On a typical weekend, at least three worship services take place in Andreaskyrkan (St Andrew's Church) in Luleå, northern Sweden. By Sunday afternoon the congregation has hosted Swedish-speaking Baptists, Karen-speaking Baptists from Myanmar, and sometimes Eritrean, Ukrainian Orthodox, or Lutheran worshippers as well. Five distinct Christian traditions now share space under one roof — each with its own language, liturgy, and rhythms, yet united by a common space and a common God.
"We see that we all pray to the same God. We have different ways of expressing ourselves and different rituals, but we look to what unites us," says Gudrun Back, who serves in the congregation. Formally named Luleå Baptist Congregation (founded 1861), the church has become a hub of ecumenical hospitality. On Saturdays the Eritrean or Orthodox congregations use the facilities, while the Lutheran Cathedral congregation holds weekly activities there as well. Once a month the cathedral congregation hosts a praise-and-worship evening in the Baptist building.
The Karen Baptist community — originally from Myanmar — holds services in the Karen language on Sunday afternoons, with members arriving and departing around the Swedish-language morning service. The church coffee hour between the two has become a natural meeting point across cultures. The arrangement is a living example of what free church ecumenism can look like in practice: not formal merger, but generous hospitality and mutual recognition across traditions that have historically been separate.
(Originally published in Swedish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Equmeniakyrkan / Sändaren — sandaren.se
