Cherished: Strength of future found in number of children
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HELSINKI, Finland — The assault begins early Sunday morning. A brigade of mothers pushing baby buggies converges from all directions on meetinghouses across Finland.
They are seen climbing from buses or walking the beautiful tree-lined streets as they make their way to Sunday services.
A gauge of the Church's strength in Finland is found in the number of children. They are cherished among the Finns, and nowhere is that more evident than in the 17 Primaries scattered across the two stakes of Helsinki and Tampere.
Social trends in Finland match other European communities where young people are following work opportunities to larger cities. In the Tampere stake, organized in 1983, members are gravitating toward the cities of Tampere and Turku. Young parents completing their university education are drawn to the Tampere 1st and 2nd wards where there are many Primary-age children. The Young Women and Young Men programs in these wards are also vigorous.
Other congregations like the Hameenlinna Branch — once a thriving branch where the first chapel in Finland was built in the 1950s — have gradually dwindled to 35 active members. Though small in number, they are still robust in testimony.
There are 1,500 members in the Tampere stake, with approximately 400 in the two wards in Tampere, and 400 more in the two wards in Turku.
Because Finland is sparsely populated, traveling long distances is common for members. The Jyvaskyla Ward, located about a two-hour drive from Tampere, is the most northern ward in the stake.
Members of this ward from the city of Pyhajarvi will travel more than 100 miles one-way to attend meetings. Despite the difficulty, members faithfully make this near daylong journey every week.
Growth is similar in the Helsinki stake where young families with children are congregating in the three wards in Helsinki and the two in Espoo, where the temple is located.
On a beautiful Sunday morning a week prior to the dedication of the Helsinki temple last October, Annika Saarinen led several dozen children in singing familiar Primary songs.
In this thickly wooded country where frequent roadside signs warn motorists of crossing moose, youth in the Church spend much of their summer days swimming in a nearby lake or fishing from a family boat. They swing from ropes draped from trees and dive headlong into the water. Come winter, the meandering hills turn into sled runs, and lakes into ice hockey rinks.
"All outdoors is our backyard playground," said Panu Reiman, who returned from his mission to England a few days prior to the temple dedication.
Like many young men in the Church, Panu completed his yearlong service in the military prior to serving a mission. In this highly educated society, rated among the most technologically advanced in the world, Panu is returning to college with an interest in engineering.
To meet the needs of young single adults, Outreach Centers, such as the centers in Tampere and Helsinki, have been organized as part of the institute program for young single adults in the Church where they meet for spiritual instruction and wholesome social activities.
The institute offers an active weekly program where young single adults bring their non-member friends. A highlight is the annual Nordic Young Single Adult Conference, staged yearly in either Denmark, Norway, Sweden or Finland.
Lauriina Saine exemplifies the exuberance of the young single adults. Enthusiastic and eager to serve, she spent the summer assisting an orphanage in Cambodia before returning home to study biochemistry in the Helsinki University last fall. She joined the Church in 2004 after making friends with missionaries as a teen. Her father rejected her first plea to join, but relented a year later with the encouragement of her mother, who also joined.
She now serves on the institute council with her friend, Aino Koponen.
Among those who attended the temple dedication in October was Jonna Thomas, a young single adult who suffered a reversal of fortune after joining the Church.
Jonna, a well-known pop singer in the Finnish culture, joined the Church at the height of her career. Since then, her popularity has waned.
She was attracted to the Church after hearing missionaries sing Primary songs. Endeared by their genuine interest, she joined after a year of study. "Every time I spoke with missionaries I felt uplifted," she said.
After joining the Church, she surprised people with her modest style and conservative approach.
"I hope to be an example of goodness," she said while sitting outside the temple.
As the only member of the Church in her family, and with grandparents staunch in their beliefs, membership has not been easy for her. "I know the truth and I can't do anything else. That's now who I am," she said.
As far as members in Finland are concerned, the Church has just begun to grow. Perhaps a mere 4,500 members today, but with the blessing of the temple that is proving to soften hearts and open doors for teaching, they feel optimistic about their country and the future growth of the Church.
Kopenen, directs class. Wards in the larger cities have active, robust youth programs.
E-mail to: shaun@desnews.com
