Guest speakers found the foundation strong in Scandinavia

No less than five guest speakers graced the pulpit at this year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference. They taught through some tough chapters in the second half of 1 Corinthians, and all of them were blessed to the see the response.

Of the five guest speakers who joined the local pastors on the teaching bill this year, two of them attended their first ever Scandinavian conference. Pastors Alex Kruse (CC Siegen, Germany) and Kyle Eckhart (CC Szegen, Hungary) made their debut while Mark Walsh (CC Bible Institute, New Zealand) returned for his fourth appearance since 2005 to lead worship and teach a session. 

For the third year running, pastor Kurt Ibbotson (CC Leipzig, Germany) came with a children's ministry team and pastor Darrel Wilmoth (Calvary Front Range, Colorado) with a team of helpers to serve in practical work during the conference. Both Kurt and Darrel taught at the conference for the first time this year.

Here's what the guest speakers thought of this year's conference:

"I've often heard about what God has been doing up here from friends who have come and taught here. For me it was just amazing to see how God is setting things in order and laying a foundation for what He wants to do here in the future. There is a great group of people here that God is using. My wife and I have been extremely blessed to be here," says Kyle Eckhart, pastor of CC Szegen in Hungary.

"It was awesome. It was so much fun. It was great meeting so many new people who are serving here, and to see the family-like union among everyone here. I also saw people receiving the Word of God like dry ground soaking up water. There is really an eagerness for the Word here and a love between people that is so awesome to witness," says Alex Kruse, pastor of CC Siegen in Germany.

"The first time I came to one of these conferences was 10 years ago, so coming now for my fourth time really gives me perspective. One of the exciting things is the maturity of the work here, the sense that something is growing beyond that which is new or childlike. In many ways it's still a new work, but there's a depth to it now that was not there yet in 2005. There is a whole crop of leaders being developed. Ten years ago we were praying for and dreaming about leaders, ten years later there's a whole bunch of leaders. The next ten years will be those leaders doing something. It's very exciting," says Mark Walsh, pastor and leader of CC Bible Institute in New Zealand.

All teachings from this year's conference will be available online soon. Stay tuned on this blog for more info.

You can also click here to see a video with reactions from the guest speakers and some of the local Scandinavian pastors.

A love revived in Scandinavia

Love took center stage at this year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference as nearly 140 people gathered over 4½ days to study the second half of 1 Corinthians.

As July turned to August the congration of Calvary Chapel Scandinavia turned the pages of 1 Corinthians from July 29th to August 2nd, going through the second half of 1 Corinthians, completing the journey through this epistle that had begun at last year's conference.

Guest pastors Alex Kruse (CC Siegen, Germany), Kyle Eckhart (CC Szegen, Hungary), Kurt Ibbotson (CC Leipzig, Germany), Darrel Wilmoth (Calvary Front Range in Colorado, USA) and Mark Walsh (CC Bible Institute in New Zealand) all joined local pastors and ministry leaders to teach the 11 main sessions and added workshops.

During each teaching session God used His Word to stir up the Scandinavian congregation to a more love-filled life and service for Jesus.

"Throughout the whole conference God really showed us the purpose of the gifts He has given us through the Holy Spirit. It was good for both new and experienced believers to revisit God's own intructions on how the gifts operate and function, and how each person has one or more gifts that can be used to edify the body of Christ. And most importantly, we saw that the gifts are all about love; for God and one another. How and why we use our gifts is all about love," says Joel Wickström, one of the conference organizers and pastor of Calvary Stockholm.

Knit together in record-time
It was the 17th consecutive Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference, and over the four and a half days of the event nearly 140 attendees and day guests came together from the Scandinavian countries to pray, worship and study God's Word at the castle-turned-school venue in Ekebyholm outside Stockholm.

"Whenever these Scandinavian conferences take place it is always such a special congregation that forms. In a matter of hours, people who have never met mix with people who have known each other through years of ministry and form a well-oiled, functioning church body of believers who love and serve each other. And whether we are born and raised in Scandinavia or visiting from America or elsewhere, we are all knit together in record-time by our love for Jesus and the people of Scandinavia. These conferences are really a wonderful testimony in and of themselves of the unity that can only be found in Jesus Christ," says Joel Wickström.

Served well by incoming teams
This year the worship leader throughout the conference was pastor Mark Walsh from CC Bible Institute in New Zealand, who attended his fourth Scandinavian conference since 2005.

The children's ministry was once again run by a team from CC Leipzig in Germany, led by pastor Kurt Ibbotson who also taught a main session this year.

