The David Guzik Interview

The radio podcast Calvary Scandinavia Update has met with pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, David Guzik, for a rare in-depth and personal interview about his life and ministry.

A 16 year-old David Guzik gets in a car with his twin sister and begins driving to Ojai in California. In the backseat is a guitar and a Bible. A few hours later, David is teaching a Bible study group for the first time in his life. Little did he know that night that thousands of teaching sessions would follow and that just three years later, he would become a pastor.

In an exclusive interview with the podcast Calvary Scandinavia Update, pastor David Guzik shares the story of how he gave his life to Christ and became a pastor while still a teenager. Hear David's own reflections on the responsibility of teaching the Bible as he shares some of the lessons he has learned during 30 years of ministry on both American and European soil. He expresses his feelings for Scandinavia and the people who serve there, and recounts how he met his Swedish wife Inga-Lill and what she has meant to him through all the years of pastoring.

The 51 minute interview is available now on the Calvary Scandinavia Update podcast which you can download or stream via iTunes or on calvarychapel.fi.

Click here to hear the exclusive interview with a man whom God has used as a support to many of those who are involved right now in Bible teaching ministries in Scandinavia and beyond.

Sign up for the 2013 conference

The registration for the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2013 is now open. The conference will take place from July 31st to August 4th. Here's why you should sign up.

THE PLACE
For the fifth year in a row, Ekebyholm Castle will be the venue for the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia (CCS) Conference this year. 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
"To the Ends of the Earth" is the theme title for this year's teachings as a selection of experienced guest pastors and young local missionaries will teach through the second half of the Acts of the Apostles. 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.

THE TEACHERS
This year we expect to welcome between 4 and 5 guest speakers to teach alongside local ministry leaders from Scandinavia throughout the conference. So far, the confirmed guest speakers are pastors David Guzik (CC Santa Barbara in California), Bil Gallatin (CC Finger Lakes in New York), Nate Holdridge (Calvary Monterey in California), and Stan Marinussen (CC Cross Culture in Amsterdam).

THE TIMING
The official program will be announced soon. Until then, please note that the "Arrival and registration" takes place on Wednesday (July 31st) 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 or bedrooms (mattresses will be provided), or space for self-brought tent.

IMPORTANT: Please note that private bedrooms will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, 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 what type of accommodation you choose. See all prices below. The price covers your accommodation, 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).

IMPORTANT: Please note that discount prices apply if you register before May 1st 2013. If you register from May 1st and onwards the price for attending will increase due to the added administration burden for the organizers.

Signing up before May 1st 2013:

Adults/teenagers: 1200 SEK (bedroom) / 900 SEK (dorm) / 800 SEK (tent)
2-12 year olds: 600 SEK (bedroom) / 450 SEK (dorm) / 400 SEK (tent)
0-1 year olds: 100 SEK (bedroom) / dorm not possible / free if in tent.

Signing up on May 1st 2013 or later:

Adults/teenagers: 1500 SEK (bedroom) / 1200 SEK (dorm) / 1000 SEK (tent)
2-12 year olds: 750 SEK (bedroom) / 600 SEK (dorm) / 500 SEK (tent)
0-1 year olds: 100 SEK (bedroom) / dorm not possible / free if in tent.

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 July 1st. When you register, we will send you a confirmation email with pre-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.

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).

November podcast just released

The third episode of the radio podcast from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia is available on iTunes now.

The podcast - Calvary Scandinavia Update - aims to connect Scandinavian ministries and provide the region's prayer supporters around the world with fresh updates on God's work in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.

In the new November podcast episode, you can hear of baptisms, concert outreaches, worship nights, and also the latest info on the next summer's Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference.

Here is the link you can share with your friends, family, supporting church, and others: bit.ly/PC77Yz

Click on the link above to find the new episode and download it to your computer, smartphone, tablet, or mp3 player, then you can listen to it anywhere you'd like.

We hope you enjoy it!

New podcast episode out now!

Episode 2 in the new series of monthly radio podcasts from Calvary Chapel Scandinavia is available on iTunes now.

