Who are we?

From baptism in the Spirit to a thriving church

The story of Livets Ord Moss begins in the years after the First World War. A small group of people in Moss experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit and received baptism in the Spirit as a gift of grace. They found one another, and in this fellowship laid the foundation for something that has continued to grow to this day.

On Saturday 14 September 1929, twenty-five people came together to found Filadelfia Moss. The following Sunday, something happened that set the tone for the future: the first member, Per Høidebraaten, was baptised in Værla. From the very beginning, this was a church with a burning heart for God and people — a heritage that has endured for almost a hundred years.

Faithfulness and fellowship

The church's first council of elders consisted of Josef Bentzen, Karl Hauptmann, Einar Johansen and the preacher B. Bakke. In its early decades, through wartime and the post-war years, the church had no premises of its own. Yet the work continued.

Through faith, sacrifice and fellowship, the church raised funds and eventually purchased land in Klostergata. After a considerable volunteer effort, its own building was completed in September 1969 — a visible testimony to what God can do through willing hearts.

Volunteers worked four evenings a week throughout the construction period, which lasted two years and ten months.

A vibrant church life

The decades after the church established its own building were marked by great activity and enthusiasm. Meetings were held several times a week, and the church regularly visited institutions in Moss to offer devotions and care. Music flourished, and the fellowship was rich and welcoming. Friday afternoons were devoted to children, followed by youth meetings in the evening — a rhythm that shaped generations.

An unsettled period of forty years in rented premises had ended, and the church rejoiced in its new home of its own.

The women's mission group was also strong. For decades, women gathered in Klostergaten for prayer, God's word and fellowship — with singing, poetry readings and devotions. This heritage lives on today as the women's fellowship carries the church in prayer and helps open the way spiritually.

A heart for mission

From the beginning, mission was a natural part of the church's DNA. As early as 1936, Filadelfia supported its first missionary, Leonard Pettersen, in South America. The following year, the church became the sending church for Magdala Jønvåg Pettersen to India. Since then, it has sent and supported missionaries around the world. This commitment remains alive today, supporting work in Kenya, Belarus and the Philippines, among other places.

A new step of faith

Klostergaten 1 served the church faithfully for over forty years. In time, the congregation outgrew the premises, and Klostergaten 1 was converted into flats rented out in cooperation with Moss municipality. Through prayer, a clear vision emerged to establish the church in the town centre. A thorough search of available buildings in Moss proved unsuccessful. The search for suitable premises was long and challenging, until one day a woman who had recently joined us took the initiative to visit a local estate agent. She simply explained that her new church needed new premises.

Shortly afterwards, the estate agent contacted the church. He suggested a building at Dronningens gate 10, right on the pedestrian street — a building that at first seemed hopeless. Dating from 1812, it needed extensive, complete renovation.

God opened a way for what had first seemed unlikely. With great faith and an impressive volunteer effort, the building was purchased and fully renovated.

Today the church is located on the pedestrian street, with an attractive café and modern premises used by many as a natural meeting point and an open gathering place.

Major development projects are now taking place around the building, and the church is strategically positioned — at the heart of the future for both Moss and the congregation itself.

Volunteers worked every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday for a year.

A testimony to God's faithfulness

Today the church owns both Klostergaten 1 and Dronningens gate 10. To the congregation, this feels like a miracle. Dronningens gate 10 has become a beautiful and practical church building, with particularly good facilities for children and young people. It is a house filled with life, faith and a future.

Another unsettled period of just over ten years in rented premises had ended, and the church rejoiced in its new home of its own.

The church changes its name and becomes part of Livets Ord.

Over a period of more than two years, the church went through a process of joining Livets Ord. The matter was discussed at four church meetings, and on 9 April 2026 the congregation finally voted to become part of the Livets Ord movement and change its name to Livets Ord. The church remains part of the Pentecostal movement in Norway.

Today, Livets Ord Moss is a vibrant, multicultural church in the heart of the town. The congregation has a strong desire to equip Christians and reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

With gratitude to God, we see life continuing to flourish: new people find their way here, new generations rise up, and God's love reaches further. By God's grace, the church still stands in the same calling as at the beginning — to lift up the name of Jesus and be a home for all who seek him.