Church Activities

One of the most important activities in the churches are the Sunday morning services. The services may differ from congregation to congregation, since they can quite freely decide on the programme. The sermon has a central part as well as prayer och praise. The members help and participate in the service in different ways.

In addition to Sunday morning services, people gather for evening gatherings such as Bible studies, prayer and cell groups, fellowship evenings, etc. Song and music play an important role in the churches' activities. Choirs, singing groups, worship teams and soloists are present in most congregations. Many parishes also make a special effort to reach out to new Finns and simultaneously interpret services into different languages. In some other parishes there are various social activities, such as food distribution or cheap lunches. The United Methodist Church has a long tradition of missionary work, supporting in various ways countries that are less well off than we are.

Our congregations offer pastoral care.You can talk to a pastor, and we can pray for you and your family and can also refer people to other places where they can find the right kind of help for their need.. A conversation with a pastor is always confidential. If you need someone to talk to, you are welcome to contact us.

The Methodist congregations, like the other Free Churches, also organise seminars, conferences and days of edification on various topics. Children's and youth work in the Methodist Church ranges from Sunday school, children's choirs, children's groups and teenage clubs to youth and student work. Summer camps are organised for children and teenagers. In addition, various ecumenical activities such as Midwinter Week are participated in. See the MKU website.

Baptism and Communion
In the Methodist Church, people are usually baptised as children. With infant baptism you are admitted to the church as a "preparatory member". Later in life, when you answer the five membership questions, you confirm your baptism. The preparatory member is thus admitted to "full membership". Although Methodist Church doctrine speaks of infant baptism as the norm in a Christian family, it has traditionally respected individual members' beliefs about believer's baptism.

The Methodist Church has an open communion table, which means that anyone who believes in Jesus and wishes to meet him at the communion table is welcome to do so, regardless of denomination. So it doesn't matter how old you are, what church you belong to, whether you were baptised as a child or an adult, whether you went to scripture school or not. Everyone is welcome. The communion wine is alcohol-free.

Example of an order for communion that can be used.

Membership
You become a member of a Methodist church by confessing your faith in Jesus Christ. This is done by answering yes to the so-called membership questions, of which there are five:
1. Do you confess before God and this congregation the new covenant of your baptism?
2. Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord and are you ready to show him faith and obedience as a citizen of the Kingdom of God?
3. Do you confess the Christian faith as given to us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments?
4. Will you, with God's help, live a Christian life and always remain a faithful member of Christ's Church?
5. Do you want to be faithful to the Methodist Church and support it with your intercessions, your presence, your gifts and your service?

The first four questions involve a personal confession and dedication to God. The fifth question shows that you want to be part of and bear responsibility for the church.