In the brick-making communities of Pakistan's Lahore region, where entire families are trapped in cycles of debt bondage passed down through generations, a Finnish free church leader recently witnessed something remarkable: thirty-seven new believers stepping into the waters of baptism over three separate services. Jukka Ketola, an elder at the Alavus Free Church in western Finland, had never baptised anyone in his home country. In Pakistan, he found himself doing little else.
Ketola was joined by fellow church member Antti Mäkelä for a six-day mission trip earlier this month, during which the pair preached at fifteen meetings — sometimes in front of a thousand listeners, including many from Hindu backgrounds. The pace was intense, and not without opposition. A local guru, angered by the prospect of losing followers to the Christian faith, forced the team to relocate from one area to another. Yet the work continued among the brick-kiln labourers, a community the team describes as living under what amounts to modern slavery: Muslim employers hold workers in debt, often ensnaring multiple generations of the same family.
The connection between a small Finnish free church and the churches of Pakistan began through evangelist Arto Boa, who visited Alavus and captured the imagination of Ketola's wife Sarangi, herself originally from Sri Lanka. Her encouragement led to Ketola's first visit in 2024, followed by a second trip in 2025. This third visit was self-organised, with costs shared between Ketola, Mäkelä, and the Alavus congregation. "In Pakistan you don't go by the clock the way you do in Finland," Ketola reflected, contrasting the unhurried rhythms of Pakistani church life with Finnish punctuality. For a movement built on cross-border partnership, the Alavus–Pakistan connection is a quiet but compelling example of how free church mission is sustained not by large organisations but by relationships, hospitality, and the willingness of ordinary church members to go where the harvest is ready.
(Originally published in Finnish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
For free church formation resources including mission training, visit Worldwide Evangelical Seminary.
Source: Suomen Vapaakirkko / Suomen Viikkolehti — svl.fi
