Jonathan Kyffin, a youth worker at the Free Church in Pori on Finland's west coast, reached Finnish free-church ministry by an unusual route — one that began in South Africa and passed through Australia before leading to Finland. Since 2019 he has served the Pori congregation, where his wife Hanna's family helped the couple settle into Finnish life.
Born and raised in South Africa, Kyffin moved to Australia with his family around the age of ten, and it was there that he met his Finnish wife while doing youth work; she visited his church as an exchange student. After marrying in Pori, the couple lived in Australia for three years before moving permanently to Finland in May 2014. Pori's Free Church is part of Suomen Vapaakirkko, the Free Church of Finland.
In Finland Kyffin first worked as a youth worker for a Lutheran parish in western Pori, but he says he had drifted from an authentic, lived faith. In January 2018 he and his wife knelt beside their sofa and prayed for Jesus to take control of their lives — a turning point he credits in part to David Pawson's "Unlocking the Bible" teaching series. That led him to believers' baptism, which he describes as a "missing cylinder" in his Christian life, and eventually to the Free Church. A keen sportsman who played rugby in South Africa and football for Musan Salama in Pori, Kyffin says he decided early that "God is my boss" and has sought to build authentic connection with young people.
(Originally published in Finnish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Suomen Vapaakirkko / Suomen Viikkolehti — svl.fi
