Espoo Evangelical Lutheran Church wants to increase the service for non-Finnish and non-Swedish speakers and therefore we have created a whole new website in English. In addition to information about activities to join in, the website provides you with information about Christianity and the Lutheran faith, as well as how to organize funerals, baptisms, confirmation celebrations, or weddings in Espoo. 

New English-language website is available at: espoonseurakunnat.fi/english.

Multicultural events are for everyone

This website is especially for residents in Espoo who wish to browse information in English. According to statistics, 85% of the population growth in Espoo is due to non-native speakers. Also, 15.7% of the population of Espoo is foreign-born, and 23.6% are of foreign-language background.

So, if you are a non-Finnish speaker you are not alone in Espoo! And this website is for you, as well as all our multicultural activities, events and services. Our multicultural events also serve Finnish speakers, and Espoo International Lutheran Church warmly invites everyone to join the multicultural activities, regardless of your native language, nationality or religion. You are also warmly welcomed to take part in our activities without being a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

-    The multicultural activities of the Espoo Parishes are very diverse. We organize Sunday Worship Services, different kinds of clubs and group activities, music events, Finnish language clubs and camps. There is also activity aimed at specific language groups, such as for Congolese or Khmer speakers. Additionally, we provide counseling support and couple and family therapy, says Matti Peiponen, multicultural expert at Espoo Parish Union. 

Espoo International Lutheran Church

The multicultural activities of the Espoo parishes is known as Espoo International Lutheran Church (EILC). Multicultural activities in the Espoo parishes are held in English, Russian, Arabic, Igbo, Chinese, and Estonian. Additionally, activities are offered in some other languages as well. Every Sunday, there is an international bilingual Worship Service in Finnish and English. The four international worship communities meet on alternating Sundays in Matinkylä, Suvela, Tapiola, and Karakallio. The services are bilingual and are suitable for both Finnish-speaking and English-speaking participants. 

The services are held under the name Espoo International Lutheran Worship (EILW). Find out more information about the Sunday Worship services.

In 2024, 35,000 people participated in the multicultural activities of the Espoo parishes, and there were 850 multicultural events. 

Home Away from Home 

You may have seen our campaign “Home away from Home” on the buses of Espoo. The campaign is on-going from 17th of March until April 20th. People who attend EILC have said it feels like a "Home Away from Home". 

Read an article in the Kirkko ja Kaupunki -media about two members in our EILC community, Yukho Sok-Sar and Isaac Ohaju: “At Church I don’t feel like a foreigner,” says Yukho Sok-Sar (the article is in Finnish). 

The Espoo International Lutheran Church welcomes everyone regardless of your mother tongue to it’s activities!