Features
The Pentecost Church in Finland
Last week, the 27th Pentecostal World Conference was held in Helsinki, Finland, from June 4-7, 2025. The Conference featured powerful and anointed speakers in thought-provoking sessions designed to ignite the passion for evangelism, mission, and discipleship. It was organised by the Pentecostal Church of Finland, and the Pentecostal World Fellowship, among others.
The conference was climaxed with a church service last week Sunday (June 7, 2025) in Helsinki. The church service was led by the Global Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye. Attended by many pastors and church leaders from Ghana and other parts of Europe, it was hosted by the Church of Pentecost Finland (COP Finland), led by its National Head, Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah.
Also in attendance were Apostle and Mrs Gordon Opoku-Boakye, Pastor Samuel Awugya of COP Darkuman (Accra), as well Rev. and Mrs. Daniel Sey, of the COP in Dansoman, Accra.
A Powerful and inspiring ministration
Organised under the theme, “Unleashed to live a life worthy of your calling”, the church service was indeed an unforgettable experience, attended by many worshippers in an occasion of powerful worship and ministration with spirit-filled songs of praise.
Apostle Nyamekye preached a powerful message on a topic from 1 Thessalonians 5: 19, where Paul exhorts the Thessalonians: “Do not put out the (Holy) Spirit’s fire”, which was also undoubtedly significant as last Sunday marked Pentecost Day, when the Holy Ghost filled the Apostles in the Bible.
The COP Chairman sermonised on the significance of that quotation, about the fact that without the (Holy) Spirit’s fire, we would live in darkness. It is extremely difficult to achieve holiness without the Spirit’s power, he said.
He sermonised further: “Now it is important to note that the purpose of the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, is to rescue us from our enemies, that we would be able to serve him without fear, in holiness and in righteousness all the days of our lives”, quoting Luke 1:74 & 75.
In Christianity, the church’s goal therefore is to become a beautiful and a perfect new society brought into existence by God himself, the anticipated perfection of the church is a moral perfection expressed in a visible holiness, he pointed out. The Church of Pentecost, he said, strives to be one whose members uphold values and lead lifestyles that should turn others to God.
Growth of the Church of Pentecost in Finland
Apostle Nyamekye said currently the Church of Pentecost is found in 190 nations with over four million members worldwide. He expressed gratitude and the excitement that members are committed to the Church of Pentecost, even in the diaspora, praying it will continue to multiply in the service of God.
The Church of Pentecost in Finland was established over 20 years ago. It started in September 2000 as a prayer group with a small number of devoted persons in Helsinki (see www.copfinland.fi).
The Church has grown and spread to other cities and towns in Finland, with two branches in Helsinki alone— the Akan Assembly where worship is done mostly in the Twi language and the other branch is the English Assembly (or the PIWC) which is attended by other nationalities and African immigrants, aside Ghanaian immigrants.
In a short interview, Apostle Nyamekye noted that in 21 years of the church’s existence in Finland, there has been increase in its membership, including ministers, deacons, and other leaders of the church.
Apostle Nyamekye revealed that during the Conference in Helsinki the church leaders also had an important meeting with the Finnish Pentecostal Council in order to be affiliated with them.
In 2013, the COP Finland had Apostle Edmund Appiah as its National Head and saw growth during this term, including re-organising the Vaasa branch. The growth has continued under Apostle Francis Owusu Kwaah, who took over from Apostle Appiah as the National Head of the Church in Finland around 2020.
Integration
Let us do reverse mission, for God has not brought us here in the diaspora for nothing. He has brought us here so that we can also knock on the doors of those (from Europe) who brought the Gospel to us (in Africa). “We are not here only for greener pastures. We are here for a purpose. Beyond work, we must know that there is a divine agenda for all of us”, he pointed out.
He exhorted members, especially the youth of the church to learn and sing Finnish songs during church services. “The church is in Finland; let’s balance things”, he said. Apostle Nyamekye encouraged the closing prayer to be said in Finnish by a Finnish woman who rose up to the occasion.
This is significant in the sense of integration efforts, and portrays the COP Chairman as supporting integration efforts by Finnish authorities and institutions. As I have been pointing out, Finland encourages efforts to integrate migrants into the host Finnish society through migrants’ own participation as one of the efficient ways to improve their inclusion.
Indeed, COP Finland has been one of the major channels for integration, also enabling the Ghana Union Finland (GUF), an association for Ghanaian immigrants in Finland, to make more contacts with members of the Ghanaian immigrant community. Thank you!
Email: perpetual.crentsil@yahoo. com
By Perpetual Crentsil
Attention-Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for laziness or indiscipline. In consulting rooms across Accra and in reports from school teachers, the pattern repeats: children who are bright but forgetful, parents who feel helpless, teachers who see incompleteness.
Research is clear-Barkley (2015) and others describe ADHD as a difference in the brain’s regulation of alertness, impulse and working memory, not a lack of effort.
The family’s role begins with structure. Regular sleep, predictable meal and homework times, and a simple visual list (uniform → books → water → corridor) provide the external scaffolding of these children need. Praise what is completed—“You opened the book and wrote the first sentence”-instead of rebuking what is missing.
Schools can help by seating the child front-row and centre, giving short written plus verbal instructions, allowing brief movement breaks, using quiet nonverbal cues and, where possible, grading effort and method as well as neatness. These adjustments reduce conflict and raise submission rates without lowering standards.
Couples and caregivers should share roles: one grounds, one pivots, and both protect rest. Shame-“bad parenting, bad child”-needs replacing with fact: different wiring, needs scaffolding.
Outcomes improve not by promises of perfection but by daily routines, clear limits and warmed connection. One homework slot kept, one instruction chunked, one calm repair after blurting-these small wins shift the family climate and let the child be seen beyond the label.
Resource
• CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
Source: REV. COUNSELLOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on special needs support, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELLOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE) – 0551428486 /0559850604.
WEBSITES:
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/author
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/website
After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra.
Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion.
One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material.
The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business.
And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities.
The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.
It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.
When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys at my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last.
When we got this property, unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and appeared to be comfortable in the guy’s company.
I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction.
Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.
“So Little Brother,” Sister Beesiwa said, “what is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”
“When did you conclude that she was your wife-to-be? And what have you heard? I’ve only heard a couple of whispers. Ebo and Nana Kwame called to say that they have seen her in the company of—”
“Well said Little Brother,” Sister Baaba said. “By the way, Nana Kwame called an hour ago to ask if you had arrived because he could not reach you. Someone had told him that Jennifer had boasted to someone that she had connected Abena to a wealthy guy who would take care of her.”
I was beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.
“In that case,” Sister Beesiwa said, “you should be glad that Abena is out of your way. She is easily swayed. Anyone who would make a relationship decision based on a friend’s instigation lacks good sense. I hope the guy is as wealthy as they say?”
“Who gets wealthy running a supermarket chain in Ghana?” Sister Baaba said. “Our supermarkets sell mostly imported products. Look at the foreign exchange rate. And remember that Ghanaians buy second-hand shoes and clothes. Supermarkets are not good business here. Perhaps they are showing off that they are wealthy, but in reality they are not doing so well.”
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.”
She said that David Forson was only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her. And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. We would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission.
That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.
My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Jennifer and the guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her.
And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“As I’ve already said, I will stop by her place, but I will mind my own business from now. Hey, let’s talk family. How are our parents? And my brothers-in-law? And my nephews and nieces? Why don’t we meet on Sunday? I’m going to drop my bags at my place, and go to see Mama and Dad.”
