Summer Service Terminology
a b c d e f g h i k l m n o p q r s t u v w y
During the summer services, in the sermons, service arrangements, and other conversations by the conservative laestadians, a listener may need an explanation or definition to some of these more common terms and phrases:
(The search words are written in bold font, references to other search words are in italics)
absolution forgiveness or absolute pardon, without any conditions
ambulance will be parked and ready at the first aid station on the service site the entire duration of the summer services.
announcements are read to the service guests during the intermission between services.
annual meeting services were an old name for the summer services because the big services were arranged in connection with the SRK's annual meeting. The first summer services, that began this long tradition, were held in 1906.
Association of Peace the common name used for each registered congregation in Finland. Its members are also member of the state church, Finland's Evangelical Lutheran Church. Each association is founded on the same doctrine of the state church, conducting devotional services in their own buildings, homes, state church facilities, and other public places. These associations also arrange their own day circle, Sunday School, Bible class for the youth, also doing deaconite work for those who need it.
bank cardsand credit cards are the preferred forms of payment at the service site. Use them at the convenience store, cafeteria, food-by-the-liter sales points, and when paying rent for tent or caravan site.
bank service a vehicle with banking service will be stationed at the service site. From this bank you may with draw needed cash from your own Finnish bank account.
bathing showers are for guests to wash themselves and their children. Infants and toddlers many be washed and changed at the children's washing place located near the toilets. Both the showers and children's washing place have ideally warm water preset to body temperature.
believer is a person, to whom personal faith is the most important matter in life and desires to care for their own conscience by believing the word of reconciliation, the forgiveness of sins.
believers people who believe their sins forgiven in the gospel together with the conservative laestadians according to the doctrine of Christ. See also unbeliever.
Bible see Holy Bible.
Bible class weekly or bi-weekly sessions to teach children and youth about the Holy Bible. Most Associations of Peace arrange these sessions for students before age 15. Sessions are usually taught by some of the believing parents or theologians.
big tentand the central opening form the heart of the entire service site. The tent seats 4,200 listeners and the outdoor benches many thousands too. The first tent was used at the 1938 summer services at Kajaani. The current tent was taken use the first time at the 1981 summer services in Perho.
bulletin board has a map of the service site, schedules and timetables, plus other valuable information about the summer services. It also serves as a common place to gather and post messages for someone guests want to meet or leave a message for at the info center.
cafeteria prepares all the coffee and food and sells them under the 150 m tent-like canopy along the edge of the central opening of the service site area.
cantor and organist are responsible the songs and hymns plus their accompanying music; most of whom are professionals serving in the state church.
caravans have become an increasing popular form of lodging during the summer services. This year, most of the caravans will be parked in areas reserved especially for them and not with the motorhomes.
cell phones can be charged at special charging point at the service site. Cell phone operators have erected their extra base stations at the service site to serve the heavy usage.
central opening is the field or opening surrounding the big service tent, festive gate and rows of flags. The opening is encircled by various service booths and places to purchase whatever the service guest may need.
child care center is meant for breast-feeding babies and small toddlers needing heated baby foods.
child of God is a believer who can live by grace.
children comprise of the majority of the service guests, because families with many children are common amongst the conservative laestadians.
children's washing place, located near the toilets, having warm running water for washing babies and toddlers when diapers need changing.
Christ another name for Jesus, the son of God, who came to save sin-fallen man from eternal death.
civil authorities visiting the service site will oversee the operations in Valkeala. The same authorities from the community hosting the next year's services will tour the service site to get a glimpse of what to expect.
collection is a free-will-offering or monetary gift, that is collected to help cover for the cost of arranging summer services and to support the many forms of work in the kingdom of God.
committees are formed to handle the specific tasks to be completed for the summer services to be carried out. There are a total of 13 different committees.
common lodging is arranged by the lodging committee. The committee has reserved school gymnasiums as one form of common lodging.
communications at the service site and to the outside is one responsibility of the communications committee.
communion or Holy Supper is held during Saturday afternoon in the service tent; as in recent years, there is expected to be over 20,000 communion guests at the Holy Supper.
confession is a grace privilege, a possibility to talk about some sin bothering one's conscience to a confessor father who may preach the gospel of the forgiveness of sins.
confessor father or mother is any believing person, who does not have to be a priest or preacher, but any child of God, to whom we can freely speak about our transgression and receive absolution for our sin.
