With God All Things are Possible

The date December 6, 2012 is etched in Yolanda Cac’s memory. It was the day her father decided to start a Lutheran Church in Maya Itza. Since then, she has continued to sense God working in her and in her community as they dream about building a church.

But it didn’t start out that way. She said, “The first time my aunt took me to church, I felt afraid and ashamed. People were looking at me. I didn’t like it.”  She continued on, drawn in by the singing, especially in her native language of K’iche’. “I think God’s calling is important and I can feel it. I can feel it when I’m singing.”

Yolanda sang her favorite hymn, “When there are One, Two, or Three” in K’iche’. In our interview, she spoke to me in Spanish, her second language, through the translation of Pastor Karen Castillo, President of the Iglesia Luterana Agustina Guatemala (ILAG). By receiving education and training, Yolanda reads Scripture on Sundays and leads the women’s ministry, two things that would have been much more difficult had she not received a scholarship from ILAG. She said she was very excited and never believed it was possible.

Yolanda explained that her father had a difficult harvest as a farmer, and she said education was not in the picture until she received a scholarship to finish high school. Now that she is learning more, she sees more opportunities to help others learn about God and the Bible.

Since I met Yolanda, she has decided to pursue leadership training at ILAG in Guatemala City. It’s a big step for her and her family to allow her to go to the city, and lose her work and daily contributions on the home front. At 24, God is doing a new thing in Yolanda. She is on a new adventure. God is stirring up the people of Maya Itza, who now have a beautiful property on which to begin construction of their new church.

Traveling into rural northwestern Guatemala was an adventure as Sarah and I bonded with our brothers and sisters from the group from Easter Lutheran Church, Eagan. Our bus broke down, but it wasn’t long before another one came along!  And we all will always remember our K’iche’ friends in Maya Itza.

“I thank my God every time I think of you” (Philippians 1:3, NIV).

Beloved Daughters of God

In rural Guatemala, it is not unusual for parents to send boys to school and keep their girls at home. It is also not unusual for girls to be married off between ages 12-15 so the family will have one less mouth to feed. And the cycle continues…the young women will often have ten children of their own, only to educate their sons and marry their daughters off at a young age.

How women perceive themselves is important in matters of leadership, employment, and personal relationships, among many other matters. In my recent travels and conversations with women leaders in the church, it has become apparent to me how greatly cultures and traditions influence women’s personal development and self-image. This influences family structure, systems and daily life for Guatemalans.

When I participated in a weekend retreat for young women who came into Guatemala City for the conference, it was striking to me how shy and reserved they appeared. Pastor Karen told me that even making eye contact with others is difficult for them. Many Guatemalan women will not speak when a man is present – that is why it is so important for women to have the opportunity to come together to build relationships with one another.

Pastor Karen Castillo is influencing women of all ages within the Lutheran church of Guatemala. Through her regular visits of the rural congregations she is supporting their local leaders and strengthening women by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with them. She reminds them that God has created them uniquely with gifts to share, gifts beyond being a wife and mother.

The ILAG has done great work in Guatemala, in partnership with the St. Paul Area Synod. For example, ILAG has provided water tanks at the homes of the entire 300-family community of Maya Itza. Families now have water at home and do not have to carry water on a daily basis. Another project is underway to provide “clean” cooking systems for the homes to reduce the amount of smoke indoors that results from cooking over a fire. This type of support benefits every person’s health and wellness.

Thanks be to God for Pastor Karen’s vision, energy, and love for the people of Guatemala! Please pray for God’s hand to bless these beautiful people.

God’s Grace has no Size or Borders

I don’t know why, but it seems that in the Lutheran church, we may not rely on personal testimonies as much as other faith traditions. Personal stories of faith are often powerful – hearing the good news from an individual directly to you. When I sat down with Pastor Esther, her lifelong devotion to God was evident, even as we communicated through a translator, her daughter, Pastor Karen Castillo. 

 

 

In our conversation, Esther talked about her mother, who valued education and raised her in the church. Now, she is following in her own mother’s footsteps, supporting her daughters and grandchildren in the faith in Guatemala. When I visited, Esther was presenting at a retreat for young rural women. I found her to be a role model of strength, resilience, encouraging the women to develop their gifts for God’s glory. There are many challenges to ministry in a country with a great deal of poverty, yet Pastor Esther maintains a positive approach and a sense of humor.

