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| Matias Roto's last sermon before retirement |
I am off for an early night this evening, but I just wanted to post some pictures first from yesterday's church service in Somero.
The occasion was a service of blessing for those who work for the church, including my friend Heidi Sippo, family therapist Anja Nwose and our new vicar Anne Koivula. I went along with Niko who was very good despite not yet being three.
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| Heidi Sippo and Saara Roto |
It was also an important day because it was the last sermon of Matias Roto who has just retired this summer. Matias and his wife Collette were two of the first people we met when we arrived in Somero, and it was a lovely surprise to hear them speaking French. Collette's mother tongue is also French as she comes orginally from Cameroon. I will write a post in the next few days to tell you bit more about this very colourful couple.
After the service there was coffee and cake in the parish hall which was very well attended by over a hundred people.
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| Heidi receives floers from Asko Ojakoski |
The differences in "church culture" between what I was used to in the UK and here in Finland are really quite striking. Church services are definitely more formal here. People talk to each other less and the atmosphere here tends to be much more formal, which is something I have found a bit of a culture shock. Yesterday though it was quite the opposite. The atmosphere was very welcoming and friendly and the reception afterwards was full of positivity for the work that the church does in the community.
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| Family therapist Anja Nwose |
I have a great deal of admiration for the group of people who work here in Somero, because they work to help everyone in the municipality, regardless of whether they are churchgoers or not. Having got to know many of them personally I know how genuine they are and how much effort they put into creating a real community for all of us, and whether you are a religious person or not, that has to be a good thing.
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| Our new vicar Anna Koivula is welcomed to Somero |
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| Collette and Matias Roto - always smiling |
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| Matias is thanked for his service to Somero |
Before I collapse into bed, I must say a big hello from here to Nancy Hamilton from Oregon in the States. Nancy wrote me a lovely message this morning and has been following the blog to see what is happening in Somero. It was great to hear from you from so far away and you cheered up my morning on the drive into work. Nancy welcomed an exchange student from Somero (Nina) into her home 26 years ago and they have been like family ever since. Now Nina's daughter is graduating next year so the family plan to visit in the summer. Please come and visit us Nancy and we can feature you and the family on the blog! In the meantime, greetings from a distinctly autumnal Somero - it's great to know you are keeping in touch from the other side of the world!
2 comments:
Jody, I didn't expect to be featured on your blog, but thank you! Actually the exchange student was with us 26 years ago and we have been as close as family since then. She is the mother of the "granddaughter" who will graduate....Nina (the mom) is the public health nurse in the Somero schools. Perhaps you know her. Her husband has the Linden concrete company on the Ox Road, west of downtown.
Nancy
Are we formal here? Yes, a bit... But it has something to do with our religious history and of course our church as a building make things almoust automatically a bit formal. But "formalness" has also some good points if you want stay in peace in services. And they say that we Finns are like that... True or false?
But you can find very formal, even more formal than in Finland, church services in UK at the Church of England also and it is not even very difficult. But the scale of styles is much wider in UK than in Finland, that's for sure.
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