Hello,
The Evangelical Lutheran church is a national institution in Finland. It's a public church and 71,9% of Finns are members of the church. The church is divided in congregations. For example, in my town (Kangasala) (30 000 inhabitants) there are 3 congregations. There are also other denominations in Finland, such as the Orthodox and the Pentecostal churches.
As a building, the church is the main building in the city. It is located in the center of the city.
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| Church in Kangasala |
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A typical Finn doesn't go to the church very often. Going to the church means attending the worship on Sunday mornings. In the worship we sing hymns, attend the Lord's supper, listen to the texts from the Bible (the pastor usually reads out one from both testaments), pray (Apostoles' creed, The Lord Bless You, etc...) and listen to the pastor preaching. The pastor leads the whole worship alone.
There are other activities in the church, too. I don't know much about the adults' activities because I have not attended them but as a teenager I used to attend the youth group meeting. It is held on Saturdays starting at 6p.m. and lasting until midnight :D There is a one-hour teaching and then we get an evening snack. After that, we have free time.
Another big thing for the teens is a confirmation camp. It's optional, but most of the teenagers go to the camp. A teen goes to the camp in the year in which s/he turns 15. So I was at the camp five years ago (I'm old...). The confirmation camp lasts for a week and most of the time the teens have lectures about Christianity. Of course there are many other activities too so the camp is not all about studying. After the camp the teens have a confirmation celebration at the local church. The confirmation allows a teenager to become a godparent and have a wedding ceremony in a church.
The church organizes many camps for teens during the year. We have an Easter camp and a New Year celebration camp. There is also a Christian music festival in Finland every year. Many American artists have performed there, too.
Usually the kids are baptized at the age of one month. At the same time their parents name them and they become a member of the local church. The baptizing rarely has nothing to do with becoming a Christian and actually believing in God.
Usually the kids are baptized at the age of one month. At the same time their parents name them and they become a member of the local church. The baptizing rarely has nothing to do with becoming a Christian and actually believing in God.
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| A picture from my confirmation celebration. |
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| A camping center in Kangasala |
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| A teen camp in August 2016 |
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| My church friends |
God bless you,
Anette
