PEC2000 – Church Alive in Helsinki, Finland

The first Pentecostal European Conference (PEC) of the new Millenium will take place on August 9-13, 2000 in Helsinki, Finland. It was in 1981 when Helsinki successfully hosted the event for the first time. Helsinki Saalem, the largest Pentecostal church in Finland, and the Finnish Free Foreign Mission, together with some 15 local Pentecostal churches in the greater Helsinki area will act as the hosts for PEC2000. The timing of the conference for Helsinki is quite interesting as it celebrates its 450^th birthday. In addition the European Union has appointed Helsinki as one of the European Cities of Culture for the year 2000.

Under the theme ”CHURCH ALIVE!” the conference has two main objectives. First of all, it aims to equip its participants for a greater effectiveness in ministry, thus promoting the growth of the local churches in quantity and quality. The various meetings of the conference at the Helsinki Fair Center will all center around the main theme. Pastors, such as Werner Kniesel (CH), Peter Wenz (D) and Allan Laur (EST), from European churches that have experienced renewal and growth will share their insights gained from practical experiences in growing churches. The attendees will also be offered the option of choosing from several Church Alive Workshops that cover all areas of ministry. These workshops are aimed at equipping and inspiring the churches to use all available mediums and methods to promote the work of God in Europe. On Sunday the 13.8. the conference participants will attend services in local Pentecostal churches around the greater Helsinki area in order to build each other up through mutual fellowship. Special ”love-dinners” will be offered by these churches.

Secondly, the Church is alive in evangelism. The Holy Spirit equips the Church for evangelism. Therefore PEC 2000 aims at saturating Helsinki with the Gospel. During the seminars Helsinki City Outreach will organize teams consisting of some 200 young people to minister on the streets using all available methosds: music, drama, printed material and personal contacts. They will also invite people to participate the evangelistic rallies in which preachers like Wynne Lewis (GB), Aril Edwardsen (N), Kalevi Lehtinen (FIN) and Reinhard Bonnke (D) will preach the Good News of the Gospel. The highlight of the conference will be on the 12^th of August at Hartwall Areena, a state of the art Ice Hockey arena, with the seating capasity of some 13 000 people.

Kyösti Frestadius (FIN) and Juha Antturi (FIN) at the PEC 2000 –office will provide information and answers to any questions relating to this event. You can also e-mail the office at PEC2000@saalem.fi.