The partnership between the St. Paul Area Synod and the Iglesia Luterana Agustina Guatemala (ILAG) is a vibrant one. A majority of the church members are indigenous and are living on the margins of society since the civil war in Guatemala ended in 1996. Many of them were forced into camps as refugees in Mexico and have returned to the rural areas, where the churches are growing. Pastor Esther is at the right place at the right time to support a growing Lutheran presence in Guatemala. With 2000 members in 17 congregations and two elementary schools, there is much work to be done.

If you are interested in learning more about ILAG,  visit the St. Paul Area Synod: 

 


 


“Growing in my understanding of what it means to follow Jesus has been my deepest joy.” Bishop Patricia Lull

Overwhelmingly, the women I have interviewed believe they have been encouraged by God to engage more deeply in a life of faith and to use their gifts more fully as leaders in the church.  Conversations about “women’s rights” with regard to leadership have been sparse. It has been an incredible privilege to hear women leaders tell their stories of how they have experienced God’s invitation to participate in God’s mission.

When asked about what the Bible say about whether women may lead in the church, St. Paul Area Synod Bishop Patricia Lull said, “The basis for my ministry was not in me or in my ego but in the work of Jesus Christ.” I asked Bishop Lull, the first woman bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod, why there are so many more women are in positions of leadership in the past few years:  

Bishop Lull shared that it was not until her internship experience in her third year of seminary that she recognized her call: 

“When I entered seminary I had never heard a woman preach. I am grateful that there were others - family members and professors, church members and peers - who saw gifts in me that I could not yet see. I thought I would become a teacher. My experience working in congregations, especially on internship, made clear that God’s call was that I serve as a pastor.”

As I work through the many hours of videotape from the past five months, listening for common themes, I have not yet been able to neatly categorize God’s call to people.  Often, it takes people a period of years to recognize God’s invitation to them. For others, they perceive it directly and immediately.

Have you experienced God calling you into a deeper relationship with God? These experiences can be hard to explain to others. Stay tuned as I keep logging tape, listening and learning from others who are gracious to share their faith journey with us. 

God’s Grace Creates You to be Free

 Auður Eir Vilhjálmsdóttir always knew she had a call from God. She also knew she would have to wait for the right time to be ordained in Iceland. The first woman to be ordained in Iceland in 1974 actually finished her seminary training in 1962.

At that time, pastors in Iceland were chosen through a general election in the congregation. To be ordained, candidates had to organize a campaign, much like our campaigns for political office, to secure votes. After several failed attempts to become a pastor in the Reykjavik area, Auður Eir was chosen by a congregation in a small rural fishing village. Listen to her tell the story of how she was finally able to serve a church as the first woman pastor in Iceland:

Nearly every woman I interviewed for this project in Iceland mentioned Auður Eir as her inspiration and mentor. Through her education, travel and work with the Lutheran World Federation, Auður Eir brought feminist theology to Iceland. By establishing a Women’s Church, she has worked tirelessly to encourage more gender inclusive language – both in Scripture and hymns. 

Here is an example of how she views Psalm 23 through a feminist lens. (From The Friends of Jesus: An Inclusive Version of Selected Texts from the Bible: 1999)

God is my friend who has never failed me.

She walks with me downtown and we go into my favorite restaurant.

We sit by a table next to the window.

She encourages me

And helps me to understand

some of the things I did not understand before.

She is always like that.

 

Even if I think everything is hopeless

She tells me it ain’t so

It is so great to be in her company

I am no longer afraid of people I was afraid of before

I get a new self-confidence.

Yes, I become sure of the goodness of life.

And she and I will always be friends.

The ordination of Iceland's first national woman bishop, Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir. 

 

Called as We Are

Pastor Guðbjörg Jóhannesdóttir:

Fifteen years ago, when I first considered pursuing a call to ministry, I hesitated. I wasn’t thinking about becoming a pastor, just thinking about taking ONE class to learn more about faith in God through Jesus Christ. As I thought about my failures in love and life, I hesitated to even apply to seminary. Let me count the ways I have done or said things that would prevent me from ever being “good enough” to be any kind of a leader in church, I thought.

The truth is that none of us are “good enough” to earn a right standing with God.  This is exactly why we need Christ. Once I more realized God has fully forgiven me for all of my sin and I began to forgive myself, I was able to start to more freely move in life. Yes, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but God can still use someone like me – and someone like you - to share God’s love in the world.  

