FELM begins work

The permission needed to establish a Finnish missionary organisation came from the Czar of Russia, as he was also the supreme ruler of Finland.

His permission granted in October 1858 had one exception: the organisation could not work inside the Russian Empire. This meant that the original plans to work among the Finno-Ugric peoples in Asia could not materialize.

The meeting where FELM was founded was held on Jan 19, 1859.

Soon after, FELM began to publish a mission paper both in Finnish and in Swedish. Lähetyssanomat, the Mission News, is the oldest Finnish journal with an unbroken record of publication.

The plans for a Finnish mission school began to emerge gradually, as people began to express their willingness to work as missionaries. They did, however, have very little formal education, since the country still had no compulsory education system as such.

The entrance qualifications included, therefore, such vital abilities as good reading and writing skills, and a sound knowledge of the Christian dogma.