conscience is the inner voice of God within our hearts that guides a person to make the proper choice while making different decisions in life. The conscience must be tied to the teachings of the Bible for it to correctly determine or recognize what is right and wrong, good and evil.
conservative laestadianism is a revival movement within Finland's Evangelical Lutheran Church, which operates in 200 Associations of Peace across the country. The same conservative laestadians operate in several other countries as well.
convenience store at the service site. Unlike previous years where there were several stores, this year there will be only one large store selling a wide variety of goods such as groceries, soft drinks, dairy products and household items that guests may need while at the service site.
crowbar is a tool for prying nails and tearing things apart. At the summer services it is used to remove the structures built for the weekend services.
crowbar ceremony the official transfer of responsibility from the organizers of the Valkeala summer services to guests arranging the 2008 summer services in Ylivieska. Passing the crowbar, following the final hymn after the services on Monday, is a symbolic end to the services and a kickoff for the service site's demolition by volunteers mostly from the area hosting the following year's event.
day circle sessions arranged by many Associations of Peace for preschoolers to learn about Jesus and Bible stories.
deaf may also enjoy the word of God, as every sermon will be offered to them in sign language to the right of the speaker's podium.
demolition or dismantling of the structures will start as soon as the summer services end with the final sermon, closing words and prayer. The organizers of the 2008 summer services in Ylivieska are responsible for the site's demolition.
departments are comprised of a few smaller committees, forming larger units within the summer service organization; such departments include the public relations department, maintenance department, and organizational department.
deaconite work a form of work arranged by many Associations of Peace to help families, elderly, sick and other needy believers.
doctrine of Christ the teachings of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus, son of God.
doubts are common in the faith life of even believers. They often enter the mind in times of hardships or one's own failures.
elderly rest area is for older guests to rest. A special place is designated and reserved for this purpose.
electrical hookups are for guests lodging at the service site requiring electricity for special medical reasons.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland the state church or main church of Finland. Of Finland's population, 82% belong to this church that has based its by-laws on the teachings of Martin Luther and doctrine of Christ.
eve service the eve before the big event, the evening before the official opening ceremony of the summer service event; these eve services begin on Thursday afternoon.
faith is the sincere belief in the grace promises by God. The righteous live by faith.
fall is what happens when man, in his weakness, stumbles into sin.
family is the basic unit of our society. Service guests come together with their entire families and the smaller children stay near their parents at the service site.
family lodging in private homes has also been arranged by the lodging committee that has collected a list of houses, condominiums, and cabins in the area that have been offered for rent.
festive gate a gate-like structure at the service site symbolizing a sinner's entry into God's Kingdom.
field master is a hired individual entrusted to oversee the entire operations during the services; At the Valkeala summer services there will be two field masters.
filling plan is a logical plan used by the traffic directors to fill the service site in a systematic way to prevent congestion due to the continuous stream of arriving service guests. The plan is based on the estimated peak arrivals for each day.
final reports are written by each work committee after the services. These reports are especially helpful for the respective committees planning the next summer services.
fire safety the summer service site is equipped with fire trucks and security guards needed for crowds of this size. The fire trucks will be at the service site during the entire services.
first aid station at the service site will be open from Thursday to Monday; its operations will be comparable to a small town's medical center - patients will be treated with immediate first aid by one or more doctors and nurses on duty.
flags near the central opening represent about a dozen countries where the SRK arranges services in the form of mission work. The flags will be in alphabetic order according to the French alphabet.
flesh and blood the temporal portion of human beings, our ego that is prone to falling into sin.
foreigners as during previous years, we expect service guests from about 20 different countries. All foreigners are invited to attend the international evening arranged during the services.
foreign guest booth helps the foreigners with lodging and coping with the language barrier.
forgiveness of sins is something everyone needs to be in connection with God and remain in His care. Jesus entrusted his disciples with the word of reconciliation, the authority to forgive another person's sins.
garbage and trash removal will operate during the entire summer services; please cooperate by assorting different kinds of garage into their respective bins. Garbage removal is handled by the service site committee.
general priesthood means that every believer, regardless of their age, status or gender has the authority and obligation to preach the forgiveness of sins as a soul caregiver to a penitent sinner.
