Features
Apostle Edmund Appiah, COP Finland
Today, I focus on Apostle Edmund Appiah, the immediate past National Head of the Church of Pentecost (COP) in Finland, as I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The growth of COP and its contributions to positive interactions among Ghanaian migrants and others in Finland cannot be recounted without mentioning the role played by Apostle Appiah.
Apostle Appiah arrived in Finland on 10 September 2013 and took up the position as the National Head of COP in Finland until November 2020 when he moved to the UK, where he became the Area Head of the Church of Pentecost in the London South area.
Recently, Apostle Appiah visited Finland for a wedding ceremony. It was very exciting to see him or hear about his presence in Helsinki after many years. The great joy expressed by many people was simply infectious and portrayed how much Apostle Appiah is loved just as his successor, Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah.
Actually, when Apostle Appiah assumed office in Finland, he was also in charge of Denmark from 2013-2015. He became solely responsible for only Finland after 2015. It must be pointed out that Apostle Appiah has the enviable record of being the first resident pastor of the church in Finland.
The Church in Finland was established over 20 years ago, having started in September 2000 as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki (see www.copfinland.fi).
Achievements as Head of COP Finland
There is no denying that under Apostle Edmund Appiah as the National Head of COP Finland, the church chalked significant progress, including re-organising the Vaasa branch of the church.
Also, branches were opened in Turku and Tampere, while a nursery assembly was started in Oulu and an innovative Online Church was established to cater especially for people scattered around Finland. The COP Finland continues to extol Apostle Appiah’s ministration and clarity on Jesus and heaven as the central focus.
A description of his ministration during the farewell service organised by the Church for Apostle Appiah said that his “unadulterated and lucid exposition on the doctrines and principles of the church deeply equipped both officers and members of the church”. This is an achievement of the Church, which has continued under Apostle Owusu Kwaah, who took over from Apostle Appiah.
The positives, the challenges, and the future of COP
Apostle Appiah expressed optimism and positivity about the Church and the future of COP in Finland.
He was highly impressed when he first arrived in Finland, despite that the church was still virtually in its infancy. “Many of the members of the church were students who worked part-time and were very busy, but they did their best and this is commendable; they indeed had the zeal”, Apostle Appiah said.
Finland’s official or state religion is Lutheranism and one is born into it. To Apostle Appiah, the emergence of other denominations such as COP has brought about diversity and multiple roles. According to the Apostle, “the COP cooperated with the Ghana Union Finland, the Asanteman and other associations, and through that many Ghanaians came to church. This was part of the missionary approach, which helped a lot”.
“We also invited many groups and personalities, including the [then] Honorary Consul [Ms Ulla Alanko, who is now retired]. It gave us leverage to curb the excesses or bad habits that people would fall into”, Apostle Appiah stated.
Concerning challenges, Apostle Appiah noted that initially there were impediments such as language barriers, while a lack of work opportunities was a major problem for members. He noted that the weather is quite severe in winter, but the members had to surmount all these challenges to ensure that they played their role well for the growth of the church.
On the future of the church, one hindrance could be how to reach out to more native Finns, but, to Apostle Appiah, the future looks good as “the kids born to Ghanaian migrants in Finland can speak the Finnish language fluently and can reach out to their peers and the society as a whole”.
Apostle Appiah’s current position
Apostle Appiah’s role in London South area where he is the Area Head of the Church of Pentecost is significant. The London South area has six districts and thousands of church members.
According to Apostle Appiah, about 85 per cent of the members in the London South community are of Ghanaian descent. This is a big number as compared to the figures in Finland. The Apostle expressed heartfelt gratitude to the many people whose support encouraged him when he worked in Finland. Thank you
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
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