Pastor Normunds Zariņš: from Sweden to Sārnate – serving a small Latvian church
Normunds Zariņš, a pastor living in Sweden, tends to the Sārnate Baptist church in Latvia. Despite physical challenges, he regularly travels to lead a congregation that has become a community hub.
From Sweden to the coast of Kurzeme
Normunds Zariņš, a clergyman at the Latvian Lutheran congregation in Gothenburg, has for several years also looked after the Sārnate Baptist church in Ventspils municipality. The 40-year-old pastor lives in Mark municipality in southwestern Sweden, but several times a year he makes the long journey to Latvia. The trip usually takes a day: by bus to Stockholm, then train to the port, ferry to Ventspils, and car to Sārnate. Sometimes he flies from Gothenburg Airport.
Living with cerebral palsy
Normunds was born with cerebral palsy and did not walk until the age of eight. Soviet doctors advised his parents to give him up, but the family chose a different path – rehabilitation at Vaivari, Līgatne, and Ķemeri, combined with his own determination, led to significant mobility. At school he faced rejection, but support from family friends and teachers helped him integrate.
Faith and religious conviction formed gradually. A picture Bible gifted by a Baptist congregation had a major influence. Later, Normunds studied at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and the Baptist College, and in Sweden he trained as a mentor and counselor. Ordained as a Baptist pastor, he serves ecumenically.
History and revival of Sārnate church
The Sārnate Baptist congregation was founded in 1900, but the prayer house was moved from Ziras village as early as 1874. A second building was added in 1913. The church served as a refuge for refugees during World War II and a hiding place for national partisans. During Soviet occupation, it was like a hospital, but its activities never stopped.
Normunds first saw Sārnate in 2022 and immediately fell in love. Together with locals, including artist Voldemārs Dūdums, they formed a neighborhood association. Dūdums, without warning, installed water and electricity in the church. Currently, the church is used from May to October, and the pastor sleeps on a mattress inside the church.
Roof renovation and support from Lidija Doroņina-Lasmane
The roof of one of the church buildings was in critical condition. A fundraising campaign for €40,000 was launched in 2024, with €14,000 raised so far. A new month-long campaign started on June 28 in honor of the 101st birthday of dissident Lidija Doroņina-Lasmane. Lidija, who was repressed during Soviet times, has a strong connection to Sārnate – she often prayed at the locked church and even pulled out nettles growing by it. Last year, on her 100th birthday, the Latvian flag was raised at the church.
In Normunds' view, "there are no coincidences, only God-incidences." He believes all his life experience is useful in this ministry.
Support and future
The pastor acknowledges support from Voldemārs Dūdums, entrepreneur Igors Skoks, Ventspils municipality, and local carpenter Juris Kozlovs. The Sārnate church has become a community center where people of different denominations gather. Normunds hopes this place will continue to revive and serve people.