Another mission's team from Front Range Calvary in Colorado served the Scandinavian body greatly by running all meals and practical work during the conference. As in previous years, this team was led by pastor Darrel Wilmoth who also taught a main session at the conference.

All teachings from the 2015 conference (incl. workshops) will be available online soon.

Stay tuned on this blog in the coming days for announcements about available teachings plus additional articles, photos and videos with reactions from guest speakers and more.

Click here to see the official conference video (or here to see a special TV news report about the conference) or click below on your video of choice. If you want to download the official group photo from this year's conference, just click on the photo below.




2015 Conference from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia on Vimeo.



2015 Conference - news report from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia on Vimeo.

Sign up for the 2015 conference

The registration for the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2015 is now open, with cheaper prices than previously. The conference will take place from July 29th to August 2nd and will offer unforgettable studies of the second half of 1 Corinthians. Here's why you shouldn't miss it!

From the moment the Bibles are opened for the very first session at this year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia (CCS) Conference, there will be drama and delight, controversy and comfort as divine truth about life, love, and God Himself is served through some of the most potent passages of Scripture. Go ahead, read it for yourselves and see what's in store in 1 Corinthians 11-16.

Once more, Ekebyholm Castle will be the venue for the conference. Situated about 30 minutes' drive outside Stockholm, the location is a former royal castle from the 1700's, which today is used as a boarding school. Outdoor facilities include a large playground, two beach volleyball courts, a football pitch, and lots of space for both indoor and outdoor activities.

THE TEACHING
At the 2015 conference a line-up of invited guest pastors and local speakers will teach through the second half of Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians. The conference will also offer specific workshops on topics that are highly relevant to our daily lives as Christians. All teaching will be in English. Click on thumbnail to the right to see the program for this year's conference teachings, including workshops.

THE TEACHERS
This year we welcome four guest speakers to teach alongside local ministry leaders from Scandinavia throughout the conference. These guest speakers are pastors Alex Kruse (CC Siegen in Germany), Kyle Eckhart (CC Szeged in Hungary), and Mark Walsh (CC New Zealand).

THE TIMING
Please note that the "Arrival and registration" takes place on Wednesday (July 29th) between 4pm and 7pm. The first worship and teaching sessions starts at 7:30pm.

IMPORTANT: Please note that due to people's differing arrival times, the Wednesday evening dinner is NOT included in the attendance prices listed below. However, if you would like to have a light dinner on Wednesday evening, you must let us know when filling out the registration form. It will be served at 6pm and costs an extra 50 SEK pr. person. If you would like lunch on Sunday, you can buy lunch for 75 SEK pr. person.

THE SLEEPING FACILITIES
When you sign up, you can choose between three different types of accommodation which all vary in price (see below): Private bedroom (with your own key), Gender-divided dorms in classrooms (mattresses will be provided), or space for self-brought tent or auto camper.

IMPORTANT: Please note that private bedrooms will be assigned based on who signed up the earliest, however married couples, families with children, and elderly attendees will be prioritized in case of simultaneous overbooking.

ATTENDANCE PRICES
The price for your attendance depends on your age and what type of accommodation you choose. See all prices below. Please note that we are using a different price set-up this year than in previous years.

Regardless of your accommodation choice, everyone will pay a basic conference fee, which covers your use of the castle facilities (such as restrooms, showers, sports facilities, etc), and all meals throughout the entire conference (meals include breakfast, lunch, dinner and various servings of refreshments in the afternoon and evenings).

The prices for accommodation is put together in a way that sets a fixed price for a private bedroom no matter if one or six people are staying in the room (an option more profitable for families, married couples, or friends of same gender), a fixed price for a tent or camper site, and an individual price pr. person for those staying in dorms.

Basic fee - ADULTS: 575 SEK (age 13 and older)
Basic fee - CHILDREN: 250 SEK (age 2-12)
Basic fee - BABIES: free (age 0-1)

Bedroom: 1000 SEK (fits 1-6 people)
Dorm: 250 SEK (pr. person)
Tent: 400 SEK (regardless of how many people stay in the tent or camper)

HOW TO SIGN UP

If you want to attend this conference, please CLICK HERE to fill out the official registration form and click the "submit registration" link afterwards to complete your registration.

IMPORTANT: Please note that the deadline for paying your attendance fee is June 15th. When you register, we will send you a confirmation email with payment details. It is not possible to pay in cash when you arrive.

MORE INFO
All who sign up will receive an email with specific transport directions and the official conference program. Until then, if you have questions that aren't answered on this page, please feel free to email us at conf@calvarychapel.dk.

We hope to see you there!

Please note that the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Team cannot assist or vouch for any participants in any visa application process (if you require special visas to enter Sweden due to your citizenship you must provide this on your own).

