Summer services

Summer services (Finnish: suviseurat, Swedish: sommarmötet, Russian: Большое Летнее Собрание) is the annual meeting of the Finnish Lutheran movement known as Conservative Laestadians. In addition to the primary Finnish gathering, similar meetings are arranged in North America, Sweden and Russia.

Summer services
The "Big Tent" has served as the main venue for services since 2009
DateEnd of June
LocationChanges every year
TypeChristian congress
Organised bySuomen rauhanyhdistysten keskusyhdistys
Websitehttp://suviseurat.fi/
Summer services in Perho, Finland in 2005
Flags represent countries where SRK (the central organization of Conservative Laestadians in Finland) or its sister organizations are regularly active
The main tent for the services used between 1960–2008

Suviseurat in Finland

Summer services (Finnish: Suviseurat) is a large gathering of Laestadians in Finland. The event occurs every year at the end of June. It is organized and hosted by a Finnish Conservative Laestadianism association known as the Suomen rauhanyhdistysten keskusyhdistys (SRK). Summer services are among the most visited Finnish summer festivals and the largest spiritual meeting.[1] Summer services are attended by tens of thousands of visitors from Finland, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, United States, Canada and many other countries. The number of visitors reaches its peak usually on Saturday night, when the services have 80,000 simultaneous visitors.

Summer services take place over the course of four days, usually a Friday through Monday. The program consist mainly of sermons and hymns and songs of Zion. The Summer services areas is about 100 hectares (270 acres). The size of the event requires the need for loudspeakers to carry sermons to all of the listeners. On Saturday Holy Communion is offered and in the evening there is a presentation which is mainly for younger listeners. A gathering for pastors is also held during the Summer services.

The Summer Services take place in a different location every year. 2020 summer services in Reisjärvi will be 112th in order. Services were held in for the first time in 1906 with Oulu being the host city.

Recently, sermons have been broadcast via the Internet into many languages.[2][3]

Host cities in Finland

1906
Oulu
1907
Oulu
1908
Ylivieska
1909
Tornio-Haaparanta
1910
Helsinki
1911
Kokkola
1912
Rovaniemi
1913
Kajaani
1914
Oulainen
1915
—†
1916
Oulu
1917
Ii
1918
Jyväskylä
1919
Kemi
1920
Vaasa
1921
Ylivieska
1922
Viipuri
1923
Kajaani
1924
Oulu
1925
Rovaniemi
1926
Haapajärvi
1927
Jyväskylä
1928
Oulu
1929
Tornio
1930
Kajaani
1931
Rovaniemi
1932
Iisalmi
1933
Oulu
1934
Oulu
1935
Oulu
1936
Rovaniemi
1937
Jyväskylä
1938
Kajaani
1939
Kemi
1940
Oulu
1941
—††
1942
Oulu
1943
Haapajärvi
1944
—†††
1945
Nivala
1946
Pori
1947
Joensuu
1948
Kuopio
1949
Haapajärvi
1950
Ylivieska
1951
Rovaniemi
1952
Tornio
1953
Iisalmi
1954
Tampere
1955
Kemi
1956
Oulu
1957
Kuopio
1958
Jyväskylä
1959
Helsinki
1960
Kajaani
1961
Kuusamo
1962
Raahe
1963
Ylivieska
1964
Joensuu
1965
Rovaniemi
1966
Oulu
1967
Jämsä
1968
Reisjärvi
1969
Nivala
1970
Alajärvi
1971
Ruukki
1972
Pudasjärvi
1973
Ranua
1974
Hollola
1975
Turku
1976
Sievi
1977
Haapajärvi
1978
Kajaani
1979
Rovaniemi
1980
Keminmaa
1981
Perho
1982
Oulunsalo
1983
Kalajoki
1984
Hollola
1985
Kuusamo
1986
Outokumpu
1987
Hankasalmi
1988
Vihti
1989
Ranua
1990
Haapavesi
1991
Jämijärvi
1992
Iisalmi
1993
Haukipudas
1994
Tornio
1995
Toholampi
1996
Alajärvi
1997
Rovaniemi
1998
Pudasjärvi
1999
Kronoby
2000
Petäjävesi
2001
Ruukki
2002
Maaninka
2003
Muhos
2004
Nivala
2005
Perho
2006
Sotkamo
2007
Valkeala
2008
Sievi
2009
Oripää
2010
Liperi
2011
Lumijoki
2012
Loppi
2013
Pudasjärvi
2014
Pyhäjoki
2015
Vaasa
2016
Tornio
2017
Pori
2018
Äänekoski
2019
Muhos
2020
Reisjärvi
2021
Loppi
2022
Kauhava
2023
Pudasjärvi
  • (†) 1915 summer services in Alakainuu, Sweden were cancelled due to typhoid fever epidemic.
  • (††) 1941 summer services in Haapajärvi were cancelled due to Continuation War.
  • (†††) 1944 summer services in Nivala were officially cancelled due to Continuation War. Nevertheless, the cancellation message did not reach everyone and thousands of guests and speakers arrived. Services were held unofficially.

[4]

Summer services in North America

Festival gate of Perho summer services in 2005

Summer services in North America are arranged by members of the Laestadian Lutheran Church.

They take place every year during the first weekend of July. They are mostly attended by North American guests, but some guests come from Finland, Ecuador, Togo, and elsewhere.

The service schedule consists of devotional speeches and Songs and Hymns of Zion. The purpose of the services is to invite all people to hear the Word of God. The core of the proclamation is the message of Jesus as the redeemer of sins and the call to repentance.

2016 - Toronto, Ontario

2017 -

2018 -

2019 - Monticello, Minnesota

2020 - Loretto, Minnesota

2021 - Marquette, Michigan

2022 - Washington

Sources

  1. Suomen ev.lut. kirkko: Aamenesta öylättiin – lestadiolaisuus (in Finnish)
  2. SRK: SRK SUMMER SERVICES IN MUHOS JUNE 27-30, 2003 - BULLETIN. 2003
  3. SRK: The SRK Summer Services Archived 2007-06-30 at Archive.today. 2007
  4. "SRK:n Suviseurat". SRK. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
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