The Estonia Methodist Church as a long and difficult history.  It was founded in 1907 by Vassili Täht and Karl Kuum, two preachers from St. Petersburg.  The church was founded in Estonia on the island of  Saaremaa, the largest island off the west coast of Estonia.  During World War II and under Soviet rule, the church suffered great losses, in property, in liberty and in life.  Many of the leaders were arrested and some sent off to Siberia.  Some churches were able to survive.  Today, the Estonia Methodist Church has a vision to reach out to all of Europe, not only former communist contries.  See the links below for more information on what is going on in Estonia.  FUMC (and other US churches) efforts have helped to inspire and fuel the efforts of the Estonians.

FUMC 2007 VIM Trip to Estonia
FUMC connected to Karsa/Rapina/Ahja	United Methodist Church in Estonia	FUMC Estonia VIM
In Estonia, the Connecting Congregation program includes new congregations established since 1992 as well as congregations which survivied above ground during the Soviet occupation. These "survival" churches are called "Tuletorn Congregations" from the Estonian word for "fire-tower" or "lighthouse" because the "lights were never turned out, even on the darkest night." Today, Connecting Congregations are enabling new congregations and providing "oil for the lamps" of Tuletorn Congregations across the entire country.	Baltic Methodist Theological Seminary World Evangilism World Methodist Council	FUMC sponsors a VIM team to Estonia each year as part of our connected congregation effort with both Karsa and Rapina. The team paticipates in services with both congregations.  They will also work on the Ahja mission center, which houses bible studies, child care/school, a shelter for abused women, and a coummunity cafe with some of the best food around! Several teams have had also worked on projects for the good of the whole community.
A celebration in Ahja!!!!	The Mission Center	Rein and Jana preaching in Estonian and English