God the Supreme, Almighty Being, perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe. The Heavenly Father of all believers and the Lord Jesus Christ.
gospel it is the good message of our Savior Jesus Christ. The core of the gospel is the forgiveness of sins in the name and blood of Jesus, proclaimed as the most important part of each sermon.
grace the merciful love of God without a person's own merits. This is quite obviously presented in the summer service sermons. Experiencing the grace of God, teaches man to live according to God's holy will.
greeting each other with God's Peace is usually done by shaking hands. Conservative laestadians bid this to each other upon meeting and bidding farewell, but not to people outside of this faith.
greetings from various state and local officials are delivered on Friday in connection with Friday's opening ceremonies.
grill is a popular place at the service site offering a great way to satisfy one's hunger with roasted sausages until midnight.
groceries are sold at the convenience store located at the service site. At the Valkeala summer services, there will be only one store but will be larger than the convenience stores at earlier summer services.
guidelines are a set of documents compiled and updated by the SRK to summarize each committee's responsibilities to enable them to efficiently plan the summer services using the same basic protocol from year to year.
handicapped guests have an area reserved for them near the central opening.
Holy Bible is the original King James Version of the Holy Bible; it is the version most often used to read texts for the sermons because it is the closest version to the Lutheran reformation upon which our religion is based -- much closer than any newer version of the Bible. Newer versions may be used in preparing for sermons, Sunday school, and Bible class sessions.
Holy Spirit the third person of the God in the form of a spirit, sent by Christ on the first Pentecost and still dwells in a child of God as a personal teacher.
Holy supper a sacrament of the believers consisting of bread and wine which is the true body and blood of Christ in remembrance of him, as Jesus himself instituted for his disciples.
hymn a song of praise to God taken from a hymnal, or collection of hymns used in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
ice cream will be sold at the ice cream stand at the service site and by the cooler kids. ice cream sales, or children walking about the service site carrying their Styrofoam coolers containing a variety of ice cream cones and popsicles.
info center provides information to the service guests about what all can be found at the service site, bus schedules, timetables, places of interest in the vicinity etc. The info center also sells newspapers from various parts of the country.
inherited sin is the result of man's original fall into sin. It is the reason why we too are prone to sinning, just as the first human pair in Paradise.
international evening is a special event arranged for all service guests from abroad to meet each other during the summer services, listen to an introduction and discuss about a timely topic.
internet is an excellent source for friends to learn about the summer services, listen to the summer service radio live sermons, their simultaneous interpretation into English, the interviews and reports of during the intermission. Almost everything broadcast on the summer service radio will also be archived for months after the event. Sermons their written summaries even longer.
interpretation of the sermons is conducted in small booths from which the simultaneous translation is broadcast on various FM frequencies which cover an area within a few miles of the service site. The service committee has called guests to interpret into Swedish, English, German, Estonian, Russian and even other languages upon request. Interpretations may be heard on headsets in the service tent or small transistor radios. Sign language is offered for the deaf.
introduction speech delivered at the speakers and elders meeting held on Friday. Press conferences always begin with an introduction too.
invited guests see special invited guests
kingdom of God the group of believers here on earth, of which Christ is the King.
kiosks at the service site sell ice cream, candy, refreshments and other small items
labor force is based on guests that volunteer to work at the summer services held in various communities across Finland. Just as the locations rotate, so does the labor force. During the Valkeala summer services, the operating work force will be handled by service guests mainly from Pohjois-Pohjanmaa and Koilismaa provinces or areas. The Associations of Peace from these areas have designated recruiters to gather volunteers for these summer services.
laestadianism is the revival movement associated with Lars Levi Laestadius, the name of the Swedish priest converted in 1844. Over the years, the movement has divided into several independent groups, the largest being the conservative laestadians.
Lars Levi Laestadius did not found a new religion. As a 44-year-old priest, a Lappish woman introduced him to the way which lead to life, changing his sermons and caused an awakening that became known as laestadianism.
law God-given commandments to point out to people how they sin. According to Luther, the purpose of the law is to drive a person toward God, causing him to seek for grace from Christ's redemption work.
lay preacher a preacher who is not ordained but appointed by the local believers or Association of Peace to serve in preaching the word of God.
liter sales are the places on the service site which sell hot food by the liter into the customer's own containers. It is a very economical way to feed even large families who prefer to eat in their caravans or motorhomes.
