Baptistic Theologies, 2009

Rymker reports of a trial against him. He had performed baptism and the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper without 9 Ibid., p. 76. The reason for his fear was that Gundersen was only 18 years old and under the age of accountability and could not take himself out of the State Church. There was no local Baptist church for him to become a member of either. Also, Rymker baptised without having the necessary ordination papers required by the State. 60 Ibid., p. 77. Abraham Pedersen Klovholdt was baptised in a lake next to his house on the 9th February. Sigvald Andersen was baptised in the river outside Porsgrunn on 20 th March. The first woman baptised was Ingeborg Kristian Oldsdatter, mother to Carl Gundersen on 30 th October. A few days later, on the 6 lh November, Anders Olsen was baptised. On the 10 lh Kari Christendatter wanted to be baptised, but her husband did not want Rymker to baptise his wife, but before his eyes, she was baptised. The last who was baptised in 1859 was Tharan Berntine Kristoffersdatter from Porsgrunn which happened on 26 th December. After two years of work, seven people had been baptised and one could make the statement that it was minor results. However, it was the groundwork for the establishment of the first Baptist church in Norway which happened in April 1860 in Porsgrunn. 61 Ibid., p. 79. 62 Ibid., p. 81. 118 Baptistic Theologies having ordination papers from the Baptist Union. The Town Sheriff advised him to obtain the required papers, which he got from Julius Kpbner in Copenhagen (a colleague of Johann Oncken, the Hamburg Baptist leader) and Wiberg in Stockhom, and to organise a church for all the Baptists in the area, and that he himself should be accepted as pastor. He would have total freedom to preach, baptise and serve the Lord’s Supper. So on 22 nd April 1860, in the home of Rymker in Zimmermanngarden in Porgsgrunn, against the advice of A. Wiberg who wanted them to wait until F.O. Nilsson arrived in Norway, the ‘Baptist Congregation of Porsgrunn and Solum’ was constituted with eight members. 64 With this act, the Baptists became more than individuals who had a baptistic faith and conviction; they now received a collective, organisational expression even though it was basic in its format. 65 Although the first Baptist church was constituted in Porsgrunn and Solum, Skien is recognised and published as the first Baptist church in Norway. There were no new Baptist churches constituted in 1861. The work of the church in Porsgrunn was moved from Porsgrunn to Skien, where they got a permanent meeting place in ‘Stuen i Blekedalen’, a house owned by Skien’s brewery. They changed the name of the church to ‘The Baptist Church in Porsgrunn, Solum and Skien’. On 14 th July, five people were baptised in Skien and added to the membership. In August F.O. Nilsson from Sweden arrived in Skien and helped Rymker in the work. He stayed six weeks. During his stay, Rymker baptised