ettanen in mid-October after a long break. The Corona time has not affected the subject matter of the meetings, the time or the study of the group members, but how we meet has changed. We can no longer gather around a big table in the fellowship hall, but in front of our own screens on both sides of the Atlantic.
In our group, during the fall, we have gone through the book of Galatians and the three Letters of John. We are now studying Revelations. Currently there is about a dozen active members in the group and there is room for more. These Thursday meetings are relaxed and nice encounters, where we ponder and learn together without any pressure or expectations. Here are a few comments from participants:
It has been very nice to be part of this Bible class, and realize that this works like this as well (ie. virtually). -Liisa
I have really enjoyed Sami's leadership at these Bible study sessions. Sami has taught us about the historical background of seven congregations and what part of the world they operated and originated in. This is how our knowledge grows about the secrets of the Bible.
-Helvi, NY
It is quite outstanding for us that there is two (Sami and Jorma Lehtovuori) who are deeply knowledgeable about history and that of the individuals involved. Sami's introduction to Revelations has opened up whole new channels of thought and inner feelings. The presentation on seven congregations was like sitting in history class. Feels nice that the participants are becoming bold enough to ask questions.
- Annikki and Jouko
This Bible moment is a good time to ponder and bring to the surface what God wants to say through the word at that particular place. A single Bible verse opens up differently in every person. Even if we have read the same verse hundreds of times, then all of a sudden God can open up a new perspective and meaning to the matter. A small group is the best possible way to study the Word and this enables everyone to participate. - Jussi
In this time of quietness and solitude at home, our St. Andrew's Bible study group has been a refreshing moment. Our groups have met much in the same format as before, but now we are home in Finland. The best part is that we go through the scripture in a relaxed way, thinking, wondering. The leaders often provide more backround information and have explained issues in a very easy to understand manner. It seems like everything in the Bible is somehow connected, from the Old Testament al the way to Revelations. That is a very interesting book. The other "best" thing is that the threshold is very low at this group. Anyone can ask, I've been wondering why / what / how...? What does that mean...? Thank you to the leaders and participants!
- Annukka
If you understand Finnish and are interested in joining our group, you need not have any previous Bible group experience or knowledge of the Bible. Interest in God's word is all you need. You can join in by sending Sami an email: [email protected].
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This has truly been an extraordinary year and we have so much to be thankful for. While we have spent most of the year apart, we have been brought closer to each other and God via modern technology. Here at church, we have spent a good amount of time trying to figure this out; sometimes we are successful. We appreciate everyone who watches us online and want to bring the best service possible out to the audience. We also appreciate your patience, as some of this technology did not exist 6 months ago. We are thankful that we can be part of this new way to spread the good news of the Gospel.
As we move ahead into this Christmas season, our annual Christmas concert is quickly approaching. The concert will take place on Saturday, December 12th at 2 PM, and will be an online only event. As much as we would like a church full of people, safety is our number one priority. The concert will feature some of your favorite musicians, and for the first time will be held together with our most beautiful Christmas carols event. Please mark this on your calendars.
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As always, I would like to thank all of the musicians who donate their time to our church. It would not be the same without you. These wonderful people freely give of themselves and do it for the glory of our God! One more thing to be thankful about.
Music is a very powerful tool, especially during these challenging times, and we hope that we can bring you God’s important message through the music at our services, prayer moments, and online concerts.
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Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3:16)
Michael
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During the Christmas season we have a beautiful Advent candlabra decorating our altar. Did you know that the candle holder was donated by the Törmälä family in memory of Ruth Törmälä?
Ruth Törmälä was Pastor Törmälä's wife and mother to Deborah Grotke and Naomi Fox. The candlabra was donated to the church on Advent Sunday, November 29, 1992. Below is a picture of this event and to the left is a picture from last Christmas, where Oliver, Ruth Törmälä's great grandson with his mother is lighting the candles on the candlabra.
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PIRJO-LEENA KOSKISEN COLUMN |
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When the year is coming to an end, we always look back and reminisce the events of the year gone by. Maybe this year we don’t need to dig deep to try to remember, instead we may wish to forget at least part of the year’s events. Luckily, very seldom in the history of the mankind there are years like this. Many of us are at the least tired, some of us almost to exhaustion, some depressed to a certain degree. Those who lived during World War II in Finland have told us that never before has the whole nation of Finland been praying as much as during those years of the war. I believe it. All those years they kept on praying for the country and for their loved ones. Is it so that we need to have these kinds of dreadful events to remember where the real help comes from?
Sometimes it is so difficult even to find the words to express what to say in prayer. It’s good to know that the Lord knows what is bothering us, He already knows what we need. We just need to take a deep breath, calm down and let our mind rest in Jesus. We can always give thanks to the Lord; we have so much to give thanks for, more than we first would think. A good friend of mine once told me: you can talk to the Lord just like you talk to me or to your best friend. You don’t need a certain form of prayer or procedure. I want to share this with you because I thought it was a very good piece of advice. Approaching Christmas, this celebration of joy and light for the world will give us hope. This year it will be especially in demand. I wish you all a Joyful Christmas!
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Thanks for the past year, may the next Year be blessed to all!
Pirjo-Leena
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SOME MEMORIES OF NOVEMBER |
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Below are a few pictures of our church moments on Sundays. Our hope is that as many as possible will follow our services safely from home. For the time being our church doors remain open to the public, but we aim to adhere to the Synod's recommendation of a limit of 25 people at our inside events. |
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Our Rest home visits were once again the highlight of the month. Thank you to Lauri, Hanna, Kristen and Tuomo for being with us and for the music. Thank you to all the wonderful onlookers as well!
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ANSWERS TO CHRISTMAS QUIZ |
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From the links below you can access the sights that advertise our church activities. A warm thank you to USAsuomeksi and Florida Finns!
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Blessed Christmas anticipation! |
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St. Andrew's Lutheran Church | (561) 582-0554 | 928 South E Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460 | www.standrewsfl.com |
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