About Our Church

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.