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Facilities (Churches etc.)
The Vantaa Parish Union owns and maintains dozens of buildings and apartments that are used for activities of the seven Lutheran congregations. Presently there are twelve churches and chapels in Vantaa that are used for Lutheran worship services, weddings, concerts and other occasions. In addition there are two cemetery chapels. All churches and chapels are equipped with pipe organs (urut in Finnish). The medieval Helsinki rural parish church of St. Lawrence is the oldest extant building in Vantaa and older than any building in the city of Helsinki.
The twelve churches and chapels can be located on the map below, and by clicking on an image you can find information on that particular one in Finnish. On the pages that open for the church of St. Lawrence (Pyhän Laurin kirkko) and the Myyrmäki church (Myyrmäen kirkko) you can also find links to pages in English (and for Myyrmäki also in German).
There are also two cemetery chapels at Honkanummi (east of Tikkurila), but they are owned by the parish union of Helsinki, not Vantaa. Churches and meeting halls of other Christian fellowships and other religions are also located in various parts of Vantaa.
Information on worship in Lutheran churches in Vantaa can be found in this English-language website on the page of each congregation. Weekly announcements concerning worship and other activities can be found on web pages in Finnish and Swedish and in the local church newspaper Vantaan Lauri.
On another page there is information on cemeteries.
The church of St. Lawrence was built in the fifteenth century and the Seutula chapel in 1925. All other church buildings in Vantaa have been constructed after the Second World War. It is a common feature of newer churches in Finland that the building includes more than just a church hall (kirkkosali) for worship. Other meeting facilities are often in the same building, and kitchens and offices can also be included – some churches even have a sauna in the basement! The largest meeting rooms are often called seurakuntasali (”parish hall”).
Many parish halls, parish homes and other facilities, however, are located separately from churches. They are especially used for children's clubs and meetings of other age groups throughout the week. Information on some of them can be found on the pages of individual congregations, and you can also ask a parish office about them.
The Vantaa Parish Union also owns the conference centers of Holma and Kuntokallio (both have their own web pages in English). Many kinds of camps and meetings are held in these places.
If you want to arrange a baptism or wedding or funeral, contact a parish office to see how facilities are available. Besides the sacred rite itself, you may want to arrange a meal or some other kind of meeting or party for family and friends to continue the occasion. Facilities of Lutheran congregations can be used for this if you make an advance reservation with the local parish office. Please note that only very limited serving of alcoholic drinks is allowed in church facilities.
If a person has been baptized to be a member of the church, or if a church wedding or a funeral of a member of a Lutheran congregation in Vantaa has taken place, facilities (including kitchens and dishes) may usually be used free of charge. If your teenage child has just been confirmed and you want to arrange a party for family and friends in the afternoon, some of our congregations may be able to provide facilities for that in the same way.
If you want to arrange other kinds of private occasions that do not have to do with sacred rites (birthday parties, corporate meetings etc.) the availability of facilities varies from one congregation to another. You may have to pay for this kind of use.