ALNÄS

A home for our time

In bygone days…

Alnäs (“Alder Trees”) is a spiritual oasis located near the heart of  Stockholm’s commercial district. Situated at the water’s edge in Djurgården, a centuries-old royal park, the house has a long history. Its first owner, Anders Petter Berg, was an employee of the National Bank of the Swedish parliament. He acquired permission to build on this site in 1767, and what is now the yellow house adjacent to the road at Alnäs is one of the oldest residences in Djurgården.

Many families have lived here since then. In 1949, widely respected professor of art, Johnny Roosval, sold the building to the poet, Anders Österling, lifetime secretary of the Swedish Academy. Professor Roosval and his wife had added a studio for her work as a sculptress – the present “Ateljé.” Four years later Alnäs changed hands again. Since 1953, it has served as a home and centre for Sweden and the Nordic North.

The advance of the programme of Moral Re-armament

1946 marked the first of a series of world conferences that continue to the present day in the alpine village of Caux, above Montreux in Switzerland. In the early, formative years, industrial delegations from northern Europe representing labour and management, along with their families, played an important role in the Caux. Sponsors for the people going there from their own industries included AGA, Electrolux, Grängesberg – the mining concern, - and Huskvarna, - the engineering company, - along with Uddeholm and its vast forestry resources. Private homes soon proved inadequate for M.R.A meetings in Sweden, and a larger, permanent centre was sought.

The property of Alnäs offerd a strong possibility, even though the house was in need of extensive renovation. As soon as this initial doubt was removed, the decision to buy Alnäs was taken at a cost of two hundred and seventy five thousand Swiss francs. Such a large sum involved the sacrificial giving of many men and women, including the families of the Kiruna iron-ore minors and the shipyard workers at Göteborg. There is a list of the 253 donors.

With the donated services of architects, builders, artists, housewives, and many others, the renovation was finally completed. But at the first public event – a wedding – the building still lacked furniture and kitchen equipment. However, it wasn’t too long before Alnäs was blessed with furnishings, linens, cutlery, paintings, books, and so on, often given straight from the homes of generous and believing donors. Even the all-important cooking equipment and an oversize dishwasher found their way into the centre’s inventory.

And now…

There is a great sense of joy at Alnäs. This is shared not only by those who are called to live in the home and are responsible for its daily management, but also by those who give financial support, by those who use it as a mini-conference centre, and those who attend their art exhibits, and the musical and theatrical performances.

There are no public funds or similar external sources of income to underwrite the property of the programmes at Alnäs. Its legal steward is the Foundation for Moral Re-armament in Sweden. But the life, the spirit and the content of what goes on here is everyone’s. The newcomer’s initiative is as welcome and needed as the knowledge of those who have been coming to Alnäs for years. Its extended family includes many families with children, married couples, and singles, of every age and race – all who have given priority to the work of Moral Re-armament in Sweden and throughout the world.

People who believe in the spirit of moral re-armament do everything that is achieved at Alnäs on a voluntary, not-for-profit basis. They are not bound by any formal organisation, and come from every political, social, ethnic, cultural and religious background. Their professional callings are equally diverse.

What unites them is a belief, that change begins in the heart of the individual, the place where everyone can start. In perplexing and restless times, love, honesty and unselfishness are the standards by which a better world may emerge, but since this cannot be achieved unaided, each day they seek the guidance of God through prayer, by listening to the inner voice, by re-orienting their lives, their relationships and their work according to God’s will.

The future…

The guest books of Alnäs make interesting reading. Industrial delegations, members of parliament from all parties, teachers and students, people of many religious persuasions, but most of all, men and women of varying backgrounds from all over the world meet to talk about issues that are common to all. Every person represents only himself or herself, and in such an attractive, informal setting, it is often easier for them to bring up deep-seated concerns, or express views and solutions that may not necessarily fit the conventional mould.

Visitors from other countries are always welcome. Alnäs offers an opportunity to host delegates to international conferences held in Stockholm, 15 minutes by bus from the centre. In this way, they have a unique angle of Sweden “from the inside”, and are able to spend time in the friendly intimacy of a Swedish home.

Alnäs is the ideal for international consultations, especially bridge-building with other nations. In recent times it has brought together neighbours from around the Baltic Sea, and other groups from central and Eastern Europe. New relationships have been built between groups and individuals with apparently irreconcilable agendas.

Guests from over seventy countries have spent time at Alnäs. The guest books also contain many named of immigrants who now call Sweden home. They have brought welcome insights from their native cultures that have shed light on long held views of Sweden and the Swedish people. They are needed. Their perspective is deeply appreciated.