Conference teachings and radio podcast now available!

Now you can listen to all the teachings from this year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference online. A new episode of the radio podcast Calvary Scandinavia Update is also available now on iTunes and online with reactions to this year's conference.

In a 12 session study this year's invited guest speakers - pastors David Guzik from CC Santa Barbara, Craig Quam from CC Montebelluna, and Rafael Manzanares of CC Mallorca - joined various local pastors from ministries in Scandinavia and taught through the first half of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians.

Whether you sat in on each of those sessions at the conference or missed a few or couldn't make it to the conference, now you have the chance to revisit this powerful piece of divine Scripture. Go to calvarychapel.fi or click here to download or stream the teachings, including some of the workshops from the conference.

For a more casual look at what God did at this year's conference, download the newest episode of the radio podcast Calvary Scandinavia Update and listen to it anywhere on your smartphone, tablet or computer. The radio podcast is available on iTunes or at calvarychapel.fi for immediate playback.

Enjoy!

Captain Bob and Axes of Agape triumph in Viking Games 7

There will never be a closer winning margin than the one deciding this year's Viking Games. One point was all that separated the winning team from the runners-up as the team Axes of Agape came out on top, thus ending a long title drought for team captain Bob Pecoraro.

Six teams played in Viking Games 7 on Friday afternoon at the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2014, competing in various activites such as beach volleyball, water balloon duals, a custom-made form of baseball, and relay races.

After years of failed attempts at Viking Games glory, Bob Pecoraro can finally call himself a champion after he eventually led his team, Axes of Agape, to victory in this year's tournament, finishing only a point ahead of the team Death by Smorgasbord, led by captain Johan Wikfeldt.

"It was due. Last year I came so close, so this win gets that Viking Games monkey off my back. My thoughts go out to Johan and his team for coming in just one point short. I've been there. But our win was a great team effort; we took all those water balloon hits, dominated the volleyball court, and ran all those yards to bring this trophy home," says Bob Pecoraro, who - when he's not exercising his athletic skills - pastors CC Turku in Finland.

Captain Homerun
Bob proved his worth by raking in the points at the custom-made Baseball contest, batting several homeruns for his team, and by winning the captains' javelin contest at the end. He showed high form from start to finish, becoming the sixth captain in history to lead a team to a Viking Games championship (see infographic below).

His team consisted of Alex Lahtinen, Sara Fuchs, Mouritz Fuchs, Helge Rasmussen, Toni Alajärvi, Maria Bentz, and Anniina Vahala.

The final scores of Viking Games 7:

129 points - Axes of Agape (captain Bob Pecoraro)
128 points - Death by Smorgasbord (captain Johan Wikfeldt)
113 points - Rimbo Raiders (captain Joel Wickström)
110 points - Moose Mafia (captain Simeon Fuchs)
83 points - Disciple This (captain Kyle Bentz)
74 points - Pillaging Prophets (captain Darrel Wilmoth)

The Viking Games is an annual tradition at the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conferences, which started in 2008 and has since been staged each year, each time with more and more participants joining in. It's a fun way for conference participants to take a break from all the sitting down at teaching sessions and get to know new people (or new sides of familiar people) through competitive comradery.

Click here or on the video below to see the Viking Games 7 film:


2014 Conference - Viking Games 7 from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia on Vimeo.

Guest speakers tap into Scandinavian unity

Three guest pastors came to the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2014 to teach God's Word and encourage the believers, and all of them left impressed by the love and unity that binds the fellowships in Scandinavia together.

There were both fresh and familiar faces among this year's guest speakers as pastors Craig Quam of CC Montebelluna and Rafael Manzanares of CC Mallorca both made their debuts at a CC Scandinavia conference while David Guzik and his wife Inga-Lill were there continue their support for the work in Scandinavia of many years.

David Guzik, Craig Quam, and Rafael Manzanares joined local pastors Bob Pecoraro, Joel Wickström, Daniel Jacobsen, and Simeon Fuchs on the teaching bill as the conference congregation were taken through the first 10 chapters of 1 Corinthians in 12 main sessions.

Here's what the guest speakers thought of this year's conference:

David and Inga-Lill Guzik
David Guzik helped launch the first Scandinavian conferences 16 years ago and has been to most of them since then. Today he pastors CC Santa Barbara in California, and this year he attended the conference together with his wife Inga-Lill, who is originally from Sweden. Both of them refreshed by the return to Scandinavia.

