Oslo International Church

If you feel lonely and your week is bad

OIC — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:55:48 +0000

If you feel lonely and you week is bad

Come to OIC and be happy and glad

For fellowship, friendship and food

Jesus is our inspiration and He is so good!

Oh I see,

It’s OIC

Skiing is good for your body

Singing is good for the soul

Cellgroup is good for you week

Jesus is who we love and seek

Oh I see,

It’s OIC

We are part of an international family

Many social events, talks and hospitality

We are also blessed with many babies this year

Learning to love Jesus without any fear

Oh I see,

It’s OIC

To have Carolina and Maicon is great

They encourage us to grow in prayer and faith

To be part of this family makes us smile

And we are challenged to walk the second mile

Oh I see

It’s OIC

by Johanna Strikwerda and Bodil Sofia Øglend

If you have any contributions such as poem or songs for OIC, contact us at newsletter@internationalchurch.no or drop us a message on Facebook!

Filed under: Celebration, English Church Oslo, English Speaking Church, Events, Fellowship, Sunday Service

One, Two, Skii

OIC — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:49:58 +0000

Ski Trip with OIC

Please follow these instructions:

1. Find the date 11th of February in your calender

2. Write: Skiing trip with the OIC family, at 12pm.

3. If “skiing” scares you, go to point 5.

4. If you have skies, bring them. If not, contact Marit, 99 56 06 01, and she will bring a pair for u, for free!:)

5. We will walk to one place, where we make a fire, warm drinks, “grillpølser” and good talks.

6. The fire will make u warm, but still, please dress up warm, with wool underwear:)

7. Those who want to go skiing, can go far or just try a little bit; feel free:)

8. We will stay out until we are tired of it. Then, its a short distance to t-bane, and home.

How to get there?

Take t-bane 2 towards Mortensrud, to Bøler. From there, its a walking distance.

We will go together as one at 11:40 from Oslo S. If you come later, please contact Bodil, 95 24 91 97, or Marit, 99 56 06 01.

What to bring?

A must: Yourself, in warm clothes.

Alternatives: A friend. Some snacks. Something to sit on.Keep updated about this event at Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/events/104704212990579/

Filed under: Events, intercultural fellowship oslo, Social Outing

The Book of Ephesians, Part Deux

OIC — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:43:48 +0000

We continue our new series from the book of Ephesians with Marit Sjølie of Norway.

Church service is held at Gamlebyen Church.

We have Sunday School.

Ephesians 2

Filed under: English Church Oslo, English Speaking Church, Sunday Service

LAUNCHING INTO PRAYER! – part 2

OIC — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:00:55 +0000

Part 2
Read part 1 here

The following is a summary of the two last preachings at OIC in the “prayer” series:

Karen Kang
Karen Kang shared some wonderful testimonies with us about prayer, and what lessons she has learned about it in her walk with God. Here are a few of them:

Early stages of prayer
Before Karen became a Christian, she was introduced to church by a workmate. She found it interesting, but missed the song ”amazing grace” which she knew and liked so well. The fifth time going to church she said to God that if she wouldn’t hear the song this time, she would not come back. What happened was that the pastor before he started to preach, sung ”amazing grace”. It was an answer from God.

God knew us since we were in our mother’s womb. He hears our cries and longs for an intimate relationship with us.

Growing in our relationship with God
Karen explained how when the years went by she got to know God more and more. Like any relationships this one is also built upon getting to know one another, and it takes time. At times a part of getting to know someone entails frustration and anger. We can also talk with God about everything, what we are frustrated about, what we don´t understand and so on.

As we read God´s word, trust in him, ask him to help us to believe, and as we have fellowship with other people, our faith in him develops. He shows us more of who he is and who we are in him. We get to know him better, and it becomes more real to us.

Intercession
As time went by, a new step for Karen in prayer was intercessory prayer. This is praying for other people just as Jesus prays for us.

In addition to seeing things happen as a result, she told us how it also helps keeping our focus on God. Another consequence is that it is a way of getting our focus away from ourselves. It is so easy to just be thinking about ourselves with all our problems. It can become overwhelming. Praying for others can help us shift focus.

Karen shared with us how she started to ask God about what was the things that burden him, and want her help with. This was getting into a deeper relationship with God, where she could see herself as a coworker with him.

Lastly Karen reminded us how great joy there is in rejoicing in God. See Phil 4,4-10

Malika Bommen
The last Sunday in our prayer series, Malika Bommen was visiting us.

Being changed through prayer
”Intercession changes things, but it also changes us!” she stated. As we spend time with Jesus, we also become more like him.

Malika reminded us how discipline is a good thing, but it’s more important to know that we are loved no matter what. If we love God, prayer will be a consequence. When we receive his love and love him, we will find time! It won´t be a struggle to find time, because we love it so much. Prayer also changes our perspective so we long for Him and don´t care so much about the ”race of life”.

Just start. You don´t need to be perfect
Further Malika gave us the advice to just start. You don´t have to know so much. God just wants us to pray, even if it’s selfish or strange. Gradually he will teach us to pray after his heart. Our calling is to have a relationship with God. Jesus is the door. We can think of prayer as the key. See Heb 10:19-22. We don´t need to be perfect to come to God in prayer. We can come just as we are. God wants to speak into our hearts. He want to teach us to pray and to have fellowship. He wants to know us, just as we want to know him.

