Report:
Mattesson School/Heartgood Foundation Easter Rally Meetings in Norway

Larry Kirkpatrick. 5 April 2002

Here we are surrounded by our special guests, your conference workers from Lithuania. Bottom row left is the Lithuanian Mission Secretary, center bottom is me, and next to me in blue shirt Pr. Kenneth Jorgensen, director of East Norway Conference's Mattesson School in Mysen Norway. Photo taken at Heartgood Building, Skotselv.

It was my privilege to answer the service request of the Trans-European Division and serve as featured speaker for the 2002 Easter Rally Meeting, co-sponsored by Norway's Mattesson School and Heartgood Foundation. This year the meetings were blessed by the presence also of virtually the entire company of SDA workers in Lithuania. Pastors, Bible workers, colporters, the Mission Secretary, and their spouses were all present but for two. Meetings were translated into three languages: English, Norwegian, and Lithuanian.

Easter Rally was held at the Heartgood building in the village of Skotselv, Norway. Heartgood is a member of ASI and OCI and runs Friedheim (the Norwegian equivalent of Wimar College), a bakery, printing press, clinic, European Bible School, and more. The meetings were co-sponsored by Norway's Matteson School, an entity of the East Norway Conference. Meetings began previous to my arrival on March 25 and ended at Skotselv on March 31. Meetings commenced again after regrouping at Matteson School on Tuesday, April 2 and were continuing even as I left for America on April 4.

Topics addressed included the Bible definition of sin, issues in worship and music, current issues in justification and sanctification, pluralism, past GC president Robert Pierson's call to stand against decay in the church, and practical issues in the personal Christian experience. They also insisted on holding a meeting to learn more about the ministry of GreatControversy.org website.

After the Rally meetings closed at Heartgood the Lithuanians, myself, and the Matteson School component moved from Skotselv to Mysen Norway where meetings continued at the Mattesson School. Matteson School Director Pr. Kenneth Jorgensen led in careful verse-by-verse study of Daniel two and seven. Our group also was benefited by attending Pr. Jorgensen's meeting identifying the beast of Revelation 13 and the number 666 in a nearly finished evangelistic series in the Mysen Church.

The meetings enjoyed a kind spirit as several ethnicities came together in a common interest: living and giving the third angel's message faithfully at the end of time. Participants included a variety of nationalities. I made several new friends. What a blessing to visit with so many serious workers from overseas. I am glad to be able to report to you that there are serious, godly, well-established, faithful SDAs overseas who have their head on straight. Sometimes one feels that perhaps true Adventists are almost extinct. Not so! Rather, serious work is increasing. Something precious is beginning to happen in God's church!

Here (left) is the main Mattesson school building, and here (right) one of our sessions on Bible prophecy with Pr. Jorgensen leading the study.

Besides photos included here, I wanted to share the URLs of some of these entities with you. Norway is a good place for serious Adventists although the inroads of liberalism are as evident there as they are here in America.

Pastor Larry Kirkpatrick is an ordained minister of the gospel. Since 1994 he has served in the American Southwest as pastor to several churches. He received his BA in Religion from Southern Adventist University in 1994 and a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in 1999 with a specialization in Adventist Studies. While in Michigan he was employed by the General Conference at the White Estate Berrien Springs branch office. More important than his scholastic preparation has been his immersion in the biblical and Spirit of Prophecy materials. He is author of the 2003 book Real Grace for Real People. Presently he serves as Pastor of the Mentone Church of Seventh-day Adventists, located near Loma Linda, California. Larry is married to Pamela. The couple presently live in Highland, California along with their two children, Etienne and Melinda.