LLC, the Laestadian Lutheran Church is SRK's sister organization operating in America and Canada.
lodging at the service site is most popular as the summer services turn the area into one big campground, complete with toilets, showers, meals and activity.
lodging committee has collected a list of all the lodging options for the service guests. See the lodging office.
lodging office offers lodging in hotels, resorts, cabins, campgrounds, schools, and private homes. Special lodging and for transportation have been reserved for service guests from foreign countries.
lost-and-found is a place where guests may retrieve items they have misplaced, if someone has found them. It is good to report any valuables that are missing. Leaving your contact information helps match items with their proper owners. Unclaimed items will be taken to the Valkeala lost-and-found after the summer services have ended.
lost child care center is a children's nursery that cares for lost or missing children that have strayed from their parents or guardians.
loudspeakers play an important role in spreading the word of God over the 340 acre service site. In addition to the loudspeakers in the service tent, there are loud speakers attached many of the 300 utility poles erected on the service site. Each ring of loudspeakers radiating from the main mast has timed-delaying devices so the slow-moving sound spreads naturally across the broad service site. Sound quality will be constantly monitored by sound experts during the services.
love is a common trademark of laestadian believers.
luggage storage area may be found at the lodging office.
main committee decides on the practical arrangements and their organization. It consists of a chairman, cochairman, secretary, and 3 departments and their 13 work committees each having its own chairperson.
main committee task force is responsible for preparing the meetings for the main committee and seeing that the decided actions are carried through. The task force consists of the main committee chairman, cochairman plus each committee's chairperson and secretary.
main opening see central opening.
Martin Luther and his teachings are often referred to in the sermons. Conservative laestadians consider themselves basic or fundamental Lutherans.
meal coupons are provided for volunteer workers, people asked to serve in specific duties, and for many of the service guests from foreign countries.
meal serving canopy attached to the cafeteria is about 150 meters long, made of light steel construction and having 30 coffee and food pick up points.
media center is a place at the service site where reporters are helped in collecting material for their news stories, providing them ready summaries of each sermon, plus many kinds of photographs taken of the service site, and even providing them the space and equipment for them to write their articles and reports.
menu the food served at this year's summer services include beef stew, pizza, spaghetti, fish soup and rice porridge.
mission services are arranged within Finland and about 20 different countries abroad. Mission services are often held in buildings other than our own facilities.
mission work is the main purpose for arranging summer services. By arranging them in new and different communities, enables the people of that locality a chance to hear the preaching of God's word. With the help of today's technology, that same message is broadcast over the radio and internet reaching people in other parts of Finland and around the world.
motorhomes have also gained popularity with lodging in tents and caravans. Many service guests have rented motor homes or have purchased their own.
motto is selected from the scriptures and often focuses on a theme for the services. The motto for this year's summer services is take from the words of Jesus; 'The kingdom of God is within you' from the Bible (St. Luke 17:21).
name tags worn by workers and different committee members help identify who is performing in what duty on their work shift. It is recommended that small children and toddlers have name tags attached to their clothing; having a name and phone number to reach the child's parent or guardian.
news bulletins are announcement sessions for the media arranged both before and during the summer services. During the services there will be three such sessions at the media center; Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m.
newspapers are sold every morning at the information point near the cafeteria.
offices are places at the service site designated for each committee to gather and assign specific tasks to its volunteers.
opening ceremony is held on Friday in the service tent beginning at 10 a.m. During the opening ceremony there is a delegation of invited guests.
order to keep the summer services in order, the are specific committees for the site, safety, traffic, volunteer labor, and communications.
organizing responsibility for the 2007 SRK summer services is borne by thirteen delegated Associations of Peace from southern Finland; the Kouvola area Association of Peace bearing the main responsibility.
original fall the fall of the first human pair when they disobeyed God by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree.
own flesh in a spiritual sense, means the lust and desires of our inner being due to the effects of inherited sin. This is evident in even the believers when we are all prone to doing wrong or committing sin.
Päivämies is a tabloid-size weekly Christian newspaper printed by the SRK. A similar monthly publication called the Voice of Zion is printed in English by the LLC. The summer service issue of the Päivämies will be distributed to every household in the near by communities a couple weeks before the services begin.
