Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother Charles Wesley were also significant early leaders in the movement. They were named Methodists for "the methodical way in which they carried out their Christian faith". Methodism originated as a revival movement within Anglicanism originating out of the Church of England in the 18th century and became a separate denomination after Wesley's death. The movement spread throughout the British Empire, the United States, and beyond because of vigorous missionary work, and today has about 80 million adherents worldwide.
Kokkola is a town and municipality of Finland. The town is located in the Central Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of 48,144 and covers an area of 2,730.80 square kilometres (1,054.37 sq mi) of which 1,286.61 km2 (496.76 sq mi) is water. The population density is 33.34 inhabitants per square kilometre (86.4/sq mi). Neighbour municipalities are Halsua, Kalajoki, Kannus, Kaustinen, Kronoby, Lestijärvi, Larsmo and Toholampi.
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. Tampere was the largest city of the province.
The Province of Vaasa was a province of Finland, established in 1775 when Finland was an integrated part of Sweden from the southern part of Ostrobothnia County and disbanded in 1996. The province was named after the city of Vaasa.
Jakobstad is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of 19,401 and covers a land area of 88.31 km2 (34.10 sq mi). The population density is 219.69/km2 (569.0/sq mi). Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The city of Vaasa is located 98 km (61 mi) southwest of Jakobstad.
Seinäjoki is a city located in South Ostrobothnia, Finland; 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Vaasa, 178 kilometres (111 mi) north of Tampere, 193 kilometres (120 mi) west of Jyväskylä and 324 kilometres (201 mi) southwest of Oulu. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bruk iron and gunpowder factories founded in 1798. Seinäjoki became a municipality in 1868, market town in 1931 and town in 1960. In 2005, the municipality of Peräseinäjoki was merged into Seinäjoki, and in the beginning of 2009, the neighbouring municipalities of Nurmo and Ylistaro were consolidated with Seinäjoki. Seinäjoki is one of the fastest growing regional centers in Finland.
The 14 municipalities of the Ostrobothnia Region in Finland are divided into four sub-regions. Both their location and the dominant language imply these divisions; Kyrönmaa, for example, is Finnish-speaking, whereas the others have Swedish-speakers in the majority. Most places have both Swedish and Finnish names.
Anders Chydenius was a Swedish-Finnish Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish Riksdag, and is known as the leading classical liberal of Nordic history.
Korsnäs is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the Ostrobothnia region.
Ostrobothnia is a region in western Finland. It borders the regions of Central Ostrobothnia, South Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta. It is one of four regions considered modern-day Ostrobothnia, hence it is also referred to as Coastal Ostrobothnia to avoid confusion.
Perho is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The distance between Perho and the regional center Kokkola is about 100 kilometres (62 mi). The municipality has a population of 2,599 and covers an area of 775.19 square kilometres (299.30 sq mi) of which 27.25 km2 (10.52 sq mi) is water. The population density is 3.47 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.0/sq mi).
Grönvik, previously Sumpviken, is a village and part of the village of Iskmo in the municipality of Korsholm, western Finland. The village lies on a stretch of coast, approximately 3 km long, stretching a few hundred metres up country, and around 500 metres along the Jungsundvägen road, with about a hundred metres of area around the road being inhabited. Road 724, Alskatvägen, passes through the village. The third named road found in Grönvik is Långkärrvägen. The companies Kent Häggdahl, TMI Antti Vaaranmaa, Hästbacka Invest, Easywash S-E Herrgård and Alandia Easy Wash are based in Grönvik.
The Diocese of Helsinki is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church based in Helsinki, which comprises the whole of Finland. The diocese is divided into eight parishes.
Ole Peter Petersen was a Norwegian-American clergyman. He is credited as the founder of Methodism in Norway and co-founder of Norwegian and Danish Methodism in the United States.
Vaasa, in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki, is a city on the west coast of Finland. It received its charter in 1606, during the reign of Charles IX of Sweden and is named after the Royal House of Vasa. Vaasa has a population of 68,580, and is the regional capital of Ostrobothnia. Vaasa is also well known as a major university and college city in Finland.
Ragna Ahlbäck was a Finnish ethnographer and archivist.
The Swedish Baptist Union of Finland is a Baptist union based in Vaasa, Finland that was founded in 1980. It is an umbrella organization for the Baptist churches of the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.
Baptists in Finland have existed since the middle of the 19th century. They are part of the Baptist branch of Protestant Christianity and belong to three different Finnish church associations. Swedish-speaking Finns formed the Swedish Baptist Union of Finland, while Finnish-speaking Baptists are united in the Finnish Baptist Church ; two Finnish congregations are a part of the Seventh Day Baptists. In addition, a few independent Baptist churches exist, including Grace Baptist Church in Tampere. The congregation was formerly known as Perinteinen Baptistiseurakunta in Finnish and International Baptist Church in English. Agape International Baptist Church in Pedersöre is also among the independent Baptist churches.
Läsare or the Reader movement was a Swedish Pietistic Christian revival movement of people who stressed the importance of reading, that is, reading the Bible and other Christian literature. It was influenced by both the Herrnhuters and the Methodists and has been described by scholar George M. Stephenson as a "second religious reformation in Sweden".
Olof Gustaf Hedstrom was a Swedish-American minister who oversaw the Bethel Ship mission serving sailors and immigrants arriving in New York City from 1845-1876. Hedstrom's ministry influenced Swedish settlement patterns in the United States and established the earliest Swedish Methodist congregations in New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Hedstrom trained a ministerium of Scandinavian pastors aboard the Bethel Ship mission who went on to lead parishes and missions throughout the United States as well as establishing the Methodist church in Scandinavia.
