Nearly 70 children aged 7 to 13 gathered at Raskinranta in Kihniö, Finland, from 2 to 5 July for a summer camp organised by Kihniö Free Church (Vapaaseurakunta) under the theme "What Are You Looking At — Strength Detectives." With counsellors included, daily attendance reached 110 to 120 people, and evening campfires drew visitors from across the village — from infants under three weeks old to residents over ninety. Over half the participating children came through the congregation's regular "Base-Kids" ministry programme.
The camp forms part of Suomen Vapaakirkko's (the Evangelical Free Church of Finland) broader summer outreach to children and families — a long-standing tradition in the Finnish free church movement. The programme connected local ministry to the global church: missionaries Roni and Rebekka Zidbeck, who serve in Bangkok, and Timo and Outi Eriksson, who serve in Spain, attended the camp and shared about their international work, giving the children a window into mission fields beyond Finland.
Bible teaching sessions, led by Sulo and Ilona Hellgren alongside other instructors, focused on looking to Jesus during hardships. In one notable moment, children identified smartphones and social media as the biggest distractions from focusing on their faith. A teaching segment on "cross-shaped strengths," led by camp director Harri Kankare, had children symbolically nail their strengths onto a cross. Activities ranged from a "Raskinranta Olympics" competition with an awards gala to creative workshops in graffiti art, T-shirt design, acrobatics, poetry, and music. A drama contrasting a phone-addicted, dissatisfied character with a joyful, prayerful one drove home the camp's central message. Evening campfires were open to the wider village community, and the camp collected donations for children's ministry in Bulgaria, Venezuela, and Ukraine. Despite summer rain that soaked tents and sleeping bags, organisers reflected on the week with gratitude for strong community participation and clear answers to prayer.
(Originally published in Finnish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Suomen Vapaakirkko / Suomen Viikkolehti — svl.fi
