Reverend Snellman gives us an update on the interior progress of the church renovation in Narvik, Norway. And just a few weeks ago, Reverend Snellman’s congregation there held its first worship service in the newly renovated interior of this special, historical building!
Reverend Snellman, pastor of the Lutheran Church in Norway’s Narvik church provided us with an update on the church rehabilitation project. Much has been done so far, yet there is still much more to accomplish during the upcoming “warm” season.
Here are some of the things that need to be done yet and the costs approximate associated with them:
Site work $11,500
Painting façade $5,000
Windows rehab $10,000
New doors $9,000
Carpentry $20,000
Exterior Staircase $3,500
Miscellaneous $8,100
Value-added tax $17,000
TOTAL $85,000
Volunteer work teams from the United States and other countries are lining up during the short, warm summer season to get this work done. However, they need your financial assistance to make more progress possible.
We ask that you please support this work so that the good people in Narvik will have a nice, warm place to worship for many years to come. Help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ for many years to come through your support of this work!
The church elected Markus Snellman as Bishop at the church council on March 14. He takes over from Torkild Masvie, who will step down as Bishop in October upon reaching the age limit.
The church wants to continue the classic biblical-Lutheran Reformation legacy that the Nordic state churches have left behind and currently has congregations in eleven different places in Norway and one in Reykjavik. The small church has had significant growth in recent years and expects continued strong growth as new pastors are constantly being trained and are ready to start congregations.
Snellmann, who turns 34 this year, is from the Swedish-speaking part of Finland and has a Laestadian background. With his wife and three children, he currently lives in Narvik where he is a parish pastor in addition to serving Svolvær. He has two master’s degrees in theology, one from Fjellhaug Schools in Oslo and one from Concordia Seminary Ft. Wayne, USA. If the church’s growth continues at the same pace as now and makes it necessary to consecrate more bishops in the western Nordic areas it will cover, then the election has clarified that Snellman is the archbishop.
Snellmann has the prerequisites to succeed in the service he has been elected to until he reaches retirement age. He has shown high theological competence, together with the ability to converse with opponents, and has also demonstrated that he can lead large and complex projects, such as church building restoration in Narvik. With his young age, he follows in the footsteps of the recently retired Archbishop Janis Vanags in Latvia, who was elected archbishop when he was 35 years old. During the months leading up to the episcopal consecration on 24 October in Oslo, Snellman will take over many of the bishop’s formal responsibilities in the preparation and training phase.
In connection with the episcopal consecration, Snellman and his family are moving to the Oslo region to be close to the Messiaskirken-congregation, which serves as the church’s cathedral and provides easier travel to the congregations he oversees. The church expects to double the number of pastors from the current ten within a few years. Proximity to the five-year supplementary pastor training program AdFontes in Oslo and Bergen will be important in order to follow up on the many students who want to become pastors in the church.
A new pastor, Lestyn Jones, will arrive in Narvik in the summer and will work with Snellman till the Snellman-family moves south.
New Space Purchased!
By the grace of God and through the generosity of a single donor, the Lutheran Church in Norway (LCIN) has purchased additional space in the Narvik church building. This additional space is on the same floor as the sanctuary and is identified as 1A or S2, depending on the viewing perspective. When renovated, this acquired space will give LCIN the room needed for more comfortable church operations.
Please continue to support the church-planting mission of the Lutheran Church in Norway with your donations!
Serving congregations in Bergen and Austervoll and teaching at the second AdFontes pastoral training center in Bergen.
On Sunday, November 9th, Dr. Rev. Brandt Klawitter was installed as pastor in the Lutheran Church in Norway. He will be serving the restart of the congregation in Bergen, as well as a start-up congregation with Sunday evening worship services in Austevoll where he lives with his wife and children.
He will also lead the start-up of a second AdFontes pastor training site. It will be located in Bergen. Dr. Rev. Klawitter will be working in coordination with the AdFontes site in Oslo.
Dr. Rev. Klawitter has his theological training from Concordia Seminary St Louis, as well as Oberursel, Germany. His doctorate in church history is from Menighetsfakultetet Oslo Norway.
He is currently teaching church history at NLA university college in Bergen, and will continue to teach there part time.
His longest service as pastor has been as military chaplain in the US armed forces.
Dr. Rev. Klawitter’s leadership position with the Lutheran Church in Norway’s AdFontes pastor training program significantly strengthens AdFontes’ team of excellent theologians.
The Friends of the Lutheran Church in Norway wishes Dr. Rev. Klawitter all the best in executing his very important roles with the Lutheran Church in Norway!
May God bless your work and keep you safe under protective wings!
Progress Report
Pastor Snellman continues to be blessed by very timely financial and volunteer support for the church renovation that is taking place in Narvik, Norway! In the video we see a man from Finland helping to build a firewall in the ventilation room, while volunteers from various parts of Norway assist with scraping, drywall construction, and raising up a large beam.
One volunteer drove all the way from Helsinki, Finland to lend a hand for a week! Together, he and others began constructing the altar wall.
Finally, after a very productive week, volunteers celebrate their hard-earned success with a scenic hike up one of Narvik’s stunning mountains.
May God continue to bless Pastor Snellman and other members of the congregation in Narvik with the financial and volunteer support needed to open the doors for Christmas services.
If you would like to help out with your time and skills, please reach out to us at [email protected]. If you would like to financially support the Lutheran Church in Norway in general and also this project, please click on the “Donate” tab at the top of this page and follow the instructions. Thank you!
Please consider donating to support this building renovation, so that the Gospel can be heard in the warmth of this wonderful church.