The Church of England has become the fastest growing religious group in Finland thanks to a boost from large amounts of refugees arriving in the Nordic country.
Attendance in CofE parishes has shot up by 20 per cent according to Rev Tuomas Mäkipää, the Church's Assistant Area Dean for Finland. With small numbers to begin with, the recent surge was prompted by arrivals from countries with dominant Anglican presences such as Sudan and South Sudan.
"Aid agencies warn that the upsurge of fighting in South Sudan will see the humanitarian crisis affecting millions of civilians worsening, wrote the Church's Suffragan Bishop in Europe, the Rt Rev David Hamid in his Eurobishop blog. "The Finnish government, working with the UN, continues to offer settlement to Sudanese [and] South Sudanese fleeing the violence and war."
Hamid cites the example of one White Nile Congregations church run by Rev Amos Manga and says: "Our church is fully engaged in many parts of this Nordic country in providing care, a spiritual home and pastoral accompaniment to the new arrivals."
On a trip last Sunday to Helsinki, Hamid said he confimed people both from the local St Nicholas church and from overseas.
"The fellowship and joy in the congregation was infectious as the young people renewed their baptismal vows, were chrismated and received the Apostolic Rite of the laying on of hands," he wrote.
"The service was in English, Arabic and Finnish. The priests assisting me were Finnish, Sudanese and Nigerian in origin. Yes, this is the Church of England!"
