The second visit of Head of the Pentecost Church to Finland
Apostle Eric Nyamekye and wife
On Sunday, October 8, 2023, the Global Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, visited Finland. It was the second time he was in Finland.
His first visit about a year ago was to acquaint himself with the Pentecost Church in Finland, and spread the word of God.
This second visit of the Global Chairman was, therefore, a follow up to the mission of propagating the word of God as outlined in the first visit.
Apostle Nyamekye was accompanied by his dear wife, Mrs Mary Nyamekye.
They were hosted by the Church of Pentecost in Finland (COP Finland), led by its National Head, Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah.
Powerful and inspiring ministration
In a well-attended church service patronised by other religious leaders from various churches or missions and dignitaries, Apostle Nyamekye preached a powerful message of spirituality, religious devotion and evangelism.
It was indeed an impressive occasion of powerful worship, ministration and spirit-filled songs of praise and under the theme, “Repositioning the local Church for maximum impact in the nations”.
Apostle Nyamekye sermonised on the greater need for Christians to be spiritually and morally upright for the greater glory of God. “Our greatest need is the understanding of the word of God”, he preached.
The Church leader also spoke about the Diaspora and building the Church of Pentecost in the world.
He asked for efforts to build a church that is multicultural, multiracial, encompassing various nationalities and diversity. To build and grow such an all-embracing church requires the efforts of the people themselves, he said.
The Pentecost Church in Finland
The Church of Pentecost in Finland was established about 20 years ago, in September 2000, as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki (see www.copfinland. fi).
With time, following the growth of the group, there was the need to secure a place of meeting in the Helsinki area. Today, the Church has grown and spread to other towns and cities in Finland.
In Helsinki alone, there are two branches of the Church—the Akan Assembly where worship is done mostly in the Twi language, while the English Assembly (or the PIWC) where worship is done mostly in the English language. The other branch is attended by other nationalities, including African migrants, apart from Ghanaian migrants.
The COP Finland also has branches in the Finnish cities of Turku, Tampere, and Vaasa. There are other branches in Oulu and Kuopio.
In 2013, Apostle Edmund Appiah was posted to Finland as the National Head of COP Finland and there was growth during his term, including re-organising the Vaasa branch.
The growth of the Church has continued under Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah, who took over from Apostle Appiah as the National Head of the Church in Finland a few years ago.
Expanding the Church
During his visit, Apostle Nyamekye met with leaders of COP in Finland, including the national executives, Elders, Deacons and Deaconesses, to discuss ways to expand the church in Finland and elsewhere.
There is undoubtedly a huge optimism about the efforts to spread the church in Finland, as can be perceived from the expression on the faces of the leaders and members of the Church, like Elder Charles Sarfo.
Finally, as I wrote previously, the COP Finland as one of the major Pentecostal or Charismatic churches dominated by Ghanaian migrants, has been a key channel through which the Ghana Union Finland (GUF), an association for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland, reaches out to many members of the community. Thank you!
By Perpetual Crentsil
Email: perpetualcrentsil@yahoo.com
