Swedish Church of Florida

Swedes residing in or visiting southern Florida now have a Swedish-language church with a Swedish pastor. The Reverend Olof Olsson and his wife and assistant Marie have begun the ministry in the Fort Lauderdale-Miami area, but operations are planned for other parts of Florida and neighboring states as well. Recently, a service was held at St. Armand Lutheran Church in Sarasota, sponsored by the Swedish Club of Sarasota.

The founding of the Florida parish is the result of two years of planning and a great deal of interest from Swedes living in the area. Per-Olof Lööf, Honorary Consul, leads the 11-member parish council. Bishop Lennart Koskinen came from Sweden to install Reverend Olsson on December 6 at a celebratory service held at St. Martin's Church in Pompano Beach.

"It is fantastic that there are so many Swedes in Florida who want to worship and take on economic and operational responsibilities. It is the mission of The Church of Sweden Abroad to follow Swedes out into the world. Now those who live here permanently, and not least young people out traveling, have a new place to worship God and meet," says Stefan Bergmark, Regional Manager for The Church of Sweden Abroad. An estimated 25,000 Swedes live in the state.

Pictured: Ulf Sandström, President of the Swedish Club of Sarasota, with Olof Olsson, Pastor of the Swedish Church of Florida (January 10, 2010)

Submitted by Kerstin Trowbridge

January 2010