Norwegian Christian Heritage Trip

A Message From the tour hosts, Tim and Donadee Peterson

Mount Carmel has a long history of sponsoring trips, including a trip to Norway about 20 years ago. We believe that these trips provide a wonderful opportunity for Christian fellowship and renewal of our faith, as well as having the opportunity to learn about the beauty of God’s Creation and God’s People.

We have visited Norway and lived in Norway several times. Tim was the interim pastor of the American Lutheran Congregation in Oslo for 7 months, right before we came to Mount Carmel. Tim also had several opportunities to work in Norway as a software developer. And he was the interim pastor of the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church in Minneapolis for 16 months, where he had the privilege of preaching in the Norwegian language. Both of us had ancestors that came from Norway and we have been able to visit relatives that still live in Norway.

We are thankful to our ancestors who brought their Christian faith with them to the United States and Canada. As Christians we are members of the Body of Christ which stretches around the world and throughout history. There is a tremendous diversity among Christians who live in a variety of cultures with a variety of languages. As Norwegian-American Christians, our faith has been influenced by the history of Christianity in Norway – one little piece of that tremendous diversity. We are going to be exploring the connection that we have with the Norwegian Christian heritage.

In many ways this tour will be like a normal tourist trip to Norway. We will visit some historic cities – Oslo, Fredrikstad, Bergen, and Trondheim. We will see the majestic Norwegian fjords. We will go to famous parks, museums, and historical landmarks. We will learn about Norwegian history and culture.

But this will also be a different kind of tour. We will be visiting a variety of churches. We will be worshiping with Norwegian Christians; visiting the home of Hans Nielsen Hauge, the great lay Norwegian evangelist; and learning about the history of Christianity in Norway – how Norway became a Christian nation one thousand years ago and how the Norwegian revivals of 200 years ago had a tremendous impact on Norwegian life and the life of the Norwegians that came to the United States.

Mount Carmel was founded by Swedish and Norwegian pastors that were greatly influenced by the 19th century Scandinavian revivals. Some of our cabins have been named for the leaders of those revivals. Cabin 30, for example, the first of the new cabins built on the north ridge, is named for Hans Nielsen Hauge. In many ways Mount Carmel’s mission is a continuation of the revivals that began with Hauge’s preaching in Norway. And, whether you have any Norwegian heritage, it is always good to celebrate the way the Christian faith has been passed down through the generations.

We have worked out a tentative schedule for a trip. We are hoping to have the details more definite by this June, along with a cost estimate. At each of our Family Camps and other events in 2024 we will schedule a time to talk to people who are interested in this trip. And then in August of 2025 we’ll be ready to go! We hope that you will consider joining us.