Pastor Guðbjörg Jóhannesdóttir shared with me that she was not brought up in church. Her grandmother was a strong mentor for her as she dealt with loss at an early age. The death of her younger brother when she was only six years old shaped her in ways, strengthening her call to help people through grief and loss. With her husband’s strong support, she sensed a call to ministry and never looked back. Ordained 17 years ago, Pastor Guðbjörg brings her full self to her job. I found her honesty refreshing and freeing. And I like her confidence to wear pink leggings on the job! 

God created the varieties of people, with their unique gifts and abilities. God’s call comes to people in different ways and in God’s perfect timing. God who created us, knows us, restores our relationship and loves us. Here are a couple of reminders from Scripture:

 “But I, yes I, am the one who takes care of your sins—that’s what I do. I don’t keep a list of your sins.”  Isaiah 43:25 The Message (MSG)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.” Psalms 103:12 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Being First

The project I have undertaken this school year was inspired by the many “firsts” I had witnessed in recent years: women emerging as bishops, college, and seminary presidents in the Lutheran church. In the past five months, I’ve traveled to nine countries to meet some of them. Many of these leaders are taking on roles as the first women in their positions – bringing with them all that makes them a unique child of God, created in God’s image.

Yesterday’s blog post featured the ELCA’s first woman bishop, Elizabeth Eaton. Today’s post features Iceland’s first woman bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, Bishop Agnes Sigurðardóttir. In an interview in Reykjavik, we talked about how being the “first” person to break a barrier can be a positive distinction in some ways, but often poses challenges in other ways.

Bishop Agnes has served the church of Iceland for 30 years as a youth director, pastor, and now bishop since 2012. She told me she has benefitted from observing two particular women leaders succeed, including Iceland’s first woman president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir who lead from 1980-96, and the first women to be ordained as pastor in 1974, Auður Eir Vilhjálmsdóttir. Auður Eir brought feminist theology to Iceland after having lived and studied in Europe, a longtime member of the Lutheran World Federation. President Finnbogadóttir lead the country with warmth and authenticity, still a beloved figure in Iceland’s history. These women have shaped Bishop Agnes and many others in their paths.

Someone has to be first. The stories of how women pursued a path that lead them to an unprecedented office are surprising, even to them! Certainly, trailblazing helps those who follow-- the path is not as riddled with as many impediments such as thick brush, and the ground shows the marks of those who have already paved the way. For a person considering a new path, having a few obstacles knocked down can make something seem possible for the first time.

Many thanks to Bishop Agnes, the women who came before her, and those who will follow her, living more fully into their gifts of leadership. It’s no accident that Iceland is considered one of the best, if not the best places for women in the world to live.   

BBC Video:  Iceland #1 Country for women

The high price for being the first woman to enter the Boston Marathon, 1967

Female Bishop:  Man interrupts ordination of Libby Lane, England, 2015

...”the grace of God so assured”…

Christian doctrine stands on God’s grace. “Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence, a belief in the grace of God so assured that a person would die a thousand deaths for its sake” (Martin Luther).

It was a delight to recently meet Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). She graciously agreed to be interviewed in the midst of the Christmas tree lighting festivities at Bethany Beyond the Jordan in December.  

For more information:  Baptism Site of Jesus Christ.   MAP

As a candidate approved for ordination in the ELCA, I had the opportunity to ask Bishop Eaton her thoughts about grace. While I’m sure she gets this question quite often, she shared a wonderful story that I found helpful in feeling grace rather than intellectualizing it. Having recently graduated from seminary, I believe that we seminarians are often are working hard to get our “definitions and terms” down pat before we graduate. But how can one possibly define the Divine’s action in the world? It is likely not possible to define it fully or adequately, but there some ways we can attempt to get at the heart of it.

Over the past six months, I have been working on the Graduate Preaching Fellowship project, focusing on global women leaders in the church. In the course of the questions, I have taken the opportunity to ask the nearly 50 interviewees, “How do you define grace? How have you experienced grace?”  What would you say?

In the days and weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing their insights on this question and others. I hope you’ll experience grace in your life and that you’ll share your insights with others too.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NRSV)

Giving You Your Life Back

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the mark of the season of Lent. Many Christians will receive ashes on their foreheads in the form of a cross. When one receives this mark, along with the words: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19), it is a humbling and solemn occasion. It is hard for us to hear these words, even though we know it is the truth about us. 

