Betel, the oldest continuously serving Adventist church in Europe, is reinventing itself to meet the needs of changing communities in downtown Oslo. Built in 1885, the double usage building once contained a thriving congregation, a printing press, and sanatorium.<\/p>\n
The publishing and sanatorium are now gone and Adventist University students, residing in converted sanatorium accommodation, enjoy security and fellowship. Betel church itself, that once saw its congregation soar as high as 500, now has a little more than 100 in attendance.<\/p>\n
So how to make a renewed impact in increasingly secularised Oslo?<\/p>\n
\u201cThis church can be a light for Norway, something especially needed in November,\u201d stated Norwegian Union President Victor Marley. Speaking during the Sabbath morning dedication service on 7 March, he noted that God meets people where they are. Quoting Romans 10:15 he stated that \u201cFeet that bring Good News are always welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Delfred and Hanna Onde are both students in the Norwegian classes and managers for the centre. Like Matteson, they are also committed missionaries, having served in Estonia and several other countries before being invited to Oslo. Their experience in helping establish a Centre of Influence in Tallin<\/a>, Estonia is invaluable in helping bring new life to this old church.<\/p>\n Not that all the members are old. The youngest in the leadership team is Beth Martin, a sports science student at Oslo University. She is enthusiastic about the mocktail bar, serving non-alcoholic cocktails along with a wealth of board games, table tennis and activities \u2013 an attractive venue to a student population.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can see straight into the meeting rooms from the pavement outside. Passers-by saw what we were doing, asked to come in \u2013 and then wanted to know when the next event would be,\u201d Beth stated. She believes it will become very popular.<\/p>\n Pastor Rolf Andvik is president of the East Norway Conference. He emphasised that the transformation is a local church project.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to come from them,\u201d he said. \u201cWe fully support, and we are equally grateful for Union, Division and General Conference support, but it is at the local level where the difference is made.<\/p>\n We could sell this facility,\u201d he noted, recognising the severe challenges of parking in the downtown location. At the same time, he observes, it is a central Adventist presence in Norway\u2019s capital city \u2013 and a city that has a strong environmental emphasis that fits in with Adventist philosophy. \u201cThere is a strong belief that this is the place we need to be, and the place where God can make a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"Pastor](\"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/images_news-2020_Pastor_David_Havstein.jpg\" "\\"Pastor")
<\/a>\u201cPeople still have spiritual needs just like back in the early days of evangelist John Matteson,\u201d states Senior Pastor David Havstein. Matteson found a highly receptive audience when he came to Norway in 1878. Havstein believes that there is still interest in the spiritual, but that people need to be approached in different ways.<\/p>\n<\/a>Betel church now offers free classes for migrants to learn Norwegian, a cooking school, a Saturday night Mocktail bar, and a conversation caf\u00e9. These are just the start in what they hope will become a bigger programme over time.<\/p>\n<\/a>The same is true with the language school led by a high school teacher, Grethe Opsahl Deacon. It grows larger every week and is now running at capacity, in need of more volunteer teachers. The team are also encouraged by the cross-over from the language school to other programmes. After just a few weeks, two ladies are already coming to church as a good place for them to practice their Norwegian. Others are joining the international cooking classes.<\/p>\n