News

Tartu Academy of Theology and the Lutheran Church Seminary launched the new academic year together with a festive service and ceremony on September 10. Bishop Ove Sander, Rector of the Seminary, preached during the service, and Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Urmas Viilma, welcomed all the students at the ceremony.

It was a joyful and encouraging day, as 21 new students began their journey in theological education with the goal of contributing to church life in Estonia.

On September 22, we gave thanks for God’s great miracle—that from small and humble beginnings, something big can grow. When we launched the Bible School in autumn 2020, we couldn’t have imagined such a blessing or that we would come this far. Now, we’ve started our 6th year with 50 new students! Since 2020, a total of 350 people have taken part in Bible School.

Six short-term missionaries from the U.S. visited Estonia from August 7–18.

They helped us lead a week-long adult Bible camp with 30 participants at the Home of Hope. The theme was “Seeking God’s Love,” and we focused on the Sermon on the Mount. We approached it from a different perspective—not as God’s command to us, but as an expression of God’s love. With each teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, we asked: How do I see God’s love here?

Here are some memories and reflections from the short-term missionaries.

Nancy Jensen, Bismarck, ND

The most tender day for me was our journey to southern Estonia, walking in the steps of Pastor Eenok Haamer. This trip to Estonia, diving into its history and its people, spending time with the women in our small group—oh, I miss them—and the churches, the churches! And the pipe organs!

Barbara Felt from Aurora, CO has been a dedicated supporter of our mission work already since 2012. She has visited Estonia numerous times and served as a short-term missionary, helping us lead Adult Bible Camps.

In early March this year, Barbara traveled to Estonia to attend the funeral of Tartu Academy of Theology’s founder, Pastor Eenok Haamer, and to say him goodbyes. She stayed for a few days and also shared her story with us.

In this video, Barbara shares her experience of first coming to Estonia in 2012 and meeting Pastor Eenok Haamer and his son Siimon.

We are deeply grateful to all our supporters. Your generosity allows us to continue mission work in one of the most secular countries in the world.

This spring and summer have brought significant financial challenges. We’ve fallen short of our budget goals and, as of today, are $46,922 behind.

On June 26th, we had the joy of celebrating the graduation of students from our joint academic program with the Lutheran Church Seminary. This year, we are grateful to announce that 7 students graduated with a Bachelor’s degree, 5 completed the Master’s program, and 6 finished the Church Music course—bringing us to a total of 18 new alumni.

Our ministry continues to be a daily journey of trusting God. We haven’t been able to build financial reserves, as every extra contribution opens the door for new opportunities to expand our mission work. However, this spring and early summer have brought financial challenges. We’ve fallen short of our budget goals and, now past the halfway point of the year, we find ourselves approximately $45,000 behind.

On June 2nd, we celebrated the completion of our fifth year of Bible School ministry. This year’s focus was “The Bible in Depth”, and 45 students received a certificate of completion.

Over the past five years, approximately 300 people have participated in our Bible School. In a country of just over 1.3 million, that represents 0.02% of Estonia’s population. To put that into perspective: in the United States, the equivalent impact would mean reaching over 70,000 people with Bible teaching.

This spring has brought financial challenges. Donations have slowed significantly, and now, midway through the year, we are approximately $40,000 behind budget. This shortfall is impacting our ability to cover essential day-to-day ministry needs.

I’m so grateful to be joining Tartu Academy of Theology as a project manager. I came to faith in my early 20s after seeing the impact of Jesus in the lives of two close friends. In 2021, I was baptized and became a member of Viljandi Baptist Church. After going through burnout in secular work, my husband and I moved to Tartu. I began praying for a job where I could truly glorify God—and not long after, I unexpectedly found myself at Home of Hope, helping a friend with a filming project. That “random” visit led to a job offer, and I started here on November 4, 2024. It’s clear to me that God opened this door, and I’m so thankful to be part of what He’s doing here!

This year’s The Juggler conference, held on April 25-26, brought together over 70 participants, some of whom contributed in various roles to make the event happen. Attendees ranged from teenagers to those in their forties, with an average age of around 28.

The program focused on the theme of communication—how we communicate, how God communicates with us, what we can learn from Jesus’ interactions, and how to stay grounded amid information overload.

II was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Revelation 1:18

We’re sharing our Easter greeting with you. Please take a moment to watch the short video below.

Although Estonia is a highly secular country, we remain hopeful. We also believe that Estonian business leaders can be inspired to support our mission work. Over the years, we have organized some fundraising events in the capital, Tallinn. Now, for the first time, on March 31, we are hosting a special fundraiser gala dinner at the Home of Hope Christian Outreach Center to raise funds for our daily activities, with a specific focus on pastoral care ministry.

We invite you to encourage Estonian entrepreneurs by empowering their generosity through a matching fund. A generous couple from the U.S. has already provided a $5,000 matching gift, but we want to challenge Estonian business leaders with an even greater goal.

On February 27, God called Pastor Eenok Haamer, the founder of the Tartu Academy of Theology, into eternity. His funeral will take place at noon (Estonian time) on March 8 in Mustvee, at the church where he faithfully served as a pastor for 61 years. He will be laid to rest in the Mustvee cemetery. We are happy that some good friends from US are also coming to participate the funerals. The funeral is expected to be very large, with hundreds of attendees and maybe even around 1,000 people.

On February 27, God called founder of Tartu Academy of Theolgoy and Estonia’s oldest Lutheran pastor, Eenok Haamer, into eternity. Despite his advanced age, he never retired, serving as a pastor for over 61 years. Eenok followed in his father’s footsteps, and his three sons continue his ministry.

