Reaching Out in Oslo, Where the Long Nights Are Cold But the People Are Warm

Scientology Volunteer Ministers bring a bright touch of yellow to the long Norwegian night.

Each year, when the list of the world’s happiest countries is published, Norway appears among the top 10. But three years of economic stress from the pandemic and its fallout has made an impact on the general well-being and optimism. That’s what a team of Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology of Oslo discovered when they reached out from their bright yellow tent with help.

“People are curious about Scientology,” said one of the volunteers, “and they found it a relief to have someone to talk to about their concerns. Many were particularly interested in helping their friends and families, and they responded to the motto “Det kan gjøres noe med det”—“Something can be done about it.”

The volunteers introduced visitors to the Scientology Tools for Life courses covering each of the 19 subjects of The Scientology Handbook. Each course is available free of charge in 18 languages including Norwegian through the Scientology website. These courses contain practical skills anyone can use to help others, including how to resolve conflicts,   cope with the ups and downs of life, salvage relationships, improve the ability to study, and set and accomplish goals. 

The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It constitutes one of the world’s largest independent relief forces. 

A Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Their creed: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”

For more information on the technology used by the Volunteer Minister, watch a series of films that present an overview of the Scientology Tools for Life on the Scientology Network, broadcast on DIRECTV channel 320 and streaming at Scientology.tv, through mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.