People tend to leave the ashes on their foreheads for the rest of the day as a reminder to themselves and a witness to others. Our Lutheran theology grounds us in Christ, who forgives us through his dying and rising again. We are fully sinners in need of repentance and we are fully saints, given a new beginning each day. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives.

Yes, we receive the cross of ashes, symbolizing death. And because of Christ, we are washed in the waters of Baptism, renewed by the mark of the cross of water. Day after day, we are buoyed up by these promises.

I’ll leave you with St. Paul’s words in contemporary language. They speak to me – I hope they may also resonate with you.

“It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.” Titus 3:3-8 (The Message)

Look for daily posts from me through Lent. Let’s walk this road together.

A Legacy Living on in Haiti

One definition of“legacy” is something passed down to the next generation. Our week in Haiti has been characterized by love and service to the neighbor, namely orphans and the elderly. These were the priorities of the founder of Reiser Relief, Father Bernard Reiser. These priorities are being lived out through the people whose lives he touched during his life as a priest. Since his death in 2011, still others like me, are becoming acquainted with his mission.

This week, I was fortunate to join a fabulous group led by Fr. Reiser’s niece, Joyce Getchell. Our team includes several others who attended the Catholic faith community he established - Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids. The self-described “Epiphanites” continue to keep his memory alive with stories and shared laughter. Their respect and gratitude for their beloved priest is evident. 

On one of our day trips, we saw a beautiful pillar dedicated to Father Reiser at the Village of Jesus, a community of elderly women being cared by the Catholic sisters. The buildings, community and its ministries are just part of Fr. Reiser’s legacy in Haiti. (His commitment to education also lives on in the establishment of several schools.) 

At the Village of Jesus, our group filed in to greet Sister Josette, one of the elderly sisters being cared for on site. After sharing conversation, she took out her well-worn Bible. Opening it up, she showed us a photograph of Fr. Reiser, protected by plastic. Sister Josette continues to remember him as part of her daily life of faith, even after his death. 

While I never met Fr. Reiser, it's evident he lived out of a belief that God’s mercies were new every day of his life. His writings convey a possibility-mindset grounded in the good news of Jesus Christ. As his niece, Joyce, said the other day, “Who starts a non-profit when they are 70 years old?”

Our God is a God who brings life out of death. Our God is a God who is creating new opportunities to love and serve others. As followers of Christ, we remember our Baptism and how it connects us to Christ as God’s beloved children. 

In his life and in his death, Fr. Reiser’s legacy points to Jesus Christ. As a recent seminary graduate and a candidate approved for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, I find traveling in Fr. Reiser’s footsteps to be an inspiration. In Minnesota and in Haiti, his life continues to encourage others to intentional living: service and compassion for those who need it the most, a possibility mindset, and a firm trust in a loving and forgiving God. I give thanks for his life and service to the Gospel.

Latvia 1975: Women, you can be pastors! Latvia 1994: Women, your services in the church are no longer needed!

Following my interview with Pastor Carrie Smith, my Luther Seminary friend, Deanna, and I had an opportunity to meet a woman in ministry from Latvia. Dace Balode, a Systematic Theology Professor, University of Latvia, was visiting the offices of the Evangelical Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ECJHL). Bishop Munib Younan invited us to into his office where we discussed the current situation for women pastors in Latvia, among other things. When I told Dace I have wanted to meet a woman in ministry from Latvia, she replied, “Well, I guess you just had to come to Jerusalem!"

Since 1975, women in the Lutheran church in Latvia had been ordained; however, Bishop Janis Vanags, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lativa (LELB), halted all future ordinations of women 20 years ago. Now, it is very rare for a woman to be ordained unless she wants to serve in another country.

There are denominations that have never ordained women. That is one issue; but it is quite another to understand why one person would take away women’s ability (who have pursued a theological education) to respond to God’s call as leaders in the church. Maybe I need to be like Michael Moore — and show up at Bishop Vanags' office - cameras rolling - and see what he has to say. In the meantime, I am praying for him and the women desiring a call to the Office of Word and Sacrament in Latvia.

Photo from left:  Conversation at Lutheran Church of Redeemer in Jerusalem’s Old City. Luther Seminary Mdiv. student Deanna Bassett, Dace Balode, Latvia, Janet Karvonen-Montgomery, Pastor Carrie Smith, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem.