Sometimes lies attack us, and very easily we start to believe in them. It may lead to feeling ashamed and don’t dare to come to God alone in prayer. Truth is that God really want to know and spend time with each and every one of us no matter what.

God is able to do more than we can imagine or ask for.
We have focused on prayer for four weeks now, but it does not end here. From now on, every third Sunday service will have a greater focus on prayer. There will also be a short gathering for prayer every Sunday at 16:30 in the church building.

May this be the year when OIC started to pray more than before.
May this be the year when because of diligent prayer, wonderful things happened, we grew in our relationship with God, and He did greater things than we could even imagine!

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3,20-21)

Filed under: English Church Oslo

LAUNCHING INTO PRAYER! – part 1

OIC — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:06:26 +0000

Could this be the year we can look back at and say: “This year we started to really pray in OIC. This year God answered many prayers and wonderful things happened!” The following is a short summary of what we have heard in the preachings these four Sundays. Part 1 is the two first Sundays, and part two is the last two Sundays in the series.

Maicon Steuernagel on prayer
The first two Sundays in the series, our pastor Maicon Steuernagel shared his thoughts on prayer.

What is prayer?
Maicon started out talking about what prayer is. First it is communicating with God, and it’s a two ways communication. But it is much more than that. It is a relationship with the most high God!

In moments of despair or extreme joy we might find it easy to pray. But for it to become a natural, essential part of our everyday lives, we need to practise it. Prayer is a gift to us, but we need to learn how to use it.

Why pray?
Maicon pointed us to one of the reasons why we should pray. He rose the question “why should we pray if God already knows everything?” God knows what we need before we even ask him. The answer is simply because prayer is not just communication, but also a relationship. And in this relationship we can and need to grow in maturity.A child has to learn how to ask with a “please” and say “thank you”. This happens as they understand the value of what they receive and learn to appreciate the giver. Otherwise they get spoiled and think that everything ought to be given to them. They learn this by asking and thanking for what they receive. And they have to do this even though the parents may know what they need.

As we keep praying, we learn to know Him more, appreciating him more. And we learn to ask better and after his will. And then to get answers.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1.John 5:14-15)

How to pray?
So how then can we pray? First its important to state that it is not only one answer to this question. Jesus disciples asked the same question. He answered them by teaching them what we know as “The Lords prayer”. Now Jesus did not mean that they should only pray this prayer. Jesus and his disciples are praying many other prayers throughout the Bible.

We can learn some lessons about prayer as we look at how Jesus prayed. Maicon showed us some specific things we can learn out of Jesus prayer in Gethsemane before his crucifixion in Matt 26:36-46:

1. Placing ourselves as fragile human beings in front of Almighty God:
- “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” Jesus said.
See also psalm 8

2. Praying together and for one another.
- “Stay here and keep watch with me” Jesus said. In John 17 we see how Jesus is praying for others. Even when praying alone we pray together as we are a part of the Body of Christ.

3. Submitting to the Fathers will and at the same time crying for ours.
- Jesus prayed: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Filed under: English Church Oslo

The Book of Ephesians

OIC — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:58:00 +0000

Hope you’ve been blessed by our previous Prayer series. We start a new series from the book of Ephesians with Stian Holtskog of Norway.

We also have pre-service prayer at 4.30pm, so do join us as we prepare our hearts for Sunday service and to pray for the needs of the church and the people.

Church service is held at Gamlebyen Church.
We have Sunday School.

Filed under: English Church Oslo, English Speaking Church, Sunday Service

On Your Knees IV

OIC — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:53:04 +0000

Our Prayer series comes to an end with sharing from Malika Bommen of Norway.

Church service is held at Gamlebyen Church.

We have Sunday School.

Filed under: English Church Oslo, English Speaking Church

Join us for Ice-Skating at Spikesuppa

OIC — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:29:24 +0000

On Saturday 28th Jan 2012, 5pm, we’ll meet at Spikesuppa (map) and ice skate for a couple of hours, before we eat pizza!

Bring NOK 50,00 for renting skates and some extra for the pizza.

Tips: Wear warm socks!

Email Bødil at booglend@gmail.com if you need more info or discuss this on our Facebook page.

Filed under: Events, Fellowship, intercultural fellowship oslo, Social Outing

On Your Knees, Part 3

OIC — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:25:34 +0000

Our prayer series continue with sharing and testimony from Karen Kang, of the USA.

Church service is held at Gamlebyen Church.

We have Sunday School.

Filed under: English Church Oslo, English Speaking Church, Sunday Service

Prayer for Oslo

OIC — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:11:23 +0000

8th – 15th of January 2012 – In line with our theme of prayer, we bring to your attention Prayer for Oslo which is a united prayer effort among the churches around Oslo happening daily.

Round the clock prayer and programs will be held at Menigheten i Filadelfia, St. Olavsgt.24, 0130 Oslo. Feel free to participate and pray for Oslo and it’s population.

More information and program can be found at http://www.bonnforoslo.no/ (in Norwegian) or a simple program in English at http://www.bonnforoslo.no/english/ or to download the background document in English – click here.

Filed under: English Church Oslo, Events, Fellowship, intercultural fellowship oslo, News