Messiah Lutheran Church

Portland's Finnish Church (Suomi-kirkko)

Messiah Lutheran Church of Portland
c/o Nordia House
8800 SW Oleson Road
Portland, Oregon 97223

Church Phone: 503-701-1591. Contact Us via Email
Congregational Council

Services

• Services of the Finnish Church are held at Nordia House, in southwest Portland. (map)
• Bilingual worship services Sundays at 10 a.m.
  Social time with coffee and refreshments after church. Monthly birthday celebrations. Special occasion potluck lunches.
• Church services follow the church calendar of the Church of Finland.
• Communion on 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.
• Bible study with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on the 3rd Sunday of the month.
• Finnish language classes after the service twice a month.

Activities & Events

• Baking days, concerts and celebrations with Finnish traditions.
• Outreach to the Finnish communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
• Occasional church services in Swedish.
• Special Lucia of Oregon service in December.
• Spring and Christmas Concerts.
• Finland's Independence Day - celebrating December 6th with a special event.
• Hosting of choirs and other musical groups from Finland.
• Kauneimmat Joululaulut - tradition from Finland, singing of the most beautiful Christmas carols (annual booklets from Finland).
• Participating in many Scandinavian and Nordic community events, such as ScanFair and Midsummer Festival.
• Official voting site for Finnish citizens.
• Traditional Finnish language Christmas Service on Christmas Day (Joulukirkko)

About our church

Our congregation: The members of the congregation continue to have their roots in Finland. Many of the active members are immigrants from Finland, descendants of immigrants, or married to Finns. Many in the Finnish community belong to their neighborhood churches yet support the Finnish church by attending special events and services as well as through financial contributions. Many travel long distances to come to church.

Our pastors: In recent years, the church has invited retired pastors from Finland to come and serve on an interim basis. The church provides housing for them as well as reimbursing travel and church-related expenses. We are especially grateful to pastors Seppo Airas and Jouko Paukkunen for their continued support and friendship - and willingness to return several times. Lay members of the congregation lead church services between the visits of pastors from Finland.

Our history: A small group of Finnish immigrants established a Finnish Church on September 7, 1902. The congregation joined the Suomi Synod, and in 1914 they bought their own church at the corner of Kerby Avenue and Fargo Street. On the congregation's 50th anniversary, a new church was dedicated on Commercial Avenue. The membership grew and the church activity was strong for about twenty years.

In the 1970s, as the demographics had changed, the church was sold to another congregation and a small business building and a house for a parsonage was purchased in the St. Johns area. In 1981-82, the building was remodeled with an addition of a second floor for a sanctuary.

For more than a century, this Finnish church has been a center of the Finnish community in the region. Through the years, it has been a home to Portland Finnish Singers, Suomi-koulu, Finnish-American Historical Society and various other organizations.

Today: June 15, 2015 was an historic occasion when the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation and the Church finalized their 30-year Use Agreement and the Church moved to its new home in Southwest Portland in the newly constructed Nordic Cultural Center, Nordia House.

Please visit - all are welcome! Tervetuloa!