Universal Languages: The Gospel and a ball

Two quarters of college Spanish in 1985 helped a little. As I have traveled, language is often a barrier in communication. I wish I spoke Finnish. I wish I spoke Icelandic. In Guatemala, I learned how a bright orange soccer ball transcends languages. A ball speaks volumes: to a two-year-old who pats it happily as he is held in his mother’s arms, to a spunky seven-year-old girl with more energy than she knows what to do with to a 30-something-year-old dad who still thinks he’s got game.

Having filled two suitcases with as many flattened soccer balls and basketballs as I could fit, I had visions of giving balls out to children in school settings. No one was more surprised than me when the opportunity presented itself to hit the court with the women on retreat from their families and homes. These were women ranging from ages 17-60, several toting babies in blankets. The skirts and the sweat did not stop us from bonding through a ball. Each of the 16 left with a pink striped basketball and a smile.

From Guatemala City of seven million people to the northwest rural Cooperativa Maya Itza, the balls were a hit. They brought joy. They allowed for play, and interaction that may not have otherwise happened. 

Hoping to leave all of the balls in Guatemala, Maya Itza was the last stop. “How many balls do you have left?” Pastor Karen asked. “Twelve.” She smiled. “There are twelve families in this church. There will be one for each family. You had the right number.”  Recalling a phrase from deep in the caverns of my brain, I smiled at Pastor Karen and said with a hint of sarcasm, “Que coincidencia!” (What a coincidence!) She smiled.

There are times when you know that there is more at work in life than random chance and coincidence. While you cannot explain it, you know that it is Holy. 

His Name is Jesus

Inglesia Luterana Agustina Guatemala (ILAG) President Karen Castillo asked me to preach to the rural community church in Maya Itza. As the conclusion to the sermon, I highlighted one of the songs we sang that day. It was numero catorce (#14) in their songbook.

In English:

I have a friend who loves me.

You have a friend who loves you.

We have a friend who loves us.

His name is Jesus.

 
 

Women leaders in the church: Go!!!

Maybe you have had a lot of experience with women leaders in the church. Maybe you have never seen a woman pastor. Women are rising in the ranks of leadership in many denominations. Some may ask, “Why is this still an issue?” Some may be ambivalent about gender issues in the world and in the church. Some clearly believe women are not authorized by Scripture to preach and teach.

I believe God created male and female in God’s image. Yet, there are still barriers existing for women in ministry in 2015. These barriers often make it more difficult to pursue one’s call to ministry- even diminishing the opportunities for women pastors to serve fully and freely.

God’s call comes to all people. Stay tuned to hear the stories of women who have heard God’s call and have followed it.

Jodi Hogue is the pastor of Humble Walk Lutheran Church in St. Paul. Interviewed at the Iceland Pastor’s conference, she spoke of the strong support she feels in ministry from her colleagues, congregation, friends, and bishop. She is enthusiastic about her call, while also acknowledging the pay gap for women in ministry.

 
 

Iceland: Women fully participating in leadership roles in civic, church and family life.

When I checked into the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel in Reykjavik, one of the first things I heard is how Hillary Clinton had stayed there prior to announcing her presidential candidacy. The hotel staff informed me Clinton had come to the country to learn more about Iceland’s election of a woman president. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir held the office from 1980-96.

 

Our bicycle tour guide, Egil, told us about seeing the beloved former president just a couple of weeks earlier in August when a lovely sculpture of Iceland’s first female representative, Ingrid Bjarnsson, was unveiled in the city square. Former President Finnbogadóttir, now 85, greeted the public from a second story balcony while dedicating the bronze in front of the crowds gathered.

 

What must it be like for the girls and women in Iceland to have seen women hold the highest office? It is not out of the ordinary, according to the many. One female pastor shared that while she was growing up, she thought the president was supposed to be a woman! Now, the bishop of the Lutheran Church of Iceland is a woman for the first time.

 

In August, more than half of the country’s Evangelical Lutheran pastors of Iceland gathered for a conference. Pastor Guðni Harðarson, an organizer for the annual conference in Reykjavik, studied at Luther Seminary. Guðni and I connected through our mutual classmate Rev. George Timlak of Cameroon. He graciously invited me to attend the gathering featuring author Nadia Bolz-Weber and St. Paul’s Jodi Hogue.

