Pastoral Care Helpline Is Back!
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched Estonia’s first nationwide 24/7 Pastoral Care Helpline. The service was fully funded by the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs for two years.
During 21 months, we received 21,500 calls from people struggling with loneliness, anxiety, grief, and other difficult life circumstances. Most of the callers were not Christians, yet many of them still asked for prayer.
That experience showed us just how great the need for pastoral care is in Estonia.
On September 25 of this year, we reopened the helpline under a new number: 126.
The helpline is now available every evening from 7:00 p.m. to midnight, with 30 trained pastoral caregivers generously volunteering their time to listen, encourage, and offer spiritual support.
This time, however, we do not receive any government funding. Instead, we are inviting people in Estonia to support the helpline through donations, while also applying for grants to help cover the operating costs. Our goal is to build strong local support so that this ministry can be sustainable for the future. The annual cost of operating the helpline is approximately $30,000.
The image below shows an English translation of one of the posters we created to promote the helpline in Estonia.
In a country where so many people have little or no connection with the Church, this ministry gives us a precious opportunity to be present for people in difficult moments and to share Christ’s love with those who need it most.
Please keep this ministry, our volunteer pastoral caregivers, and everyone who reaches out for help in your prayers.
NEW Giving Option: DONATE STOCK
U.S. supporters can now make gifts of publicly traded stock to our ministry through Faith Lutheran Church.
Receiving Institution: Pershing
DTC Number: 0443
Account Number: 3YP620191
Account Name: Faith Lutheran Church
Once the stock is received, it will be sold and the proceeds will be directed to the ministry or project you designate.
Please Notify Faith Lutheran
If you are transferring stock, please contact Sara Wegner, Finance Coordinator at Faith Lutheran Church, and let her know:
- that a stock transfer is being made;
- how you would like your gift to be designated.
Email: [email protected]
Notifying Faith Lutheran is important because stock transfers do not always include enough information to identify the donor or the intended designation.
All giving options are available tatest.org/give.
The Eighth Stone Is Stuck
We are deeply grateful for the wonderful response to our Promises campaign and for every donor who has helped us move closer to completing the Home of Hope project.
Seven stones have now been fully funded and brought to Home of Hope from different locations across Estonia (see the map below). But now our progress has slowed.
During the past two months, we have been able to raise about half of the amount needed for the eighth stone. With the mortgage deadline approaching at the end of January 2027, we are becoming increasingly concerned about whether we will be able to complete the journey in time.
Each stone represents $30,000 paid toward the mortgage. 94% of the total cost of establishing Home of Hope has already been paid, but $134,285 still remains.
We are so close, but the final stretch is proving to be difficult.
Please continue to keep our ministry and this final campaign in your prayers. And if God places it on your heart, we warmly invite you to help us move the eighth stone forward and bring this journey to completion.
Learn more and support the campaign here:
tatest.org/promises
12 Stones Across Estonia
From meaningful places across Estonia to Home of Hope. Discover the places and people behind the Promises memorial.
Select a numbered pin to discover its story.
Loading the interactive map. All stone details are also available below.
Explore all 12 stones
Promise of Guidance
- Stone number
- 1
- Location
- Viljandi
- Description
- The stone is brought by Laura Usin, Project Manager at Home of Hope.
Promise of Consecration
- Stone number
- 2
- Location
- St. Paul’s Church of Tartu
- Description
- The stone is brought by Jakob Luhamets, a member of the Home of Hope Bible School technical team.
Promise of Assurance
- Stone number
- 3
- Location
- Large Taevaskoda
- Description
- The stone is brought by Evar Post, Coordinator of the Home of Hope Men’s Fellowship Mornings.
Promise of Courage
- Stone number
- 4
- Location
- Ruhnu Island
- Description
- The stone is brought by Pastor Andrus Mõttus, a member of TAT’s board and a TAT alumnus.
Promise of Presence
- Stone number
- 5
- Location
- Saaremaa Island; St. James Church of Püha
- Description
- The stone is brought by Urmas Viilma, Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, who also serves as a lecturer at the Home of Hope Bible School.
Promise of Provision
- Stone number
- 6
- Location
- Põltsamaa
- Description
- The stone is brought by Mattias Haamer, TAT’s Assistant to the President, together with his family.
Promise of Obedience
- Stone number
- 7
- Location
- Mustvee
- Description
- The stone is brought by Pastor Bob Nordvall, TAT’s ambassador in the United States.
Promise of Strength
- Stone number
- 8
- Location
- Häädemeeste
- Description
- The stone is brought by Pastor Marek Roots, a TAT alumnus and Coordinator of the Home of Hope Bible School, together with his wife, Pirjo, who is also a TAT alumna.
Promise of Protection
- Stone number
- 9
- Location
- Raikküla Manor
- Description
- The stone is brought by Raili Hollo, a TAT alumna and Head of the Home of Hope Pastoral Care Center.
Promise of Hope
- Stone number
- 10
- Location
- Valaste Waterfall
- Description
- The stone is brought by Madis Kask, manager of the Home of Hope project Cast the Nets.
Promise of Faithfulness
- Stone number
- 11
- Location
- Tallinn Cathedral
- Description
- The stone is brought by Bishop Ove Sander, Rector of the Lutheran Church Seminary.
Promise of Witness
- Stone number
- 12
- Location
- Härma Homestead
- Description
- The stone is brought by the sons of TAT’s founder, Pastor Eenok Haamer—Pastors Naatan, Markus, and Siimon Haamer—from the place where Eenok hid from the Soviet occupation regime in an underground bunker from 1951 to 1955.
What if you added a little Estonian flavor to your Thanksgiving celebration this year—and helped us take another step toward finishing Home of Hope establishment?
As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of how grateful we are for our faithful friends in America and for all the ways you have supported us over the years.
This year, we have a special Thanksgiving invitation for you!
Host an Estonian Dinner with your family, friends, or congregation!
Our Estonian Dinner program includes a traditional three-course menu, along with stories, games, and quizzes that offer a glimpse into Estonian life and faith. You can prepare the full dinner or simply add an Estonian dish to your Thanksgiving table.
And while sharing a meal, share also our story, and invite them to contribute toward completing the last five stones.
📸 And please don’t forget to take pictures! We would love to see your Estonian Dinner celebrations. You can send your photos to [email protected] and tell us how it went!
👉 Find the Estonian Dinner menu and program here:
https://tatest.org/dinner/
👉 Support our PROMISES campaign and help complete the eighth stone:
https://tatest.org/promises/
