Finnish church combats loneliness

In summer, people tend to feel more lonely as loved ones go on holidays and social activities have been paused. The Evangelical Lutheran Church heard of more worries about interpersonal relationships and decreased well-being, Seurakuntalainen writes. Therefore, it decided to take action.

This summer, the so-called church conversation help is in the air. Anyone who feels lonely can contact the church to talk to somebody. The [helpdesk] https://evl.fi/kirkonkeskusteluapu) can be reached via e-mail, chat, phone or even a personal letter. In addition, it is possible to meet one of the church employees face to face to have a personal conversation.

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Spiritual care

People can call the church between 18.00 and 24.00 o clock and send a chat message from Monday to Friday between 16.00 and 20.00 o clock, Seurakuntalainen reports.

The people behind the desk are trained volunteers or church employees. And they will keep the information they receive confidential and anonymous, Petri Patronen, who is the church's spiritual care expert, points out.

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He believes that everyone knows hard times in which they feel alone. "But on the other hand, none of us are meant to do it alone", he adds. Therefore, hhe wants the threshold to contact the church to be as low as possible. "The conversation help exists so that no one is left alone with their troubles. Wherever you are and whoever you are, there is someone for you who listens and understands. That is why the church's discussion help has been established."

The church conversation line is not an emergency service, Patronen says. But most people don't need that either. "Many who spend the summer alone have found a chat buddy in the service."