The Summer Services are Scandinavia’s largest spiritual event, attended by 75,000 people. Service guests arrive from altogether 30 different countries on six continents. The services are the annual summer event of the Conservative Laestadians.
Suomen Rauhanyhdistysten Keskusyhdistys (SRK) is the central organization of 183 independently operating Associations of Peace (Rauhanyhdistys or RY). Summer Services have been arranged since 1906. The Summer Services are arranged in a different locality every year so that the responsibility for arranging them changes yearly and as many people as possible have a chance to participate in the event.
The service schedule consists primarily of sermons, hymns, and songs of Zion. In addition to these, the chance to meet friends is of great significance. The sermons contain the biblical message about God’s love and grace toward sinful man. They teach that by believing one’s sins forgiven by merit of the atonement made by Jesus, a person receives an everlasting foundation for his or her life and peace in his or her heart.
The service site is like a mid-size self-supporting town that provides all necessary conveniences to the Summer Service guests for five days. The Summer Services are arranged by volunteers. Around 10,000 work shifts are completed beforehand and over 8,000 work shifts are completed during the services.
The main service area is characterized by the large white service tent, the service gateway that symbolizes the message of the services, and the row of flags designating the countries where SRK does mission work. The sermons and worship services are held in the service tent in the middle of the service site. The tent seats about 4,000 people. A service tent was used the first time in Kajaani in 1938. Before that the services were held in churches and other public buildings. The current tent—which is the fourth one—was taken into use in 2009 at the Summer Services in Oripää. Sunday worship services are held in the service tent and in nearby churches. Nearly 70 pastors serve Holy Communion in the service tent in the Saturday worship service.
The sermons and songs can be heard via loudspeakers throughout the service site, where most of the service guests are lodged in RVs or tents. The sermons are translated into 9 languages. Sermons were broadcast by radio the first time in Kemi in 1939. Today the Summer Service radio broadcasts all the sermons and other related programs during the services. They can also be heard via the Internet.