Sandy Miller from First Lutheran Church in Hope, MN, shared a wonderful story of how God blessed their faithfulness in mission work. I asked her to write it down so I could share this meaningful story with all of you.

Keep in mind, we are a small church with an annual budget of slightly over $100,000.  And yet, we felt called to give an amount of approximately 20% of our annual budget to Home of Hope. This was even more significant because we were already behind in our general tithes and offerings by approximately that same amount!

We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church to extend the mortgage deadline until January 31, 2027. All contract terms remain unchanged, including the 5% interest rate.

At the beginning of 2025, my father, Pastor Eenok Haamer (Founder of TAT), was diagnosed with colon cancer and 17th of January a large team of doctors convened and concluded that surgery would be highly risky and dangerous.

Two exciting opportunities to visit Estonia are available this summer: the Persecution Pilgrimage (June 6–14, 2025) and the Adult Bible Camp Short-Term Mission Trip (August 6–18, 2025). The registration deadline is February 28, 2025. Details can be found at tatest.org/visit.

The Persecution Pilgrimage explores Estonia’s history of spiritual resistance, featuring firsthand accounts of Christian persecution and the rare chance to hear stories from Pastor Eenok Haamer, now 89.

The Bible Camp invites American Christians to join Estonian organizers as teachers and leaders, with a focus on God’s Grace.

We kindly ask for your prayers for Pastor Eenok Haamer, who has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer.

We have started negotiations with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church to extend the mortgage deadline. A new agreement is expected to be signed by the end of January. I will update you once the contract is finalized. The remaining balance of the Home of Hope mortgage is $487,425.

On November 21, in cooperation with the Lutheran Church Seminary, we hosted a fundraising gala dinner, inviting Estonian entrepreneurs to support theological education. The event took place in the seminary’s largest classroom and welcomed 43 guests, raising $17,680 by the end of the evening.

We are encouraged by the willingness of Estonians to recognize the importance of this work. Our aim is to grow the community of those with a heart for mission and increase local contributions to our annual budget.

Currently, we face a challenge. Our communications have largely focused on funding the Home of Hope mortgage, and as a result, our 2024 operating budget is short by $40,803. We need your help to bridge this cap.

On October 7, we launched a new Bible School year with 51 new students, half of whom are attending online. Over the past five years, the total number of students has reached 300.

This year, we designed a new Bible School program called ‘Bible in depth’. Despite its title, the course is designed for both beginners and advanced learners and does not require prior academic knowledge. We warmly welcome Christians from different denominations, as well as those who are unaffiliated with a church or have no prior knowledge of the Bible.

The course features five lecturers and runs from October to June, with weekly sessions every Monday evening (6:00–8:30 PM). The course is organized into 4-week cycles, with a total of six cycles over eight months.

Mattias and I recently recorded an interview with my father, Pastor Eenok Haamer, the founder of the Tartu Academy of Theology (TAT). During the interview, we explored the origins of TAT, including the events leading up to its establishment and the significant role played by eight Lutheran pastors from the United States in the school’s founding.

I’m highlighting some important thoughts shared by Eenok:
“I am a person of faith, and I believe that God hears prayers. This journey began through prayer. Without prayer, we would have undertaken nothing. We’ve trusted in God, knowing that when we pray, He listens and He answers. The Tartu Academy of Theology is not a project with an end date but rather a project of God’s making, without human-imposed limits.”

We are presenting a testimony of Paavo Paul Pihlak, the Director and founder of the Christian radio station located at the Home of Hope. Paavo shares: “When I was a young man, I never imagined that I could become a pastor or work in the church. I grew up in a time when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union and everything related to faith and God, wasn’t just unpopular, but not recommended at all if you wanted to make a career and be successful.”

However, God chose him. Paavo left behind his previous life and career as a music producer, realizing that God was calling him.

So far, we have paid off over $1.62 million and remaining balance is $595,871 with the mortgage due on November 15 of this year.

Please share also with your congregation an update on the current progress of establishing the Home of Hope. At this link, you’ll find a video that provides a quick overview of everything we have achieved over the past five years.

So far, we have paid off $1.62 million, leaving a remaining balance of $599,693.

Please consider making a gift as a testimony of Christian fellowship. Your contirbution will be combined with the gifts of the Estonian people. Together we can complete the establishment of Home of Hope.

From September 26 to October 15, I toured the United States and made a brief stop also in Denver, where friends organized an Estonia Dinner on the evening of October 10. We were fortunate to find authentic Estonian bread and sprats locally. We captured this special moment on video—check it out below!

We share with you her testimony about Tartu Academy of Theology and Home of Hope. She says: “When I was in Estonia in 2019 I was able to see the beginning stages of construction of Home of Hope and got a tour with my hart hat on. And now I’m back here in 2024 and I can see the fulfillment of that dream and vision and all of the fruits that it is bearing, not just in Tartu, but all throughout Estonia and even beyond, throughout the world.”

We are getting closer and closer to the final goal. We still have THREE WEEKS until the mortgage payment deadline. $1.6 million has already been paid and $622,493 needs to be paid.

NOVEMBER 15, 2024 is the due date of the mortgage.
Every donation is meaningful.

In the summer of 2021, Andreas could not find a way out of the difficult situation in his life in any other way than to go and knock on the door of the Home of Hope. Siimon Haamer went to meet him at the door.

We recognize that prayer has power, and especially when many people pray together. Believing in this, we are organizing a 24-hour prayer chain on October 19.

During last week the balance of the mortgage has started to decrease noticeably.