Norwegian Church Abroad

The Norwegian Church Abroad or The Norwegian Seamen’s Church (Norwegian: Sjømannskirken) is a religious organisation serving Norwegians and other Scandinavians travelling abroad. Founded in 1864, The Norwegian Seamen's Mission – Sjømannsmisjonen – was established to secure the moral and religious education of Scandinavian seafarers, but also to give them a "breathing room" where a fellow countryman was available to lend an ear and give some attention. The churches and their staff together with travelling pastors around the globe represent a "resource center" for all Norwegians travelling internationally.

Sjømannskirken annually serves around 700 thousand Norwegians through over 30 churches and 16 mobile services in 30 countries around the world. Several churches operate in Scandinavia. The Norwegian Church Abroad is a charitable organization supported by the Church of Norway and the Norwegian Government. Sjømannskirken is also a member of the ICMA and the Council of Nordic Seamen's Missions. With its main office in Bergen, it is under episcopal supervision.^[1]

For most Norwegians travelling abroad, Sjømannskirken is a nice place to rest: one can read newspapers from home, buy Norwegian food and speak to other Norwegians. Many Norwegians living permanently abroad use the seamen's churches instead of a local church.

Locations[edit]

Africa[edit]

Africa, Travelling mission in Africa south of Sahara
Gran Canaria, Spain
Lanzarote, Spain
Tenerife, Spain

Asia[edit]

Azerbaijan, Travelling mission
Dubai, United Arab Emirates^[2]
East Asia, Travelling mission
Pattaya, Thailand^[3]
Phuket, Thailand
Singapore^[4]
South Asia, Travelling mission in South and South-East Asia

Europe[edit]

Alicante, Spain
Antwerp, Belgium
Aya Napa, Cyprus
Barcelona, Spain, travelling mission from the permanent church in Majorca
Berlin, Germany
Brussels, Belgium
Norwegian Church, Cardiff, United Kingdom (closed and de-consecrated in 1974)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Costa del Sol, Spain Five different locations
Edinburgh, travelling mission for Scotland, United Kingdom
Gothenburg, Sweden
Hamburg, Germany
Norwegian Fishermans' Church, Liverpool, United Kingdom
London (St Olav's Church), United Kingdom
Torrenova in Majorca, Spain
Moscow, Russia
Paris, France
Pireus, Greece

Stockholm, Sweden
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Switzerland, ambulant, with office in Meyrin, Geneva.
Torrevieja, Spain

North America[edit]

Houston, United States (Norwegian Seamen's Church of Houston (in Norwegian))
Los Angeles, United States (see Norwegian Seamen's Church, San Pedro)
Miami, United States^[5]^[6] There has been a Norwegian Seamen's church in Miami since the early 1980s. In November 2011, Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened a new building for the church. The church was built as a center for the 10,000 Scandinavians that live in Florida. Around 4,000 of them are Norwegian. The church is also an important place for the 150 Norwegians that work at Disney World.^[7]
Montréal, Quebec, Canada (closed in 1994)
New Orleans, United States^[8]
New York City, United States (see The Norwegian Seamen's Church in New York)
San Francisco, United States^[9]
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Church services in Washington, D.C., United States^[10]

Oceania[edit]

Sydney - the base for a travelling mission serving all of Australia and New Zealand

South America[edit]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Other[edit]

There is also a special travelling mission for workers in the North Sea and one for students in most parts of the world.

Notable former churches[edit]

Norwegian Seamen's Church, Leith, Scotland^[11]
Norwegian Church, Cardiff, Wales
Norwegian Seamen's Church, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Norwegian Seamen's Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Norwegian Seamen's Church, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Norwegian Seamen's Church, Pensacola, Florida, United States
Norwegian Church, Swansea, Wales

References[edit]

^ "Om oss". www.sjomannskirken.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
^ The Norwegian Seamen's Church in Dubai Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine in Norwegian
^ The Norwegian Seamen's Churchin Pattaya in Norwegian
^ The Norwegian Seamen's Church in Singapore in Norwegian
^ Norwegian Seamen's Church in Miami in Norwegian
^ New Church in English
^ Crown Princess opens Seamens Church in Miami norwaypost.no ^{[dead link]}
^ Norwegian Seamen's Church in New Orleans in Norwegian
^ Norwegian Seamen's Church in San Francisco Sjømannskirken (in Norwegian)
^ Gudstjenester i Washington, DC Sjømannskirken (in Norwegian) ^{[dead link]}
^ "The Scandinavian Lutheran Church" (PDF). leithseamenschurch.no. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

External links[edit]

Media related to Norwegian churches abroad at Wikimedia Commons
Sjømannskirken's website (in Norwegian)
Overview of Norwegian churches abroad Sjømannskirken (in Norwegian)
The Seamen's church's web page in English

[1] "Om oss". www.sjomannskirken.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2023-11-02.

[2] The Norwegian Seamen's Church in Dubai Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine in Norwegian

[3] The Norwegian Seamen's Churchin Pattaya in Norwegian

[4] The Norwegian Seamen's Church in Singapore in Norwegian

[5] Norwegian Seamen's Church in Miami in Norwegian

[6] New Church in English

[7] Crown Princess opens Seamens Church in Miami norwaypost.no ^{[dead link]}

[8] Norwegian Seamen's Church in New Orleans in Norwegian

[9] Norwegian Seamen's Church in San Francisco Sjømannskirken (in Norwegian)

[10] Gudstjenester i Washington, DC Sjømannskirken (in Norwegian) ^{[dead link]}

[11] "The Scandinavian Lutheran Church" (PDF). leithseamenschurch.no. Retrieved 30 July 2023.

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