"I'm really struck by the spirit of fellowship here. The New Testament word is koinonia, a real sharing, and you sense that in such a strong way here. I also love that there's a wonderful openness to the move of the spirit at this conference. It's a deep, meaningful time," said David Guzik before having to leave the conference late Friday night to make it back to CC Santa Barbara in time for Sunday's church services.

"I always take back a renewed heart and vision to pray for Scandinavia. Especially because I get a chance to connect with so many of the leaders of the works that are going on here, I feel like I have a better idea of how to pray. And personally, I'm refreshed by the fellowship and the love and the grace that's shown around here," he added.

His wife Inga-Lill also attended the conference this year, teaching a women's workshop and meeting with the wives of pastors and ministry leaders from across the region to encourage and advise them.

"There's a sense that everybody knows how hard it is in Scandinavia, and so there's a comradery that makes you realize that nobody's got it easy, you're all in the same situation of hard struggle and hard labor that it is to ministry here. That bonds people together in a strong way, it creates a feeling that you need each other's company. So the fellowship is always the best part of this conference," she says.

Craig Quam
Attending a CC Scandinavia conference for the first time, pastor Craig Quam from CC Montebelluna in Italy was pleasantly surprised to see up close what God is doing in the Scandinavian region.

"It's been a amazing to worship the Lord with my Scandinavian brothers and sisters and to meet old friends and make new ones. The churches in Scandinavia are geographically and culturally unique, and that creates a real warmth. I was especially impressed by how the pastors and leaders here work together and you can see there's a lot of unity, and that's great," he said.

Rafael Manzanares
Pastor of CC Mallorca in Spain, Rafael Manzanares, taught the first Scandinavian leadership retreat last year, but this was his first regional CC Scandinavia conference.

"It's so great to be here because of the great love you see in the people as well as the unity, and the hunger to be together and to go from teaching to teaching to teaching. It's just very refreshing to see the oneness of the body here in Scandinavia," said Rafael.

You can hear more reactions from the three guest speakers plus other conference participants in the next edition of the radio podcast Calvary Scandinavia Update, which will be released soon (subscribe to the podcast here to be notified of the release).

All teachings from this year's conference will be available online soon. Stay tuned on this blog for more info.

Scandinavia dives into lessons from Corinth

This year's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference carried the title "Not of This World", and God made sure it lived up to its title as none left untouched by His Word, His love, and His call to live for His kingdom in the midst of an unbelieving society.

The 16th annual Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference saw 130+ people gather outside Stockholm, Sweden for an in-depth dip into God's Word, an intimate entry before God's thrown through worship, and days of refilling fellowship.

Guest speakers David Guzik (CC Santa Barbara), Craig Quam (CC Montebelluna), and Rafael Manzanares (CC Mallorca) joined local pastors and Bible study leaders to teach through the first half of 1 Corinthians in 12 sessions, with added workshops along the way.

Opening on Wednesday night, the conference went until Sunday at noon. Participants included missionaries and believers from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark as well as believers from mainland Europe or America who share the desire of Calvary Chapel Scandinavia to see more verse-by-verse Bible teaching spread the knowledge of Jesus across this region.

Sunny and Son-centered
Covered with sunshine and hot temperatures for most of the conference, the former castle in Ekebyholm outside Stockholm, Sweden provided a wonderful venue as usual. But even though this may go down as the hottest and most sunny CC Scandinavia conference to date, the summer sun was outshone by the Son of God from start to finish as Jesus became the clear focus of all the Bible teachings, workshops, prayer times, and worship sessions.

"You can plan and organize and prepare all you want, but it's all a waste of time if Jesus doesn't take center stage. We felt He certainly did this year, leaving us all on the receiving end of some serious insights from the Scriptures and glimpses of His glory during moments of worship. The fellowship was the loving kind that only the Spirit of God can create - the kind that leaves a mark for months. We thank Jesus for this conference," says Theis, one of the four conference organizers.

Served by Dream Teams
This year a mix of visiting mission's teams provided great service to the conference. Bruce and Teresa Muller, sent out by Calvary Monterey and currently serving in CC Siegen, came up to lead worship along with other local worship leaders.

CC Leipzig sent a team to put together a full children's ministry program for the second year running, while Calvary Front Range in Colorado flew over to serve all the conference participants by taking care of the many practical chores and tasks surrounding each meal and other daily duties.

All teachings from the 2014 conference (incl. workshops) will be available online soon. Stay tuned on this blog for announcements about available teachings plus additional articles with reactions from guest speakers and more.

Click here to see the official conference video (or here to see an extended version with added photos) or click below on your video of choice. If you want to download the official group photo from this year's conference, just click on the photo below.

2014 Conference from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia on Vimeo.


2014 Conference - Extended version from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia on Vimeo.