Helsinki, Finland - According to statistics gathered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, a total of almost 18 million instances of attendance at various church services and ceremonies were recorded last year. These events included main Sunday services, baptisms, celebrations of marriage, and funeral services, as well as public events.
Last year, a total of 7.2 million people took part in church services. Over half of them (4.38 million) attended the main Sunday Holy Communion services - an increase of nearly one percent compared with the previous year.
The popularity of other services showed a slight decline, with a total of 2.84 million instances of attendance recorded last year.
In addition to services, parishes organized other public events. The total attendance at all these events was about 6.3 million.
The attendance at musical events continued to grow. In 2004, almost two million instances of attendance were recorded in musical events arranged by parishes and congregations.
There were a total of 2,200 choirs and 600 instrumental groups active within parishes in 2004. These music groups had about 44,000 members.
An average parishioner attended one church ceremony a year - a christening, a marriage service, or a funeral service.
The popularity of Sunday schools seems to be waning. The fall in the number of all four- to ten-year-olds who attended Sunday schools in 2004 was over ten percent. The schools reached only one in seven children in this age group.
On the other hand, the parishes' work among families has increased in recent years. The popularity of family clubs gained in popularity even last year. The clubs had 43,000 meetings and 1.2 million adults and children took part in family club activities in 2004.
Participation in playgroups has decreased during the last few years as a result of the diminishing age groups. Only about half of all four- to six-year-olds in Finland attended parish playgroups in 2004.
Confirmation training continues to flourish. Even in 2004, some 57,000 youngsters and adults took part in confirmation classes. During recent years approximately 90% of all fifteen-year-olds have taken part in confirmation classes.
As an important aspect of the parishes' post-confirmation youth work, over 40% of those confirmed took part in the training of group leaders for future confirmation classes and camps.
The volume of diaconal aid decreased by about six percent in 2004. A total of 734,000 contacts were recorded by parish diaconal workers.
In terms of money, the value of the food and financial support given by the diaconal workers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland was EUR 5.4 million in 2004.