Bringing the Sermon on the Mount into the valley

You can now download or stream all the teachings from this year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference in Stockholm.

Go to calvarychapel.fi (click on this link) to access the powerful studies of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" taught by pastors David Guzik, Nick Long, Kevin Fitzgerald and a series of local teachers from Scandinavian ministries.

Within a few weeks these teachings will also be made available in video format.

Captain Kyle goes from gutter to glory in Viking Games III

Last year he led his team to an embarrassing last-place finish in Viking Games II at the CCS Conference 2009. This year Kyle Bentz surprised everyone by leading the Beatitude Bulldogs to a final victory in Viking Games III.

"I have never felt more attacked in my life," said pastor David Guzik when asked to describe his participation in Viking Games III. He and Crosspoint Dublin's Kevin Fitzgerald (seen taking a hit in photo to the right) were selected to be the moving targets in the traditional Viking Games discipline "Shoot the Pastor" this year (where participants throw water balloons at the guest speakers for points).

Competing in disciplines such as beach volleyball, football penalty shoot-out, rubber boot-throwing and the trademark feature "Shoot the Pastor", six teams battled it out for the overall victory this year. But in the end, it was Kyle Bentz & The Beatitude Bulldogs who came out on top.

"I've been training all year to do well and to erase the memories of last year's performance, to seek retribution. This year we had great unity in the team and everyone fought hard for victory. I guess spending most of this summer at Viking Games camp really paid off and polished us off for this year's games. I'm proud of the team," says a smiling Kyle Bentz.

He adds that he will be ready to defend the title at next year's conference, thus sending a clear message to this year's defeated team captains to "bring it on!"...



For more pictures from this year's Viking Games III, check out this video:

20100810_vikinggamesIII from Theisbro on Vimeo.

Pastors blown away by Scandinavian conference

This year's three guest speakers have seen countless ministry conferences and attended many church retreats over the years, but all were left astonished by the work God is doing in and through the people of Calvary Chapel Scandinavia.

One is a world-reknowned Bible commentator, another is one of Calvary Chapel's pioneer pastors on European soil, and another is a pastor serving in a country locked down with some of the thickest chains of religious tradition in Europe (i.e. Ireland). David Guzik, Nick Long, and Kevin Fitzgerald have all served as pastors and leaders in ministry for decades, and all three agreed to spend their first week in August this year as guest speakers at the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia (CCS) Conference outside Stockholm, Sweden.

"I wasn't ready for this!"
For Nick Long, pastor of CC Siegen in Germany, it was a delightful first encounter with the fresh work of God in Northern Europe.

"What a blast! I have been in on many prayer meetings for Scandinavia, but I wasn't ready for this. To see first hand what God is doing in and through these special folks was more of a blessing than Sue and I could have imagined. May God continue to bless this work," says Nick Long after participating in his first ever CCS Conference.

Encouraged by local teachers
As one of the initial founders of the annual CCS Conferences, David Guzik has only missed one of the now 12 such conferences (that historic absence occurred in 2009). This year he and his wife Inga-Lill had a little farther to travel than usual, since David has recently handed over his ministry as director of CC Bible College in Siegen, Germany to become the new pastor of CC Santa Barbara in California. In spite of the move, his ties to Scandinavia and the native home-country of his wife (Sweden) remain intact.

"One of the things that really impressed me this year was the level of the teaching by the local guys. To come back here and see their skills and gifts growing year by year is very encouraging. It is just so exciting to see God bless and grow these guys in their ministries," he says.

Keeping the hands to the plow
Having also been a guest speaker at the CCS Conference in 2008, pastor Kevin Fitzgerald from Crosspoint Dublin in Ireland was back for his second Scandinavian conference this year.

"It was just such an encouragement to fellowship with the saints in Scandinavia! The presence of God's Spirit - at times - was thick, and so obviously moving amongst His people. The fellowship was sweet; the Word was powerful. And my heart and hope is that the individual believers, and all the works - collectively - in this part of the world will have been strengthened in keeping their hands to the plow until Christ's soon return," says Kevin Fitzgerald.

This year the guest speakers joined with 4 local speakers (see photo below) to lead the conference participants through a powerful study of "The Sermon on the Mount". In addition to this, the guest speakers taught special sessions on marriage, singleness, hearing the voice of the Lord, how to serve with and pray for your pastor, and other workshop sessions.

Scandinavia loses count as blessings mount

The 12th annual Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference brought nearly 150 people together at a castle outside Stockholm for a powerful study through "The Sermon on the Mount". As always, the Spirit-filled fellowship flowed freely as people united to serve each other and worship God.

Blessed are the attendees of the 2010 Calvary Chapel Scandinavia (CCS) Conference for they shall be touched by God. Alright, so this statement might not appear in the official Beatitudes that Jesus so famously taught in His "Sermon on the Mount" (the theme for this year's conference teachings), but it holds true nonetheless.

The phrase "it was the best Scandinavian conference ever" continues to be the description of choice for yet another year as each year just continues to get better and better - as God adds His blessings and expands His work in Scandinavia.



More than 120 adults (incl. local visitors) and 25 children participated in this year's conference. The guest speakers this year were pastors David Guzik (now CC Santa Barbara in California), Nick Long (CC Siegen in Germany), and Kevin Fitzgerald (Crosspoint in Dublin, Ireland). Along with a few local speakers they lead a series of heart-piercing studies of Jesus' trademark "Sermon on the Mount".

"It was so neat to see God at work during and in between the sessions this year. The worship was so personal and the Holy Spirit really used the teachings and the times of prayer. I can't wait to see what God will do through those lives who were touched at this conference," says Joel Wickström, who was among the key planners of this year's conference.



For the second year running, the venue was Ekebyholm Castle outside Stockholm, which once again created a beautiful setting with its lake, park, sports grounds, lounges, etc. This castle is quickly becoming a preferred location for the Scandinavian Calvary Chapel family as people gather from all across Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway as well as other parts of Europe and America.





The teachings from this year's CCS Conference will soon be made available online.