Oslo International Church

Who are you? 
We will likely answer that question differently, depending on the context: a family gathering, the workplace, a comunity of faith. It often hides another question: why are you here? 
In the story of Ruth, those questions get intertwined with another question: who is God?
Welcome to the questions made in fear and longing. Welcome to OiC!

Who does that young woman belong to?
The question, perhaps awkward for us, is crucial for the very survival of Ruth. As we continue our journey into the second chapter of her story, the question invites also us into a whirlwind of questions of belonging: of stories, bodies, grain and kin.
Welcome to the unwelcome. Welcome to kindness. Welcome to OiC!

Can a happy ending make us forget the story?
As we continue our season reflecting on Ordinary Faith, we open a new book and tune in to a new story, the story of Ruth. She is such an unlikely protagonist that even in a book named after her, she runs the risk of being sidelined. What is it about Ruth, then, that we should not forget?
Welcome to the outsiders. Welcome to old enemies and negotiating identities. Welcome to OiC!

Ordinary faith for an ordinary life. Yet there is nothing unordinary about a life of struggle and difficulties. Can our faith live on and even thrive in such conditions?
As we come to the end of our time with the Letter of James, Lemma Desta reflects on hard times, perseverance, and the need for a faith that is familiar with the tough realities of life. 
Welcome to the patience of faith. Welcome to OiC!

Bike thiefs, business entrepreneurs and politicians face a common dilemma. What about us?
Still in the company of James, Maicon Steuernagel reflects on greed, arrogance and our struggle with loving ourselves and those around us.
Welcome to the company of the unlikely blessed. Welcome to OiC!

"Get outta here!", shouts James from the altar...
Many Christian faith traditions are familiar with the so-called "altar call". This week, James flips it on its head and sends us away from the altar, toward the places where our repentance can change us.
Welcome to the need for repentance. Welcome to the hope of community. Welcome to OiC!

"Not many of you should become tweeters, my fellow believers..."
Maicon Steuernagel considers James' harsh words about the power and the danger of speech, and reflects if language can also be a practice of healing for the comunity of faith.
Welcome to the conversation. Welcome to OiC!

Can we just agree that child sacrifice is not ok?
We continue our series on the Letter of James, struggling with some hard things in the text and, if we dare, in our own lives and the world we live in.
Welcome the hard questions. Welcome to the table.
Welcome to OiC!