The new podcast - Calvary Scandinavia Update - aims to connect Scandinavian ministries and provide the region's prayer supporters around the world with fresh updates on God's work in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.

Here is the link you can share with your friends, family, supporting church, and others: bit.ly/PC77Yz

Click on the link above to find the new episode and download it to your computer, smartphone, tablet, or mp3 player, then you can listen to it anywhere you'd like.

We hope you enjoy it!

New radio show launched by Calvary Chapel Scandinavia

A new monthly radio podcast sets out to connect Scandinavian ministries and provide the region's prayer supporters around the world with fresh updates on God's work in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark.

Testing 1, 2, testing. Today Calvary Chapel Scandinavia is proud to introduce and test the pilot episode of a new radio podcast called "Calvary Scandinavia Update", which is now available on iTunes and soon on several of the Scandinavian ministry websites. Lord willing, it is our hope that the podcast will be a monthly radio ministry to keep any interested listeners informed about God's work through Calvary Chapel related ministries in the Scandinavian countries.

The first episode includes reactions on the annual Scandinavian conference from the guest speakers, brief news reports from across the region, interviews with pastor of CC Turku Bob Pecoraro and leader of Calvary Stockholm Joel Wickström, as well as a few surprise features.

For now everything has been recorded and mixed on a simple iPad, but we hope to increase the technical quality of the podcast as the show develops over time.

Since this is a so-called pilot episode (to test the listener potential and the need for a podcast like this) we would appreciate your help in spreading the word about the show to anyone you think would want to stay connected to the work of Calvary Chapel in Scandinavia. We also welcome your feedback and comments via email at conf@calvarychapel.dk or on Facebook or Twitter.

Here is the link you can share with your friends, family, supporting church, and others: bit.ly/PC77Yz

Click on the link above to find the first episode and download it to your computer, smartphone, tablet, or mp3 player, then you can listen to it anywhere you'd like.

We hope you enjoy it!

The Church Disciplinarians Dominate Viking Olympics

For the second year running, the guest speakers at the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia conference assembled their own team and won the annual Viking Games in style.

Led by Captain DomiNate (a.k.a. pastor Nate Holdridge of Calvary Monterey), the Church Disciplinarians triumphed against national teams from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland as they competed in disciplines such as Death on a Swing (water balloon fight), beach volleyball, and a baton race / miniature golf combo.

This was the 5th annual Viking Games, which has now become a traditional Friday afternoon activity at the Scandinavian conferences. This year, the games were held in the spirit of the ongoing Olympics, however the Olympic sportsmanship was sometimes hard to find as national nordic rivalry and fun banter between the athletes flourished in the hours leading up to the event.

National Anthems
The games were kicked off by each team performing their national anthem, a feature requiring some creative thinking of the specially assembled team of multi-national guest speakers who ended up belting out "He'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain When He Comes" (a song referred to in a humorous teaching parable by pastor and team-mate Mark Walsh earlier that day).

Although many teams fought courageously, the team of guest speakers - dubbed "The Church Disciplinarians" - slowly exhorted their superiority on the various courts of battle, ultimately finishing as a clear overall winner with Denmark and Sweden coming in for second and third place.

Turning Hubris into Fear
The triumphant winners received their gold medals and the highly-coveted Viking Games trophy at the award ceremony on Friday evening to the cheers of their humbled opponents and the tune of "We Are The Champions". And team captain Nate Holdridge didn't pull any punches when it came time for the victory speech to be delivered.



"As the humble captain, I was rather taken aback by the hubris of the other teams. Be that as it may, I figured the good Lord would grant us the victory, not because of our righteousness, but as a judgment against the arrogance of the other squads," he said.

"Whether it was the Fins on the beach volleyball court, the Swedes in the water balloon zone, or the Danes in general, our greatest tactic was the fear of the Lord. From the opening note of our pastoral anthem, I could sense the pride of the other teams dissipate into a puddle of fear. As the walls of Jericho fell for Joshua, so the victory was easy for us after that moment. To God be the glory!," said Captain DomiNate after securing the 2012 Viking Games title.

However, already a few days after these 5th annual Viking Games, rumors are circulating that previous winner Captain Kyle is already going through intense preparations at a training camp in a secret location in North America to take back the Viking Games trophy that has eluded him since his remarkable comeback victory in 2010.

