A brief guide to the UCKG HelpCentre

This page was created with the purpose of clarifying facts that concern the work of the Universal Church, published by journalists in various media. The Universal Church works with transparency and is ready to answer any questions.

Key Facts

    • The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) was formed in 1977, in Brazil, following a successful evangelistic programme by the Canadian Pentecostal missionary Bishop Robert McAlister
    • The Pentecostal movement started 100 years ago in California and has roots in the Methodist movement in 19th century England. It is currently the fastest growing section of the Christian faith.
    • Pentecostal churches place great emphasis on the Holy Spirit (which, according to the New Testament, came upon Jesus’ disciples seven weeks after the crucifixion and resurrection that we commemorate at Easter). They believe that just as the Holy Spirit empowered the disciples at the first Pentecost, so it can empower and benefit people today.
    • UCKG is an international Pentecostal church, active in over 100 countries.
    • UCKG was established in Finland as a religious non profitable association  and registered in FINNISH PATENT AND REGISTRATION OFFICE in 2017 (ID : 3081005-5)

The objective of the UCKG HelpCentre are to

    • Advance the Christian faith;
    • Implement general charitable purposes.
    • It currently provides weekly meetings in Helsinki. We operate on hired a venue.
    • The UCKG HelpCentre is funded  by charitable donations.
    • The UCKG HelpCentre actively seeks converts.  It promotes its work through a number of free publications, its website and the social media. 

Serving God and the Community

Church services

The UCKG HelpCentre holds from 1 to 4 church services a day in Helsinki.

Services differ from those in some other Christian churches in that prayers are not read. They are spoken aloud and are expected to come from the heart and be spontaneous, relevant for the moment, informal not intimidating, and easy to join in.

The benefits of prayer

The UCKG HelpCentre clergy and members believe in the efficacy of prayer. However they acknowledge that it can be more effective for some people than others – this depends on the individual, their faith, and attitude towards God and prayer.

Church Attendance

Why go to church?

Believers find support and comfort in their faith that does not seem to be available from any other source.

Although many people are happy to live in a highly secular environment, and church attendance in the Finland is low, there would appear to be huge numbers searching for some sort of spirituality. The upsurge of New Age thinking and interest in alternative therapies that call for recognition of a Supreme Being, point in this direction, and there is no doubt that many people still turn to churches in times of severe personal difficulty.

Nonetheless, there are parts of the world – Africa is an excellent example – where Christianity is gaining many converts.

What is different about this church?

The UCKG HelpCentre aims to enable people to get close to God in an informal and relaxed environment where they can focus on what He is saying. The focus is on connecting directly to God and not allowing formal religious ceremonies to get in the way, so services are markedly different from those of other Christian denominations.

The UCKG HelpCentre is committed to making the Bible relevant and applicable to modern day life, so that it is more meaningful for members.

Besides spiritual support and comfort, the church offers a range of practical support activities. It works hard to meet the needs of all age groups and walks of life, and does not shy away from challenging situations.

Funding

The UCKG HelpCentre operates within the Associations guidelines and regulations. Its turnover and asset base are audited regularly.

The church is funded by regular and one-off donations from members and individual sponsors, as with other churches. However members are under no obligation to make donations to the church.

Policies

The UCKG HelpCentre has a number of standard policies in place including a:

A Pastoral Code of Conduct has also been established church-wide to ensure that all pastors adhere to operational and ethical regulations.

Exorcism and Healing

Exorcism

Unlike some Christian churches including Roman Catholics, the UCKG HelpCentre does not practise exorcism. Instead, it offers deliverance services designed to pray for spiritual cleansing from all negativity, which often helps those attending to gain greater peace of mind.

Healing

The UCKG HelpCentre does not claim to heal people but believes that God can heal through the power of faith. Its Tuesday healing services offer prayers for congregants who may be experiencing physical illness.

The church does not have specialist medical expertise so people who present themselves at church with an illness are ALWAYS advised to seek a medical diagnosis from their GP. Furthermore, anyone claiming to have been healed whilst attending a UCKG HelpCentre service is invariably referred to their doctor because the UCKG HelpCentre only recognises healings that have been confirmed by a qualified medical practitioner.

Statement of Faith

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their original writings as fully inspired by God and accept them as the Supreme and Final Authority for faith and life.

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born by the Virgin Mary and is true God and true Man.

We believe that God created man in His own image; that man sinned and thereby incurred the penalty of death, physical and spiritual; that all human beings inherit a sinful nature which causes actual transgression involving personal guilt.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, a substitution sacrifice according to the Scriptures and that all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.

We believe in the body of resurrection of the Lord Jesus, His ascension into heaven and His present life as our High Priest and Advocate.

We believe in the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory.

We believe that those who repent of their sins, receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith and hold fast to Him are born again by the Holy Spirit and become children of God.

We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, empowering believers for service, with accompanying supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the divinely ordained ministries of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.

We believe in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, the eternal blessings of the redeemed, and the eternal banishment of those who have rejected salvation.

We believe that the one true Church consists of all those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ and regenerated by the Holy Spirit; that the local church on earth should take its character from this conception of the spiritual Church and therefore new birth and personal confession of the Christ are essential for church membership.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ appointed two ordinances: baptism in water and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed as acts of obedience and as a continual witness to the facts of the Christian faith; that baptism is the immersion of the believer in water as a confession of the Lord Jesus in burial and resurrection and that the Lord’s Supper is the partaking of the body and blood of our Saviour in remembrance of His sacrifice until He comes.

We believe that divine healing seen in the Old Testament and the New is an integral part of the Gospel.

We believe the Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see God.

We believe in sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of the new birth and continuing until the end of one’s life.