Renewal of Partnership Agreement for Welsh and Finnish Churches

A formal link has been renewed between the Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in Wales and the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Helsinki in Finland.

The partnership, which was originally signed by the bishops of both dioceses in 2019, was formally re-signed in St Asaph Cathedral on Sunday (7 June). The agreement will see spiritual, imaginative, sustainable, enriching and joyful links developed between the two Christian communities.

Nine people from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland have been in north Wales over the weekend, attending St Asaph Cathedral, and visiting St Giles Church and Hope Street in Wrexham. On Monday 8 June, the group visited Christ Church Mission Hub Church in Prestatyn to find out more about the development of Mission Hubs.

This is the third time a delegation from Finland has visited north Wales. Last year, St Asaph Cathedral Choir visited Helsinki and the surrounding area on a concert tour.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, who re-signed the agreement, said: “I was delighted to welcome Bishop Teemu and friends from the Lutheran Church in Finland back to north Wales. Christians the world over share the same faith, but we learn a great deal by understanding the different contexts in which disciples live out their faith. The Lutheran tradition in Finland has many things in common with our own history, but also throws much that we take for granted into sharp relief. I look forward to continuing to develop links between our churches here in Wales and churches across the Diocese of Helsinki.”

In his sermon in St Asaph Cathedral, the Bishop of Helsinki, Teemu Laajasalo, said: “The signing of the agreement is more than an administrative process. It shapes and broadens our understanding of the Kingdom of God, which is larger than any single parish, diocese or nation. We in Helsinki want to feel part of the fellowship with you, here in St Asaph.”

“Cooperation with St Asaph happens at many levels – between churches and mission areas, between bishops and most importantly, finding ways together to encourage growth across all our churches.”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the national church in the country. It is linked to the Church in Wales by the Porvoo Common Statement which establishes full communion between the British Anglican Churches and the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of northern Europe.

The Diocese of St Asaph is one of six dioceses in the Church in Wales, an independent Province of the Anglican Communion.