But no matter what, for the next year the five team members of The Church Disciplinarians - Nate Holdridge, Arpad Horvath-Kavai, Mark Walsh, Phil Metzger, and Bob Pecoraro - can rightly call themselves Viking Games champions.

Guest speakers were outgiven by God

All four guest speakers at this year's Scandinavian conference were left blessed, impressed and refreshed by God's work in Scandinavia, and found themselves leaving the conference just as edified as the people they ministered to.

From Wednesday evening to Sunday morning four guest speakers and three local ministry leaders taught through the first half of "the Acts of the Apostles" and also served up a few sharp workshop teachings for married couples, singles, men, women, and worship leaders (respectively) at the 2012 Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference near Stockholm. This provided a fruitful platform for God's Spirit to work from as He ministered to each heart according to need.

But as praise reports from this year's conference participants are currently filling up the organizers' inboxes and flooding Facebook, the guest speakers all insist that they find themselves on the receiving end of the blessings.

A Deeper Work
Pastor and director of Calvary Chapel (CC) Bible College in New Zealand, Mark Walsh, attended his third Scandinavian conference, the second as a teacher. It has been six years since his last visit to Scandinavia, so for him the growth was evident:

"I loved seeing what God has founded and grown in Scandinavia in recent years - and just to see some of the leaders being more sure of their calling. There was a sense of the ministry being deepened and consolidated, this is real work and it is healthy. I was very blessed," he says.

New Friendships
Another guest speaker to make a comeback at the Scandinavian pulpit was pastor of Calvary Monterey in California, Nate Holdridge, who previously made one guest appearance in 2009:

"I saw first-hand the Spirit moving people towards a life of ministry and service. Each session seemed to bang the drum of the forward march of God in the Scandinavian countries. What an incredible privilege to be involved in God's work at this level! Around the conference center people were in continual ministry towards one another, encouraging each other in their walks with God, helping one another endure in life and ministry, and shaping one another towards greater fruitfulness. It was wonderful to see," he says.

In 2009 Nate Holdridge journeyed to Scandinavia alone, but this year he came with his wife Christina, who served on the prayer team and as co-speaker at the marriage workshop.

"I was honestly blessed through new friendships. I hadn't expected to form such wonderful bonds with other laborers. Additionally, it was great to serve with my wife in this way. With three small children it isn't often we get an opportunity to serve like this together. She was a pro," Nate Holdridge says.

A Rare Love and Unity
Two of the 2012 guest speakers made their debut at the Scandinavian conferences, one of whom was pastor and director at CC Bible College Europe in Hungary, Arpad Horvath-Kavai. His wife Andrea also participated as she taught the women's workshop and served on the conference prayer team.

"We are so glad we came to this conference. God stirred our hearts and we love it. I was blessed by the teaching, by God speaking into my life, but the biggest blessing to me was being able to minister in a team with my wife as we haven't had a chance to do that to this extent since our first child was born. We were also blessed to get to know new people and to re-connect with some old friends, to see God working in the lives of all these people. To be honest, I was surprised by the love and the unity believers showed to everyone around them. It was something I don't see too often," he says.

God Outgave Us
The other pastor to make his first ever appearance at a Scandinavian conference was pastor and senior director of CC Bible College Europe, Phil Metzger, whose wife Joy also attended and served on the prayer team.

"I really enjoyed the response times after a study. It's always a beautiful work when we hear God's Word and then have the chance to respond! I loved how responsive the people were. Personally, I can't even begin to count the ways I was blessed at this conference. I heard some great teachings that really encouraged me, and Joy and I enjoyed the times of fellowshipping with as many people as we could. The stories and testimonies of how God saved people was wonderful to hear," he says.

"It is an incredible work of God up in Scandinavia and it was a joy for us to come and give but, as always, our God outgives whatever we give to Him. I left more refreshed than I had come. God is good!"

Amen.
___________________

The teachings at the Calvary Chapel Scandinavia Conference 2012 are available online now.

For audio streaming or download click here or here.

For video streaming click here or here.