Bishop Anti Toplaan of Saare-Lääne concluded his episcopal visitation to the local authorities of Pärnu County with a meeting at St Elizabeth’s Church, where he also met the Mayor of Pärnu, Kristel Voltenberg. The hosts were the Revd Toomas Nigola, pastor of St Elizabeth’s Parish and dean of Pärnu Deanery, and Andres Riivits, chair of the parish council.
At the beginning of the meeting, the pastor introduced the mayor to the repair and restoration work under way at the church. Last year, in cooperation with the City of Pärnu and the National Heritage Board, most of the church façade was renovated, with the hope of completing the work during the following year. It has now become clear that, owing to the Heritage Board’s limited resources, the necessary support could unfortunately not be obtained. Completion of the façade work has therefore been postponed indefinitely.
Other important achievements during the past year included connecting the church to the district heating network and installing heating. In the nave, this also involved creating a system of fans and air filters that helps maintain a temperature of 9–16°C. Because the church’s historic wooden details and organs require relative humidity of 50–60%, humidifiers must also operate during the heating season. The parish currently has one humidifier, but apparently needs to acquire another two or three to maintain the required level during colder weather.
Renovation has also begun in the parish house adjoining the church. Technical rooms are being brought into compliance with Rescue Board requirements, the parish library is being renewed, and workplaces are being created for the parish’s assistant clergy. A Pärnu studio for Pereraadio is also under construction, enabling radio programmes and podcasts to be recorded. Once completed, it is hoped that the studio will also be used to broadcast services from St Elizabeth’s Parish to listeners in south-western Estonia.
A particularly warm moment occurred in the organ loft: the mayor was pleasantly surprised to meet the younger son of a neighbouring family, one of the organ pupils at Pärnu Music School. The pupils are taught by the parish organist, Aaro Tetsmann. Organ tuition is offered at music schools in Estonia’s larger cities, while the local church often provides the instrument for lessons and practice. This requires a heated church, an organ in good condition and, usually, the local church organist as teacher.
The discussion also addressed broader cooperation between the city and its parishes. In addition to St Elizabeth’s Parish, the EELC Parish of the Holy Cross in Audru also operates within the territory of Pärnu. The city has helped secure the required co-financing for projects and has considered supporting other initiatives on application.
Future plans for St Elizabeth’s Parish include voicing the new organ, continuing repairs to the parish house and reorganising the services of the parish hostel, Hostel Lõuna. In pastoral care, the parish plans to develop family, bereavement and other counselling services. Concerts and worship are also inseparable parts of parish life. It was noted separately that St Elizabeth’s Church remains open on winter days—made possible by technological solutions that ensure both the security of the building and the privacy of visitors.
The meeting ended on a cheerful, forward-looking note with the mayor’s suggestion to invite Tallinn Mayor Peeter Rausdep, a noted birdwatcher, to Pärnu. The plan is to climb the narrow spiral staircase from the nave to the church tower and observe the city’s spring birdlife together.
On behalf of the Diocese of Saare-Lääne, Bishop Anti Toplaan thanked Dean Toomas Nigola and the other clergy for organising and conducting a substantial day of meetings rich in ideas. He expressed the hope that the cooperation plans raised during the discussions would be realised in the coming years.
