IN THE
ZONE Serving all genera Finland and Estonia Territory
How well do you know The Salvation Army’s Europe Z Chief Secretary Major Saga Lippo gives an overview
Covid-safe band at Helsinki Temple
T
HE work of The Salvation Army in Finland was begun on 8 November 1889 in Siltasaari Riding School, Helsinki, by four aristocratic Finns: Captain and Mrs Constantin Boije with Lieutenants Alva Forsius and Hedvig von Haartman. Within six months Hedvig von Haartman was appointed leader of the work in the country. Work in Estonia commenced in 1927 and continued until 1940 when it was closed due to the Second World War. It recommenced in the autumn of 1995, when three Finnish officers were assigned to start the work in Tallinn. SERVING IN A PANDEMIC Pandemics such as Covid-19 had been heard of, but they were thought to happen elsewhere – not in the Nordic or Baltic nations. After the initial confusion, it was realised that this was one of those battles in which The Salvation Army was needed. 12
Salvationist 12 June 2021
The Movement has 23 corps in Finland and 5 in Estonia. At the beginning of the pandemic, worship services were allowed to continue. Gradually, the restrictions tightened and the number of participants began to be limited, first to 50, then to 20 and then 10. Finally only six people were allowed to gather. In March this year the doors of churches and corps were completely closed in both Finland and Estonia. In the past year many officers have developed into media personalities. Through the internet and social media they have been able to reach many times the number of people who would normally visit corps, with many new viewers among them. The first virtual soldier’s enrolment happened as early as April 2020, and the commissioning of two new officers took place in the autumn, attended by 10 participants who were allowed in the
hall but witnessed by hundreds more via the internet. Some officers have opened the doors of their homes and aired sofa devotions for the whole family from their own living rooms. Many older people have also developed into skilled computer users as they attend seniors meetings online. People were banned from entering corps buildings, but officers were not banned from going out. On Valentine’s Day, when it was -20C in Finland, some officers packed warm wool socks and copies of Sotahuuto (War Cry) in a cart and shared them with people they met on the street. The pandemic caused unemployment in both Finland and Estonia. Financial aid and food packages have been distributed by each corps, and the number of applicants has increased considerably. In difficult times Finns have always shown heart-warming solidarity with the disadvantaged. Last
