Our churches serve as cultural, social and spiritual meeting
places for Norwegians abroad.
We offer the atmosphere of a Norwegian home away
from home with waffles, coffee, Norwegian newspapers and Norwegian
TV.
Sjømannskirken serve around 900.000 Norwegians annually
through over 30 churches and 15 chaplains traveling to
more than 80 countries around the world visiting Norwegians around
the globe Among these chaplains, we have 4 full time student
chaplains visiting Norwegian students on all continents, and 7
chaplains operating on Norwegian oil installations in the North
Sea.
Several of our churches are operated on a Scandinavian basis.
The Norwegian churches abroad and traveling chaplains
have an international network of social meeting places where
seafarers, students, business people, tourists, families and other
travelling Norwegians can come "home" for a while. 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 space" where a fellow
countryman was available to lend an ear and give some attention.
Today, the churches and their staff together with travelling
pastors around the globe represent a "resource center" for all
Norwegians travelling internationally.
Sjømannskirken is part of the Lutheran Church of Norway, but has an
independent governance structure. The Bishop of Bergen has
Episcopal oversight over priests, deacons and cathecists working
abroad.
Norwegian Church Abroad, its main office in Bergen, Norway, is a
charitable organization supported by the Church of Norway and the Norwegian
Government. Sjømannskirken is also a member of ICMA and the Council of Nordic
Seamen's Missions.
If you have further questions, please write to info@sjomannskirken.no
or call
+ 47 55 55 22 55