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Real stories about the church

Real stories about the church. Special occasions call to mind God's blessing. 76,4 % of Finns belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland at the end of 2012 . The church had 4.3 million members . There was a record number of new members : 14 108.

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Real stories about the church

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  1. Real stories about the church

  2. Specialoccasionscall to mindGod'sblessing 76,4 % of Finnsbelonged to the EvangelicalLutheran Church of Finland at the end of 2012. • The churchhad 4.3 millionmembers. • Therewas a recordnumber of new members: 14 108. • Therewere 14 108 new members and 41 079 resignedfrom the church. • The churchbaptizedthree out of everyfourchildren, and marriedeverysecondcouple. • The churchconducted 47 310 funerals, or 91 % of the total.

  3. “It’s truly a great gift that a pastor can come to a family celebration for free. I’m happy to pay church tax!” ZarZar, Espoo

  4. Church taxfundsmanythings This is how the church allocated tax income (€862 million) in 2012: Church records and civil census administration 2 % Publicity and communications4 % Other operations 0,1 % Mission and international diaconalwork 5% Children’s and youth work33 % Music 5 % Funerals 11 % Counselling and other diaconal work 13 % Parish work 27%

  5. Children are welcome to bring their favourite toys to the family service at Oulu’s Karjasilta parish.

  6. Worshipprovides a pause at the heart of everyday In 2012, on average 85 peopleparticipated in eachservice of the EvangelicalLutheran Church. The totalnumber of worshipperswasmorethan6 200 000.

  7. ”Weweretoldabout the VoxEdenichoir at comfirmationcampleadertraining. My friendsaidthatitsoundedfun, weshouldgo and giveit a try. Itseemedlike a reallynice idea, because I likesinginga lot. Thenitbecame my thing.” Henna, Espoo

  8. A singingchurch Therewere 1994 choirs in the parishes in 2012. About50 000 participated in choral and othermusicalactivities. Thereareabout 2 700 ChristmasCarolserviceseachyear, attendedbynearly a millionsingers.

  9. “As we left the church, we smiled at each other as if some weight had been taken from us. Our hearts sang within us.” Kari, Archbishop, Turku

  10. The churchsupports culture The oldestremainingchurchesare in the ÅlandIslands. Builtfromgreystone, theydatefromthe 13th and 14th centuries. The churchmaintainsvaluableecclesiasticalbuildings on behalf of society as a whole. About a dozen new churcheshavebeencompletedsince 2000. The Kamppi EcumenicalChapelis located on Helsinki's Narikkatori.

  11. ”Youcanbefreehere, youdon’tneed to spend the wholetimeworryingaboutwhatyourhairlookslike, orifyou’reattractive.” Maria, Mila, Niklas and Sere, Hyvinkää

  12. Young peoplegrowup as part of the parish In 2012, morethan140 000 children and youngpeopletookpart in groupactivitiesorganisedbythe church. Parishesorganisedmorethan6000camps for children and youngpeople and tensof thousandsof otherevents. 85.6 % of Finnstakepart in confirmationpreparation.

  13. “I don’t know how I would have survived without the help of loved ones and the parish. The deaconess gave me food vouchers, she listened to me and she understood.” Janina, Vantaa

  14. Diaconialworkhelps in manyways Diaconalworkershadmorethan634 000 clientcontacts in 2012. Morethan 30 000 volunteersassisted with diaconalwork. Parishesallocated €7.4 million in financialassistance and distributedmorethan 100 000 food packages.

  15. “We had more than a year’s time-out to weigh things up and evaluate them from different angles. Now, at least we know we’ve put some effort into the relationship. You know you’re not throwing in the towel immediately.” Tomi and Eeva, Vantaa

  16. Familycounsellingsupportscouples In 2012, the churchhad 42 familycounsellingcentres. Theywerevisitedby a total of 16 500 clients, of which 42 % weremen.

  17. Finn Church Aid improves the livelihood of the poor in Nepal.

  18. The churchdoes international workboth at home and abroad 140churchworkers in 40 countriesworkamongFinnishexpatriates. Sevenmission agenciesundertake the mission work of the church. Finn Church Aid specialisesin international diaconalwork.

  19. “It is important to the community to worship in Inari, because speakers live far apart from each other. I long for a place where we can gather together.” Teija, Inari

  20. Community is important to the Saami Fiveclergywork in the Saamilanguage. MostNorthern and Inari Saamibelong to the EvangelicalLutheran Church, whilemostSkoltSaamiaremembers of the Orthodox Church. The churchsupports the preservation of the Saamilanguage, and the advancement of translationwork. The Catechismin NorthernSaami and Kauneimmat Joululaulut (a volume of Christmascarols) werepublished in 2012.

  21. EvangelicaLutheran Church of Finland GENERAL SYNOD(109 members) Central Church Council The Bishop’s Conference Council for International Relations Commission for Church Employers DIOCESES (9) Diocesancouncil Dionesianchapter Bishop Deaneries PARISHES 430 (in 2013) Parishioners (electorate in parishelections) Church council Church board

  22. The church’sconfession and mission The EvangelicalLutheran Church of Finland confesses, in accordance with Scripture, the Christian faith as set forth in the threeecumenicalcreeds and the Lutheranconfessions. In accordance with itsconfession, the churchproclaimsthe word of God and administersthe sacraments, working to spreadthe Christian message and fosterneighbourlylove. (Church law, article 1) The churchhastwosacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist.

  23. Tasks of the parish • organisingworship • the celebration of Baptism, the Eucharist and otherrites of the church • Christian education and discipleship • pastoralcare, diaconal and mission work, and othertasks of proclamation and servicebasedon the Christian message.

  24. A thousandyears of Christian faith in Finland Christianitycomes to Finland in the 12th century 1520-luvulla 1488 Circa1157 Bishop Henry and King Erik arrive in Finland The death of Bishop Henry Missale Aboense – the Turku Missal – is Finland’soldestprintedbook The Reformationbegins in Finland during the reign of Gustav Vasa 1917 1510–1557 1809 1870 Mikael Agricola The churchgetsitsown General Synod and legislativepower Church and stateareseparated Finland gainsitsindependence Finland separatesfromSweden 1923 1994 2003 Reform of Freedom of Religion and CemeteriesActs Freedom of Religion Act The churchgainsfurtheradministrativeindependence

  25. What’sYour Story? Tellyourownstoryabout the church at facebook.com/kirkkosuomessa

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