Volunteer sessions in full swing

We practise Norwegian pronunciation while the wood shavings fly! We had a few aches and pains after last Wednesday’s session, admit Adham and Ibrahim, two of our keen volunteers. But it’s good exercise, Adham says with a smile, showing his muscles. There’s spring in the air and the birds are singing as we chat and work. We know this spring will be hectic – there’s a lot to do before this summer’s inauguration. The entrance, the back wall and the gangway have to be built, the solar panels installed and we have to plan the lighting. We would also like to have a creative workshop to make a large wreath of branches as a decoration inside the cathedral that all the religions can have in common, says Solveig Egeland, the artist behind it all. These volunteer sessions give us energy, she adds. And we’re going to need that as the final stage approaches. In case anyone is in doubt, we hold volunteer sessions (with corona restrictions) and welcome school classes to workshops in the weeks ahead. Contact us and we’ll find a plan that suits you!

Annual report 2020

What did we actually do in the corona year of 2020? A report is now available that shows in words and pictures what happened at the Hope Cathedral. And it’s quite a lot! How lucky we are to be outdoors and to have a spacious construction site at our disposal! It means that we’ve had an almost normal level of activity, albeit with a few delays. There have been many fine human encounters, and we even managed to produce all the roof plates from the maritime plastic we gathered! Happy reading. Thanks to everyone who has voluntarily contributed to making the report. Special thanks to Maya Nielsen who has taken care of the graphics. The report (in Norwegian) can be downloaded from our webpages.

Help from Prospera

In February a collaborative project with the Prospera Foundation started. A dynamic and diverse team consisting of people who give of their own time to good causes will be helping the Hope Cathedral in communication work in the period leading up to the establishment and operation phase. The team consists of six consultants within such fields as project management, communication, creative work, marketing, strategy, text production and networking. We are delighted by this collaboration and look forward to learning more about what we need to do in order to succeed and reach our goals. This fantastic team consists of Cecilia Brynhildsen (Project manager, Cityplan), Gry Elisabeth Pedersen (Marketing specialist Østfold International Theatre), Thomas Torjusen (Media and IT Manager Norsk Toppfotball), Bengt-Eigil Ruud (Communication Advisor, the Consumer Council), Sunniva Larsen Ihlebæk (Brand Manager, Brynhild Group) og Bjørn Thore Schulstad (Assistant Head, Kongeveien School).

Visit from Italy

Philip is 17 and from Como in Italy. This semester he is a language student at Greåker High School. He dropped in on a volunteer session in February and impressed us with his language skills. After just a few weeks of language training he could make himself understood in Norwegian. Here he is wielding a plane on a board that will be part of the cathedral. A good impression to make!

Are you involved in faith education?

If so, you should check out our new teaching material (in Norwegian). With funding from the Church Council we’ve made a faith education teaching package available to congregations and others. The material consists of both of guides and films, and is linked to UN Sustainability goal nr. 14 (Life under water) and goal nr. 15 (Life on land). It can be downloaded from of our website. The Church has also published Bærekraftsboka - FNs bærekraftsmål i lys av kristen tro The Sustainability Book – UN sustainability goals in the light of Christian faith which can be found at www.bærekraftsboka.no

Language training in the carpentry workshop

Every Thursday a group of older men come to the workshop at Isegran. They produce the Bee Cathedrals that are sold in support of the project. At the same time, they practice their Norwegian. These are men from different countries who are not otherwise eligible for language teaching, but who are taking part in the municipality’s self-reliance group that meets twice a week.

Prayer for Hope and the Ocean

Every last Sunday of the month you are invited to a quiet moment of reflection at the Hope Cathedral. In February the gathering was led by Ann Christin Nocholaysen, deacon of Fredrikstad Cathedral. Next prayer will be arranged on Sunday the 28 th of March at 5.30. Welcome to Isegran!

Inauguration on 5th June

The inauguration of the Hope Cathedral will be streamed by The Norwegian Church on Saturday 5.6 at 2.pm, so that as many as possible can follow the big day. Mark the day in your calendar now!

The Hope Cathedral is an inter-faith and sustainable art project based in Fredrikstad. We are building a 120 m2 barge of wood which will support the Hope Cathedral. The framework is inspired by stave churches, while the 300 m2 roof will be built as an innovative project using plastic from the ocean. The cathedral will be a symbol of hope built through cooperation. The project is under the leadership of Borg Diocese. Both the process and the finished cathedral is open to all. 

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Contact Anne Skauen anne@hopecathedral.no +4795912552 www.håpetskatedral.no