Paradise a garden in the Bible's book of Genesis where Adam and Eve, the first human pair first lived. A place like heaven, of perfect bliss and beauty.
penitent sinner a person who feels remorse and sorrow because of sin they have committed and wants to be forgiven. Feeling sinful is the love of God working in the heart of a sinner, for God hates sin but loves the sinner. A penitent sinner is freed from all guilt and shame through repentance and forgiveness of sins by believing the gospel from another believer.
personal faith is one's own belief in God. No one is saved or made righteous by someone else's faith.
pharmacy service keeps a wide variety of the most common drugs and medicines on supply at the first aid station on the service site. It will also sell bandages and various over-the-counter drugs.
photographers will be roaming the entire service site, collecting the best shots and making them available for use by reporters and the internet-pages.
police patrol the entire service site together with the security guards and will aid directing the traffic at the service site.
postal service is available at the service site for mailing postcards and letters that will be postmarked with the service emblem and motto.
postcards of the services will be available from the SRK convenience store. Postcards are color photographs of the service tent, the festive gate, aerial photos, etc.
postmark for canceling postage stamps is designed using the summer service emblem and service motto; the special postmark is used to stamp all letters and cards sent from the mailboxes at the service site
prayer is an important part of a believer's life. It is our silent our audible communication with God of any matter on our heart and mind. God does not save anyone through prayer, but hears the prayers of a penitent heart.
prayers of intercession can be written and submitted at the booth on the back side of the big service tent. These requests to pray in behalf of friends and relatives in need of help or comfort are usually read twice a day before a sermon.
press service is to assist the media and news reporters in their work. They help and provide them with summaries of the sermons, introductions and status of the various committees.
priests officiate in the sacraments and perform mass or worship service. Some of the speaker's scheduled to deliver a sermon in the service tent at the services will be ordained priests of Finland's Evangelical Lutheran Church. There about one hundred conservative laestadian priests who work for the state church.
program booklet is a printed the map and other valuable information for the service guests.
program booklet and service emblem sales direct their proceeds service schedule to SRK's three Christian Folk High Schools in Reisjärvi, Jämsä and Ranua.
program schedule consists of sermons, hymns, songs of Zion, the Saturday evening communion and speech directed to the youth, plus Sunday's mass in the big tent and nine state churches in nearby communities.
property owners have rented their property and buildings at the service site to the SRK arranging the services for a mutually agreed compensation.
publication release is a formal event to launch the sale of a new publication as a book, CD, or other product produced by the SRK.
public relations are handled by the service-, media-, and sign committees.
public transportation to the summer services will be arranged to attend meetings and transport guests to and from various lodging sites during the services.
quick cup coffee point is near the service tent and enables guests to enjoy a quick cup of coffee from a more convenient place near the benches instead of walking to the cafeteria.
radio programming is broadcast in three different ways; the smallest being the service site radio, covering an area within a few miles of the service site. Local radio stations in many cities across Finland have accepted SRK's offer to provide their radio station's programming during the days that the summer services are being held. These local radio stations broadcast the same continuous programming as the internet radio. During the intermissions between sermons, the continuous programming will broadcast interviews and other interesting coverage. The service broadcast over the national radio station, Yle Radio 1 will be aired from 6 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
radio programming is the production of the summer service organization. These programs are aired or broadcast during the intermission or breaks between sermons for coffee and meals. This programming includes interviews, interesting tidbits to give a clearer understanding of the summer service events and its guests.
reconciliation or the pardoning of one's sins happens when a person accepts the gospel of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name and blood.
recordings the sermons will be made available after the services by the SRK. The recorded sermons will also be available on the internet website www.suviseurat.fi just as summer service in America are on the LLC homepages at www.laestadianlutheran.org
rental caravans delivered to the service site by caravan owners for people to rent, have their own area at the service site. Keys for the rental caravan or trailer may be left with the lodging office.
repentance is a change of heart. It is often mentioned in conservative laestadian sermons. Christ's admonition to repentance is based on the Bible; "repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).
responsible people are assigned to watch over each committee's operations, special duties, or managing tasks.
righteous, a fortunate person or someone to be congratulated, who has been pardoned of all their sins and can live as a child of God.
roads on the service site are basically the existing roads, trails, service routes around the airstrip, the army paths, and runways. Some roads have had to be made especially for the summer services, others have been improved by adding gravel and wood chips.
sacristy is an extended tent structure behind the speaker's podium on the back side of the big tent. It is a meeting place for the speaker, announcer, organist and sound equipment operators.