 

It was fabulous! Through Guðni, I interviewed Bishop Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, the first woman ordained in Iceland, Audur Eir Vilhjalmsdóttir, and Arnfriour Guomundsdottir, ‪the first woman to teach theology at the University of Iceland to name a few. These influential women have and will continue to shape pastoral leadership in the country.

Shared leadership. Mutual ministry. Possibilities for all.  Inspiration for the future.

 

 

 

Eyjafjallajökull

Iceland has a high concentration of volcanoes. When Eyjafjallajökull erupted in April of 2010, it halted air travel for 10 million travelers in 20 different countries. The dispersion of the volcanic ash (see global map) caused the largest disruption of air travel since World War II. The airspace over northern Europe was affected for three weeks.

Many Icelanders attempted to help me, however, I still cannot pronounce this word that means “island-mountain-glacier.” I have the t-shirt and I’m working on it!

 
 

Finland

August 6-29

August 6, 2015
My family of seven and I left for Scandinavian vacation to introduce our children to the places of our ancestral heritage: Finland for my father’s side, Sweden for my mother’s side, and Norway for my mother-in-law’s side. It was our first trip with Sonja, our new daughter-in-law, who enthusiastically shared her previous Norway experience and heritage with us. Spending several days in Iceland on both the outbound and return trips was a bonus. 

The trip also marked the beginning of my explorations for the Graduate Preaching Fellowship (GPF). In each country, I began contacting several of the country’s first female Lutheran bishops, pastors and theologians, with varying success. 

August 22, 2015  
Starting in Finland felt right—but how do we start? Our niece, Sarah Browne, joined the family in Helsinki to participate in the fellowship. But first, the kids taught Sarah and me a new game called “Bonanza.” It is a silly game of bean trading and counting. Our laughter, banter, and color-coded cards attracted the interest of a man passing through the hotel lobby who asked us what game we were playing. Thanks to Dave and Sonja, our family plays a lot of games together. (Who knew rock-paper-scissors could be so intense.) 

 

August 23, 2015
The family portion of the trip ended in Helsinki. It was an early Sunday morning, Matt’s 19th birthday, when I sent the six of them off on a 4:30 a.m. airport shuttle. “Mom, don’t rush home – I like having the car to myself,” said Sophie, 16. 

Emotions built with each hug. By the sixth hug and kiss, I was a mess. Eyes blurred with tears I stood on the sidewalk, waving. Behind me, the hotel security door had shut and locked, unbeknownst to me. In my robe, I turned back to the hotel, sensing the cool air for the first time. Stunned, eyes cleared, I knocked frantically, summoning the front desk clerk after a few minutes. 

And so, the GPF began on this Sunday morning. 

Several hours later, Sarah and I attended Sunday worship at the iconic Helsinki Cathedral. This beautiful white Russian design with the light blue domes is located in the keskusta, the center of the city near the harbor. Coffee hour in the lower level Crypt yielded a connection with two women who led worship that morning: Anne, a seminary student and Tiina, an ordained Lutheran pastor. They would become our first interviews, conducted at the offices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. 

A pastor for 19 years, Pastor Tiina Silvo, shared her call story, along with the joys and challenges of ministry. Here, she shares how the gospel message is central to her life.

 
 
 
 



Uppsala, Sweden

Interested in hearing stories about church history, I was surprised to learn some surprising Karvonen family history. My Minneapolis cousin informed me that our family tree included pastors in Finland as far back as the 1600s. This was news to me. This line of pastors were from a north central Finnish community called Pudasjarvi. They traveled to Uppsala, Sweden to attend the seminary.

Here are my four kids outside one of the campus buildings at Uppsala, University.

 

Pride

Reykjavik Gay Pride parade is the largest festival in Iceland attracting over 100,000 people. It’s widespread acceptance and participation is a way of saying, “in Iceland the whole nation will help you enjoy the freedom of being and celebrate who you are.” Families, children, and elderly line the parade route. All around the city, including at City Hall, the rainbow flags fly high. Streets are painted with rainbow colors. It is apparent from the conversations that this festival is a highlight of the summer for the mainstream population. As we stopped in a various shops and restaurants, we were invited to join in the festivities. And we did.

 

One pastor stood at the doorway of the church, dressed in a white alb with a rainbow lei around his neck. Waving two rainbow flags in one hand, he used his other hand to make the sign of the cross in the form of a blessing to those who passed by. Many GLBTQ folks have been rejected by the church and have been told to change their ways. This pastor smiled, waved the flags and blessed all of the people who passed by the church door.