Good news Sweden
Ett inlägg från bloggen: Building Bridges.....
Publicerad den 11 december 2024 19:07. Läs inlägget på bloggen här.
I have heard it from the media, read it in newspapers that Sweden is a secular nation, that Christianity is on decline in Sweden and that many churches, more or less, are empty.Well, it is true in one way but false in another.The nation is perhaps secular but not the people.Many Swedish Lutheran churches are empty but some are not. Like, St Clara church in Stockholm that is doing so much for the homeless and the outcast. The church is full with needy people, celebrating together. During winter, people are sleeping and eating there, so the church serves as a shelter. Another church in Malmo city was in great need of restoration, too expensive they said, so instead of fixing it, they built a new much smaller church.For years, that was fine but now that church is too small.A whole new generation is now coming to church with small children etc., so now they are in desperate need of renovating that old and bigger church. In a small village in my county Skåne there is a very tiny medieval church that dates back to the 10th century. This church has served the village for generations but is now too small for the growing numbers of worshippers. Some years ago 20-30 people gathered on a regular Sunday, now around 150-200 people are coming, mainly younger people.The church needs to expand and rebuild. The Catholic church is also growing in Sweden. This is due to the large immigration from Catholic countries, but rather many Swedes are coming to faith within the Catholic church. The fastest growing numbers are young Swedish men.Another church that is growing in Sweden is the Orthodox Church. Many Syrians are converting and coming to the Syrian Orthodox Church. Many evangelical churches are actually full of people Sunday after sunday, and many are the church plants.Almost all evangelical churches in Sweden are seeing a growing number of young people coming to church. In our church almost every Sunday we have some newcomers. In the small city of Sjöb ... Läs mer...