P r a g u e/ H e l s i n k i – The chairman of Finland’s Baptist Union, Jari Portaankorva (Helsinki) hopes the three separate Baptist groups in his country will cooperate more closely in the future. In the coming year, the country’s Baptists will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of their first Baptist congregation. That congregation happened to be Swedish-speaking. Finland still has three separate Baptist groups: the Finnish-speaking Baptists headed by Portaankorva with 11 congregations and 700 members, the Swedish-speaking Baptists with 22 congregations and 1.300 members as well as three small, independent congregations without ties to the other two unions. The anniversary is to bring about their first joint event in more than 100 years. Portaankorva hopes that further meetings will follow, for Baptist identity in his country is strongly in need of support. Portaankorva states: „Hardly anyone is aware of our existence despite Baptist worship services on radio and television.“ The boundaries between it and other denominations with which it cooperates are flowing. The Lutheran church for ex. possesses a significant revival movement. The Federation of Pentecostal Congregations now numbering 250 congregations and 50.000 members arose out of Baptist work early in the 20th century.

Portaankorva’s union sees the work among youth and women as major parts of its supporting base. The union also hopes to strengthen home mission. The union once had a travelling, full-time evangelist who regularly held evangelistic services in all congregations. One is presently mulling over the possibility of again appointing such a person. In the wake of the country’s economic upturn, supporting such a position should, according to Portaankorva, not be problematic. Though there has in the past been little contact with the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) and European Baptist Federation (EBF), members are now beginning to reconsider. The chairman states: „We know that we need each other.“