safety of the service site is the responsibility of the safety committee with its trained security volunteers. The committee cooperates with fire- and police departments and arranges night watchmen to secure the area around the clock.
sermon or speech is the main part of services. The first sermon of the day begins with a hymn and opening prayer. A set of sermons are ended by a closing prayer and hymn or sometimes a song of Zion.
sermons are speeches based on a short passage from the Holy Bible. They are main agenda part of the summer service program, which has a total of about 40 sermons, averaging 40 minutes each
servant of the word is a speaker, who can be either a lay preacher or priest. When serving with God's word, he speaks freely about the read portion of the Bible. Although he prepares for the sermon, he does not usually write it beforehand.
service committees includes groups of responsible people assigned to be in charge of the summer service finance, food service, convenience stores, lodging, and health care.
service emblem a printed picture with a motto or verse intended as an identifying mark of the summer service theme worn by guests and used in many other places relating to these services.
services are speeches based on the Holy Bible that are delivered to people gathered in the associations of peace. These gatherings are open to the public free without any admission fee or any prerequisites. Their main purpose is to spread the word of God just as at the summer services, which is the largest these kind of service gatherings.
service site consists of the airport and the surrounding area with its sandy pine forests. The total area of the service site is 340 acres (140 hectares).
service tent see big tent
serving the service guests in any way to make it through the camping environment at the summer service site.
SFC (Svenska Fridföreningarnas Centralförbund) is SRK's sister organization in Sweden.
showers at the service site consist of a tent-like structure with dozens of showers with warm water and hair drying facilities
sign language a formal language employing a system of hand gestures for communication for the deaf. All of the sermons will be communicated in sign language to the right of the speaker's podium.
signs such as traffic signs plus guiding markers and posters are always needed at the summer services. This year there will be about 2000 different signs for the Valkeala services.
Siionin kevät (formerly called Lasten Siioni) is SRK's monthly publication for youth and children, comparable to a bi-monthly publication in English printed by the LLC called The Shepherd's Voice.
Siionin Lähetyslehti is a monthly publication by the SRK since 1911. The magazine publishes articles pertaining to Christian faith and life as a believer. It also reports about SRK's mission work in Finland and abroad. Each issue has a few articles in foreign languages for people in countries to where the SRK sends its speakers.
Siionin laulut are Songs of Zion (many also in English), a collection of songs used by the conservative laestadians. Many of these songs are written by laestadians and bound in the same book with hymns of the Evangelical Lutheran of Finland. Every evening at the summer services, many thousands of service guests gather in the big tent to sing these songs and hymns.
sin is what separates man from God. Everyone carries inherited sin due to the original fall in Paradise and that is why people are prone to sin.
sinner see penitent sinner
singing sessions for singing hymns and songs of Zion, which take place during the intermissions, whenever marked on the service program.
site radio broadcasts the sermons over the service site without the interviews and other programming during the intermissions.
site rental is a fee that charged from guests lodging at the service site in tents, caravans, motor homes and other vehicles. These fees help cover for the cost to provide a camping area during the summer services.
songs of Zion see Siionin laulut
speakers are mostly lay preachers and a few priests or pastors ordained by the state church, better known as Finland's Evangelical Lutheran church. During the services the speakers will deliver a total of about 40 sermons
speakers and elders meeting on Friday at the Valkeala-talo (hall) is a gathering of the preachers, priests, congregation board members of the Associations of Peace. Many participate with their spouses. After the salutation, the participants hear an introduction on a timely or doctrinal topic followed by open discussion.
speaker's podium is an elevated structure made of prefabricated pieces or elements. On the front façade is the service emblem and decorated to a special theme. The podium provides the speaker and song leader or cantor a place to stand. Below the organist is a small booth for the person serving the deaf in sign language.
special invited guests are mainly respected representatives of the state church, provincial and local authorities; they have been personally invited to participate in the opening ceremonies and the special meal that follows the service.
SRK, Suomen Rauhanyhdistysten Keskusyhdistys, is the central organization of the 200 Associations of Peace scattered in many communities across Finland. The SRK offices are in Oulu and the SFC and LLC are its sister organizations in Sweden and America.
SRK annual meeting is an annual meeting held each year so member congregations or Associations of Peace can discuss timely topics and decide on common activities. The annual meeting is the highest level in the organization's hierarchy.
SRK bookstoreis a bookstore at the service site that sells books, CDs and publications printed by the SRK plus picture postcards of the summer services.
