Jill Beatty will tell us about the Norwegian Seamen's Church of which there are five in the United States. These are the Sjomannskirken - The Norwegian Church abroad. Established in Bergen, Norway, in 1864, their mission was to establish safe havens for Norwegian seamen around the world. Priests or ministers visited harbors and ships, resulting in opening of several churches in different countries.

Today, they continue to meet Norwegians abroad, but the focus has shifted from concentrating on sailors, to all Norwegians living, studying, and working around the world. They also have churches in popular tourist destinations and in cities with a high population of Norwegians.

In the United States, there are churches in Florida, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.