Today’s stunning Ride to Church comes to us from Claudia, a RtC veteran.
This Easter Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit a very humble church that very few people in my Norwegian town of 5000 people know about.
My good friend Tadesse from Ethiopia lives at “The Camp” — an old, run-down motel that is used to house around 100 refugees from a variety of countries while they await an answer from immigration authorities on their asylum application. “The Camp” is not a happy place by any means, but for me and my husband, it has been a source of information, meaningful experiences, and friends for life.
The camp residents live from 2-4 people in each room, often with a shared bathroom of up to 12 people. It’s dark and dreary, dirty and smelly, but it’s their home, usually for anywhere from 2-4 years, and in some cases even longer. Children are born and grow up here. Currently, around 70% of asylum seekers are rejected and face forcible deportation to their homeland, or for those whose homeland refuses to accept them, an indefinite existence in political no-man’s land. There are a few cases of those who have been living such for 10 or even 20 years at one of these camps around Norway.
Tadesse is a very kind, well-educated engineer from Addis Ababa who speaks fluent English. He is also a very devout Orthodox Christian and spends a lot of time in this makeshift church that he helped build and decorate in the basement of the camp. It was recently finished and today was the first time I was able to see it completed.
The church is shared by Ethiopians and Eritreans living at the camp, as well as friends and visitors from around Norway, and they hold prayer services daily. [There is hardly a place on earth with a richer history of Christianity than Ethiopia. Make sure to google Axum (aka Aksum) to read up on the Ark of the Covenant and the Ethiopian monk who guards it.] Even though there was no service today — Ethiopians have their own calendar and therefore celebrate Easter and Christmas at different times, as most Orthodox do — we enjoyed our visit to the church at the camp and could see how much it means to Tadesse. It is a rare place of tranquility and refuge for those who enjoy little of such outside of its doors.
I hope you all enjoy my “Ride To The Little Ethiopian Orthodox Church At The Camp In Norway!”
Dear Claudia,
I appricated that The Engaging / Entertainment of our Church here at Moelv camp /Norway
People who attend church activities or services are encouraged to participate and get involved. This continues into other aspects of church life, the emphasis on people becoming participant within the church community and learn to journey together, giving as well as receiving respect and reduce camplife stress.
Focus is on being ‘the body of Christ’, with Christ is the head of the church, living, active and involved by his spirit in the individual lives of the congregation and in the congregation as a whole.
Services are exellent about ‘putting on a show’ and more about engaging each other in a compelling and participatory way inspiring and equipping each other to be open to the movement of the spirit of God in our midst.
In general it is quite meant in our lives for all of us Ethiopian and Eritrean brothers and sisters.
May the God bless you!
Tadesse.
I like the warm and colorful altar, and the spirit that both it and Tadesse conveys.
Love this!