MATTIAS HAAMER – YOUNGEST ESTONIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH BOARD MEMBER EVER
At the end of April, Mattias Haamer (Assistant to The President of Tartu Academy of Theology) became the youngest board member ever to serve with the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC). He is responsible for overseeing the children and youth works in the EELC. The work is mostly volunteer and it means TAT is in stronger co-operation with the Church as Mattias fulfills this responsibility, expanding his work with youth in Estonia. TAT’s and Home of Hope’s role in the church becomes even more meaningful. He will tell you why he was chosen and the challenges he faces now.
Why was I chosen?
This has been the result of God’s overflowing blessings and guidance. One blessing is definitely the family I have had a privilege to be born into (Deut 7:9). The prayers my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents prayed for me, even before my birth, provide a strong foundation for my life. Their teachings about God, that none of my friends had from their parents, added to this foundation.
Other blessings are the experiences I have had a chance to live. During my early teenage years, I was blessed with trust from my parents and congregation which allowed me to do Christian youth work for the first time. Later, God led me to the United Kingdom to build my faith and learn new ways to do youth work. In addition, I have served as an EELC representative in the Lutheran World Federation Assembly for several years. God has given me opportunities and experiences I never dreamed about. Each has been a lesson on how I can serve God even better.
I believe I have the honor to serve on this board in particular because of one blessing – it’s the work at Home of Hope. God answered my intimate prayer that I had after returning to Estonia from the UK. He gave me a job in a Christian organization and environment. This gave me a chance to dedicate myself fully to Christian work. I don’t know any other Estonian of my age who could say the same thing. I believe it shows that if you get a chance to dedicate yourself to something you will get results. The church parliament gave a great witness to this by electing me in April, 2024. If there had been more young people who dedicate themselves to God’s work in Estonia, then they might have chosen someone else. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work at Tartu Academy of Theology’s Outreach Center, Home of Hope, because it allows me to work in so many ways to bring people, especially youth, closer to God.
Problems in youth work in Estonia
Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church’s children and youth work is in dire straits. There are many problems. There is not enough space here to list all of them. I’ll just say that to operate on a wound, first the bleeding must be stopped. It is this way with the youth work in the EELC – before trying to get new people, we must first figure out how to keep the ones who are there and are ready to serve. I will stick with some thoughts that would get us into better shape in this matter.
Youth work is usually done by the youth themselves who volunteer. It is crucial to understand that they might not have all the necessary knowledge, experience, motivation, or inner calling. They might have some of it, but it might be less than someone my age, who is already grown up and has good values and viewpoints and recognizes their call to serve. Therefore, young people, when they take on responsibility to serve, need attention and guidance. In the EELC this support has not been available. Some youth leaders are blessed and get support from their pastors, but our pastors are also extremely busy (working different jobs, too many tasks etc.) or might not have the capability to give the support and guidance. Because of this the EELC needs a system or a structure for supporting the youth workers who remain and are ready to serve. The system itself needs people and funding that is lacking in the EELC.
When we lack in one place, we compensate with something else. It is motivation and trust in God that He will lead our work and will give us results. I believe Estonians look at Home of Hope and find hope that it is possible to do youth work (or Christian work overall) here in Estonia and in Lutheran churches. When I read the reports on the Church’s youth work in communities and hear how things are going here and there, I can see where it can often be quite hard for youth workers to keep motivated and remain in trust that God continues to work in their towns. Something new and innovative as Home of Hope came on the radar and new hope arose. I like to think some pastors were thinking: Maybe this will be the new spark, maybe they have new ways and ideas to stop the bleeding.
I know that youth work has been a talking point and a problem in our church for more than a decade or two, and now the desire to do something about it has grown, not only for me, but for the Church as a whole. The archbishop has also expressed his wish to include more young people in discussions about church work and finding ways to address new generations, allowing young people to help shape the work and take responsibility.
Going forward
Youth and children’s work is a topic that hurts my heart. Sometimes I also feel hopeless and think that there is nothing I can do about it. But then I get recharged and am given courage from the Holy Spirit. I see that it’s all doable and in God’s hands all things really are possible (Mk 10:27). Now, with God’s blessing, it’s my role to oversee and lead the processes to stop the bleeding and start operating on the wound. The first step will be building a supportive structure for the youth workers.
Mattias Haamer
WE SENT SOME YOUTH TO SPIRITUAL ORPHANS NETWORK TEEN BIBLE CAMP IN SLOVAKIA
Tartu Academy of Theology’s ministry partner Spiritual Orphans Network (SON), along with the Slovakian mission organisation SEM, organised a teen Bible camp in the middle of July, 2024 in the beautiful mountain village of Velky Slavkov in Slovakia. We are grateful to SON for offering us the opportunity to send a small group of young people (4 teens plus 2 adults accompanying them) to participate in this camp.
The camp was not only very meaningful for the young people, but also for the adults who are now inspired to organise an international youth Bible camp in Estonia in the future. Here’s a video of the camp and some thoughts from our group members.
Blessings,
Pastor Siimon Haamer
President of Tartu Academy of Theology
HELP LIFE CHANGING STORIES TO CONTINUE
This year our big challenge is paying off the Home of Hope’s mortgage by November 15, 2024. $832,145 still needs to be paid. Every donation is meaningful in this journey.
Home of Hope, which was founded in 2019, has given Estonians a lot of hope in these few years. We have seen that there are people in our country who are looking for God. Through the activities of the Home of Hope, we also reach those people who have not dared to enter the church door. We need help to pay off the mortgage and continue our work for generations to come.
At the moment we have $48,650 in the matching fund. Every donation made to the Home of Hope will be doubled from this grant. We are grateful for additional donations to the matching fund in order to encourage others to give their support. If you want to contribute to this, please contact me by writing to siimon.haamer@teoloogia.ee.
