It’s been a time of change and new beginnings at the Anglican Chaplaincy in Norway. The new Senior Chaplain, the Revd Darren McCallig, was licensed by Archdeacon Colin Williams at the end of October at a service in Saint Edmund’s Church in Oslo. The three other licensed clergy in the Chaplaincy – the Revd Peter Hogarth, the Revd April Almaas and the Revd Kirk Weisz – flew into the Norwegian capital to welcome their new colleague in ministry.

With weekly services in Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim and Oslo, the Chaplaincy covers an enormous geographical area, and building a strong sense of common purpose and identity is a key priority. To that end, the parish magazine (formerly known as “Outpost”) has just been given an overhaul and a new name. Writing in the new-look publication, the Senior Chaplain, the Revd Darren McCallig explained:

“You’ll have noticed that the masthead on this issue of our newsletter – my first as your Senior Chaplain – has changed. The reason is simple. The newsletter is called “Together” because we are called together – called together by God to be sisters and brothers in faith in this Anglican Chaplaincy in Norway.

It is a beautiful and a demanding calling. Our Archbishop Justin Welby put it in memorable terms in a recent sermon. The vocation of a Christian community, he said, is to give people an opportunity to recognise two things: (i) the complexity of each other; and (ii) the simplicity of seeking to put Christ at the centre of everything.”

The new Senior Chaplain went on to elaborate on this vocation and its particular relevance for a widely dispersed Chaplaincy. You can download his comments, and a full copy of issue number one of “Together”, at www.osloanglicans.no

Pictured is the front cover of the first issue of “Together”. It shows, shaking hands at centre, Archdeacon Colin Williams (left) and the Revd Darren McCallig (right) along with clergy colleagues, lay readers from the Norwegian Chaplaincy, and ecumenical friends.