NORWAY

The Nordberg Church, Oslo

When the Vicar planned sabbatical leave several years ago, it included time for language work, time for placement in a parish in Oslo, and also a period of time exploring Norway, especially the most eastern and northern parts. His placement in a parish was at Nordberg Church, about four miles to the north from the commercial centre of Oslo. Since his time there in 1998, links have been built with the parish, and most years he visits there and during the year one or two people from the parish visit us at St Anne’s. For a report on one of Peter's visits click here.
Nordberg Church is part of the Church of Norway, with whom the Church of England has full communion through the Porvoo Agreement.
The Vicar’s name in Nordberg parish is Egil Stray Nordberg (quite a coincidence), who at one stage was based in Liverpool with the Norwegian Seaman’s Mission. Fredrik Ulseth is the priest who has most to do with the international links, and he has spent some time translating part of our liturgy into Norwegian. Parishioners will always find a warm welcome at Nordberg Church should they be taking holiday in Norway.
Whilst St Anne's has strong links with the Nordberg Parish in Oslo, our Diocese is now in the process of seeing if we can have a formal link between Oslo Diocese as a whole and our St Albans Diocese. During February 2005 the Vicar and a group from the St Albans Diocese undertook a study visit to Norway. To read a report click here

Holidays in Norway

Click on the photo for a link for holidays in Norway. These are in based in Telemark which is to the west and south of Oslo and is a very beautiful part of the country. The Vicar has spent several holidays with Torjus and Grethe Nordbø who owned the site which they have passed on to their son and his wife. Staying in a Norwegain chalet is an excellent experience, and though you can travel to Norway with your car by ferry, these days you can fly from Stansted to Oslo (Torp), and there is an express bus to Telemark. The other consideration is that Norwegians speak fluent English.