1,650,000 people live in Stockholm.
Sweden (MNN) ― A local pub is home to a small congregation in Varburg, Sweden, as it reaches out to its community simply by meeting felt needs.
The congregation of thirty people, mostly immigrants from Iraq, sets up a table outside of "their" pub on Saturday nights between midnight at 3 a.m. The believers offer hot coffee or tea to passersby, many of whom are teenagers, and then point out the pub where the congregation meets for church on Sunday mornings.
The people of Varburg, a community in Stockholm, appreciate the refreshment table as a great act of service. The police chief holds the table up as a model for how residents can make a difference in their community.
"People might not always be in the mood to talk about God," says Forrest Hendrix, a missionary with Greater Europe Mission. "But they are impressed with our desire to share the love of God by offering them a hot cup of coffee or tea as they pass by. We let them know where we meet for church on Sunday mornings, and since it happens to be one of the pubs that we're standing beside, they would have no problem finding it."
The congregation is mainly made up of immigrants from Iraq, some of whom began following Christ before they emigrated to Sweden. 97,000 immigrants came to Sweden in 2006, many of them from Iraq. At least 300,000 Muslims live in Sweden, principally in large urban areas.
Even though Sweden is one of the most permissive societies in Europe, life is not easy for immigrants to the country.
"Immigrants often feel that Swedes treat them with prejudice," said Hendrix. "I find that immigrants become curious about the claims of Christ when they see faith played out in one's lifestyle. Even Muslims are very interested in the love and grace of the Christian God."
Ammar is an Iraqi immigrant who couldn't resist finding out more about the church that meets in a pub. He and his family had previously attended church while living in Iraq, but never in a pub. Hendrix encouraged him to visit the church and became his mentor. Eventually, Ammar was baptized. He is thankful for the freedom he has to follow Christ in Sweden, away from the violence in Iraq.