SRK summer services are a four-day event arranged by the conservative laestadians, drawing about 70,000 guests each summer. Summer services with the same program and some of the same speakers are also held in America, but on a smaller scale-- this year in Toronto, Canada. All of these events are free and open to the public for all people to hear the word of God.
state church see Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
stick pickers is another way little children learn to do volunteer work by collecting trash like candy wrappers off the service site with pricking sticks.
storage see luggage storage
store see convenience store
summary is written of each sermon after it has been delivered. These summaries include information about the speaker and are made available to news reporters and on the internet in Finnish and a few other languages.
summer service book is printed each year by the SRK that contains all the sermons, pictures of the speakers and other photos of the summer services, and minutes of the annual meeting.
summer service host the SRK annual meeting decides which congregations or Associations of Peace will host services in the future. Next year, the host will be Ylivieska and in 2009, the Turku Association of Peace.
summer service radio airs the services in various parts of the country on different frequencies enabling listeners to hear the sermons, singing and service related programming including interviews.
summer services see SRK summer services.
summer service trip is the summer's highlight for all the conservative laestadians. Many families eagerly wait for the event and prepare for it well in advance. The traffic committee provides several alternate approach routes for guests making the trip by car.
summer service website may be found at www.suviseurat.fi and the American services at www.laestadianlutheran.org Both sites contain much information about their services. A link on the website enables you to listen to the summer services live or from an archive after the services.
Sunday school are short sessions about Jesus and stories from the Bible for small children that are arranged by local Associations of Peace and taught by the believing parents.
Suomen Rauhanyhdistysten Keskusyhdistys, SRK, is the central organization of the 200 Associations of Peace scattered in many communities across Finland. The SRK offices are in Oulu and the SFC and LLC are its sister organizations in Sweden and America.
taxi service is available at the service site during the entire summer services.
temptations are from this world and our own flesh and blood that entice people to sin. Even a believer experiences them but desires to fight against them with the power of the gospel.
tents have been a common form of lodging since the 1950's; now they are mostly used by the youth.
toilets for the service guests may be found in at eight different places on the service site. There will also be a few special toilets for the handicapped and special groups.
traffic at the summer services requires much planning and special adaptations: preferred routes, directing the traffic flow, speed limits, building roads, and deciding when certain routes need to be made unidirectional. Traffic control is enforce by and handled in cooperation with local and military police.
traffic directors guide the service guests to their parking and lodging places, directing vehicles during the services and exiting the service site.
translation see interpretation
unbelief is the opposite of faith; it is a state of a person when they reject God or try to do good deeds in attempt to fulfill the demanding law by their own works.
unbeliever is a person who is not a believer, one who still lives in unbelief and has not made repentance by accepting the forgiveness of sins.
Valkeala a small town (population 11,500) in the Kymenlaakso Province of southeastern Finland, about 90 northeast of Helsinki. The Selänpää airport in Valkeala is the site of the 2007 SRK summer services.
volunteer labor is always welcome. A special booth at the service site is able to direct volunteers to where help is needed. The Bible says that faith worketh by love.
volunteers are needed before the services to construct the site, during the services to carry out the program on schedule, and after the services to dismantle everything for the next summer services. Volunteer workers are provided free coffee and meal coupons for their work.
watchmen are part of the safety committee. Many certified security guards and other trained watchmen will patrol the area 24 hours a day.
water to the service site has been supplied by constructing a water main for the kitchen, water taps, showers, toilet sinks, children's washing places, and other places that need running water.
word of reconciliation the precious message of the gospel that Christ himself entrusted onto his followers through the forgiveness of sins; "Whosever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them". (John 20:23)
word of God the written words of the Bible, the spoken words to explain these texts, and all the written words by a believer enlightened by the Holy Spirit about God's grace through the gospel.
world, worldly in the spiritual sense, means the power of sin and unbelief in this world.
work committee see main work committee
work shifts are based on volunteer labor. Each work shift and its duration depend on the worker's age and the nature of the work and how toilsome it may be or feel.
worship service arranged by the SRK is the state church style mass held on Sunday at 10 a.m. in the tent and simultaneously in nine churches in nearby communities. The English language worship service will be held in the Valkeala church at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
youth together with the children make up more than half of the service guests. There is no separate service program for the youth or children other than the Saturday evening introduction or written speech.