There is a clear demand for an English-language worship service, as many English-speaking Christians in Espoo are looking for community and a spiritual home. 

Everyone who speaks English and wishes to be part of an international Christian community is warmly welcome to join us,” says Pastor Mari Mathlin, who leads the new worship service community. 

A Sunday school will be available for children during the worship service. The Worship Service Choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings at Chapple under the direction of Meri Kalanti. Those interested can take part in a variety of volunteer roles, and the activities of the worship service community will continue to develop in response to the needs and wishes of its members. 

Revd Mari Mathlin also has personal experience on what it is like to live outside one’s home country. Photo by Antti Rintala. 

New English-Speaking Pastor position in the Espoo Parishes 

In the past the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Espoo has organised English-language services in cooperation with the Anglican community and the International Evangelical Church of Finland (IEC), as well as bilingual Finnish-English services in different parts of Espoo. 

We have experimented with English-language worship services in a variety of ways. We have also had worship services that were conducted in both Finnish and English – these will also continue in the future, currently three times a month. However, we decided to establish a dedicated English-speaking pastor position. The pastor’s primary responsibility is to organise these Sunday worship services conducted entirely in English every Sunday. This is something that has been requested by many people,” says Matti Peiponen, Multicultural Expert at the Espoo Parish Union. 

The demographic structure of Espoo also supports our decision. More than 25 per cent of Espoo residents speak other than Finnish or Swedish as their mother tongue (according to City of Espoo data), and nearly 17 per cent are foreign citizens. Our goal is to establish an international worship community in Espoo where people from diverse backgrounds and cultures can gather regularly and find a spiritual home in English,” Peiponen continues. 

Revd Mari Mathlin, who leads the new worship community, also has first-hand experience of living outside her home country. Although she has served as a pastor in Espoo for the past twenty years, she previously completed her theological studies in English in Belgium and in the United Kingdom. Altogether, she has lived abroad for more than ten years. 

“A worship service community can help people put down roots in a new home country, even before you have learned the local language. It can also help people feel at home in Finland, even if they are not planning to stay permanently,” says Mathlin. 

Further Information 

Mari Mathlin, Pastor for Ministry in English, Espoo Parishes/Olari Parish  
mari.mathlin@evl.fi, 050 438 0182 

Matti Peiponen, Multicultural Expert at Espoo Parish Union
matti.peiponen@evl.fi, 050 381 7629