Norway Camp Meeting

April 8-13, 2009

by Deanna Kinnari and Irma Oseland

Easter is a special time for Christians all over the world, but in the Scandinavian countries, Easter has a very prominent place in society. Most of Norway is closed from Wednesday to Monday during the week of Easter. Unfortunately, most Scandinavians do not consider the true meaning of Easter when they celebrate this week. But for the Apostolic Faith Churches in Norway and surrounding countries, it has been a perfect time to come together for their annual Easter camp meeting and give thanks for what the Lord has done for them.

The rented campsite has a beautiful setting, located next to a small lake and surrounded by the rocky mountains of western Norway. Since Easter came a little later this year, there was a feeling of spring in the air, and the birds had already begun their singing, adding to the excitement of the attendees as they arrived at the camp.

A few visitors, including Reverend Rene Cassell and his wife, Della, from Newfoundland, Canada, arrived in Norway several days before the camp started and were privileged to spend Palm Sunday at the Apostolic Faith Church in Stavanger, Norway. Stacey-Lee Wilcox, also from Newfoundland, shared her wonderful testimony that day, and told of God’s power to deliver her from drugs and alcohol.

The campers arrived on Wednesday evening to register and get settled in their accommodations. Later in the evening, there was a time of singing and a prayer meeting. The first “official” meeting was on Thursday morning, and Reverend LeRoy Tonning, pastor of the church in Stavanger, preached the opening sermon, challenging the congregation to have an active prayer life, which would ultimately lead them to a closer walk with God. Reverend Rene Cassell was the main speaker for the camp meeting, and he preached three inspiring messages. There were also sermons by three other ministers: Reverend Isaac Adigun, pastor of the c hurch in London, England, and two local ministers, Keijo and Olavi Kinnari.

In addition to those from Newfoundland, other special visitors at the camp included Karla Calhoun and Trina Paulsen, from Portland, Oregon. There was also a large group of attendees from various locations in Great Britain, and three Nigerian students from Finland. Altogether, there were about seventy-five people who attended the camp. During each meeting, the congregation joined together as one choir, and the songs were sung in English and Norwegian simultaneously, giving everyone an opportunity to sing in the language they were most familiar with.

After breakfast on Saturday, Reverend Cassell gave a presentation and showed pictures of the work in Newfoundland. His wonderful stories of how the Lord has been blessing in the churches there were an inspiration to all. One story was about a baptismal service where the Lord blessed in such a way that caused others to surrender their lives to God during the service, adding new candidates to be baptized.

On Saturday afternoon, there was a presentation on Reverend Steinar and Inger Bruvoll’s trip to China. A special “ladies’ evening” was also held on Saturday, with four short talks given by different women. Each speaker chose a character from the Bible and shared why she found that person inspiring.

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day. The children sang several special songs, and there was a short skit portraying Mary Magdalene crying at the tomb, and the angel appearing to her and comforting her. Reverend Cassell’s sermon reminded the congregation that Jesus is alive! There were several great musical presentations on Sunday, in addition to all of the wonderful music specials throughout the camp meeting. Some of the specials featured a men’s choir, a women’s choir, and various ensembles who sang with all their hearts. There were also some lovely instrumental preludes, including the flute, violin, guitar, and trombone.

The final service was held on Monday morning, and then goodbyes were said before everyone departed to their various destinations in the afternoon. The Easter camp meeting in Norway was a real blessing to all who attended, and the greatest blessing of all was that two souls were born into the Kingdom!