Stories from Stockholm
On December 10, the Christian student organization Credo hosted it’s annual Christmas party and worship service at the Royal College of Music. Student leaders from four University campuses in Stockholm planned and led the party and around 70 students attended. Credo excels in equipping and empowering student leaders to lead small group Bible studies and prayer groups on their respective campuses. Several times a year the leaders at the various campuses plan larger worship evenings, social events and outreach events. One can really see their joy in coming together as a larger group. It’s exciting to see that there is a wider Gospel movement on the university campuses in Stockholm.
It’s been a privilege to be invited to support the student leaders of Credo. Over the past year and half I have enjoyed building relationships with them and supporting them in their spiritual growth and leadership.
It’s a joy to see students letting go in play in the midst of an intense schedule of exams, papers and performances.
Students from the music college planned a beautiful Advent service. Here is short video of one of they hymns the led.
Pray for Credo, the national staff and student leaders as they seek to share the love of Christ with students on the Stockholm campuses and around Sweden.
A new partnership develops in supporting our homeless neighbors
With our pastor Nick, making sandwiches that will later be distributed to homeless neighbors at the central station in Stockhholm.
For the past year and half our family has been blessed to join in supporting St. Peter’s church as they seek to be present with the homeless community in our neighborhood. Every Saturday evening a group goes out from the church with wagons full of coffee, tea, sandwiches and fruit. Their destination is Stockholm Central Station which is an overnight sheltering place for many of the homeless in the area. There are often around 100 people spread throughout the various sitting areas of the vast complex. The team walks throughout the entire station meeting people, offering a warm greeting, a healthy sandwich and a warm drink. Some of the people they meet are elderly and can’t afford a home and have no relatives to take them in. Some struggle with mental illness or addiction, others are immigrants who do not have access to any of the support offered to EU citizens. What they all share is a deep vulnerability to the harsh winter climate and life on the streets. Many in the homeless community have shared that it means so much that St. Peter’s comes to where they are, sees them, and cares for them.
A fruit of the regular presence of St. Peter’s in the station is that there is now a group of 30 people that come to the church for fellowship, soup and devotional each Thursday evening. A new community is forming in their church and it is one that I imagine makes Jesus smile.
This past autumn while speaking with our pastor he mentioned that he was looking for a way to invite the community to serve in the city. I mentioned the work at St. Peter’s and he was curious to find out more. After a meeting together with the pastor of St. Peter’s, our congregation was enthusiastically welcomed to join in. There are now 13 volunteers from our church that are taking part. The newly ordained pastor who leads this ministry shared with me that “it felt like wind in our sails” to have the new volunteers so engaged. It’s so encouraging for me to see local churches join together in service.