In addition to the church, the congregation also owns a parsonage, purchased in 1942. With 105 members in 1920, the figure climbed to over 300 in 1940, and in 1953 it stood at 428. This figure must be considered surprisingly high in view of the fact that it is not the only Finnish church in Duluth, and that furthermore there is another Suomi Synod church in West Duluth.

Following the practice of most Finnish churches, the Messiah Church has had many varied activities and has sponsored many auxiliary organizations. One of the first undertakings, of course, was a Sunday School, which started about the year 1900. In the beginning, instruction was exclusively Finnish, but after World War II the language has been English just as exclusively. Next, about the year 1910, the women of the church started a sewing circle, the Auttaja (Helper), which at first was an independent organization but which became an auxiliary of the church in 1914 and since that time has been working entirely for the good of the church. It has remained a Finnish-language group throughout its existence, and it has been an outstanding source of financial support for the church through its socials, lectures and bazaars. A so-called Mikael Agricola League was founded in 1923; it was originally a Finnish-language organization but later changed over to the English language and adopted a new name, the Luther League. Its purpose has been to make the youth more closely aware of the Bible and the Savior. For a brief period there was also a Bethania Society, and still active is the Brotherhood, a men's organization affiliated with the Duluth Federated Lutheran Brotherhood; its meetings are held in English, although the use of Finnish is also permitted. Finally, there has been a so-called Amicus Society (1935-1945), a group of younger church members, aimed at fostering spiritual values, which terminated its activity because its members were already members of either the Brotherhood or a sister group, the Esther Guild (established in 1939). Sponsored by younger women, the Esther Guild, which holds its meetings in English, has arranged lectures and discussion groups on Christian topics and supports church and missionary activities. Together with all these auxiliary organizations, this Suomi Synod congregation has been able to keep within its fold both the older Finnish generation and simultaneously to attract the younger generation, an achievement which would certainly reflect to the credit of any church.

Among other religious movements, it must be stated, first, that there have also been many Apostolic Lutheran Finns, among

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