Mission
Training missionaries for life!
The purpose of Matteson Mission School is to train and qualify people to become full time missionaries.
Thus the school is committed to giving young people a profound experience, providing them with the motivation, knowledge, skills and practice necessary to choose a life of surrender to God and active soul winning.
It is our goal that our graduates become resources for existing ministries or instrumental in starting new ones supporting the Seventh-day Adventist Church, preparing people for Christ’s imminent return.
Matteson Logo – symbolism
We have chosen the sycamore seed as our logo because it is dynamic and a symbol of growth and reproduction. It flies away from the mother tree and in turn will start a new tree. Our mission has been clearly communicated to us in the Bible, and it is to reach out to the whole world with the gospel. We have chosen to make this ambitious goal to be our own.
Matt 5-7
Deut 6
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, evento the end of the age.” Amen. Matth 28:18-20
The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. Deuteronomy 28:12-13
Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act accordingto them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for thisis your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’
“For what great nation is there that has Godso near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has suchstatutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Deuteronomy 4:5-8
The Lord calls upon our young people to enter our schools and quickly fit themselves for service. In various places outside of cities, schools are to be established where our youth can receive an education that will prepare them to go forth to do evangelical work and medical missionary work. 9 Testimonies 170
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! Education 271
True education is missionary training. Every son and daughter of God is called to be a missionary; we are called to the service of God and our fellow men; and to fit us for this service should be the object of our education. Ministry of Healing 395
The work of God in this earth can never be finished until the men and women comprising our church membership rally to the work and unite their efforts with those of ministers and church officers. 9 Testimonies 117
The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest place in education…
Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator—individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men’s thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions. Education 17
Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children. Education 18
TESTIMONIES FOR SITE MAP – short and read-more:
The way of learning is different – we learn for life and not for a test, we learn for ourselves not for our teachers. RW
READ MORE:
REBEKKA WALLNER, STUDENT 2011-2012: (PICTURE)
I didn’t know why but Jesus wanted me to come to Matteson. Day by day I learn more why: He teaches me so many things. I love the classes that we have. It is not important if it is church history, nutrition, biblical doctrines, true education, colportering or gardening. The way of learning is different – we learn for life and not for a test, we learn for ourselves not for our teachers. Practical work outside, cooking, cleaning, outreach, worships together and family meetings became very special to me. The variety of the program makes life colourful and helps me to understand one more part about Gods character.
I saw that the bible can never get boring. PR
READ MORE:
PERNILLE RASMUSSEN, student 2011/2012 (PICTURE)
I discovered how mission work is to be a lifestyle, not only in theory, but in practice; I learned that every child of God is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary and I have decided to follow the call and give everything to God’s work and not only parts of my life. For the first time I heard about God’s plan of reaching people through outpost centers and was amazed about these plans that definitely will have an influence on my future planning.
Better to leave than never have been here. AB
READ MORE:
ALENA BIER, student 2011/2012 (PICTURE)
Tonight was a strange evening, sitting there in the living room with the guitar, saying goodnight to you. It was so normal, expecting being there again the next morning. But not this time; I will not be there any more. But I will leave my heart at this place. It will be here always with you, with my beloved Matteson family.
Matteson impacted my life so deeply, I cannot describe, but God knows. And I will take Matteson with me and carry it in my heart. Remembering this place and this wonderful people, God knew why He should bring me to this place and I am thankful for it. It turned my world upside down, it was an “Impact Alena”. My life has a new meaning, wonderful! Now I need to leave, but better to leave than never have been here!
I praise God for Matteson Mission School because it produces long-term missionaries, not only people that know the Bible very well. AF
Being at Matteson Mission School is character building. AF
At Matteson I experienced a paradigm shift in my thinking of what life is all about. AF
READ MORE:
ALEXANDER FRIDRIKSSON, student 2011/2012 (PICTURE)
Being at Matteson Mission School is character building. I have enjoyed learning a lot about things in the Bible, about how to heal persons with natural remedies and about agriculture. Many of the things I have learned here are things that I would not have thought of before and I can say with complete assurance that being here has been a huge blessing for me.
I have experienced the depth of Adventism and its beauty and I thank God for this essential experience. CL
The food is delicious; especially when you know that you have picked, gathered, cooked and prepared it yourself. CL
The essence of my experience here at Matteson is getting to know self and God. CL
All in all it was the most important year of my life. It was this year that I was new born by the Spirit. I learned about forgiveness, love and grace. I thank God. CL
The True Education classes were an eye-opening experience VR
READ MORE:
VICTOR DOS SANTOS ROCHA, student 2011/2012 (PICTURE)
The health message at Matteson was for sure a big blessing. Getting up early in the morning drinking water and hydrotherapy, walking in the nature, and new eating habits, really helped me to have a clearer mind in order for God to communicate with us.
The vision about a training school for youth in Norway was born under a starry Ethiopian sky already in 1966, as missionary Gunnar Gustavsen was pondering how the message could reach out to the countless souls in the world. He then was inspired by the quote from Ellen G. White:” With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!” (Ed 271). Since then he made several attempts to initiate a training program and worked on a concept that would fulfil this purpose.
He was later introduced to the young theology student Kenneth Jørgensen, who, with some friends had been meeting to study Bible prophecies in their Christmas break. The Bible truths they discovered inspired them to share this with others and they chose to challenge their fear of men by gathering the next summer to do door to door literature evangelism.
As the two men’s visions for Bible, mission and young people were compatible, they became a team in establishing the Matteson Institute of Evangelism. Gustavsen was at the time the literature secretary in the Norwegian Union and the school was started in 1986 as part of the training of literature evangelists and others who wanted to engage in personal evangelism. The school has developed over the years, from sporadic courses and mission projects in local churches to the school program as it is presented today, in permanent facilities provided by the Granheim foundation, established in 1991.
The school was a separate department in, and partially sponsored by the Norwegian Union until 2005. After this, the Granheim foundation has had the full responsibility for the operation and financing of the school. In 2005 the school joined forces with Gospel Ministries International (GMI), which gave the school a more international profile; A mission internship in GMI projects was included in the school year, the school opened more up for international students, the language in which classes were taught changed to English and the school was renamed Matteson Institute of World Mission.
In 2010 the school changed name to Matteson Mission School. This change was done in order to have a name that is short, easy to use and clearly states the nature school.
Matteson Mission School has over the years kept and developed the elements that constituted the program from the beginning; The 1-year program, summer mission (now in cooperation with IMPACT), New Year’s Rally (now in cooperation with EYE). In early history were also included Easter Rally and Inspiration Weekends, which also have continued to bless many participants
Matteson Mission School is owned and operated by the Granheim Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation (org.nr. 960 801 105). The foundation is committed to providing facilities, whether by owning or renting, to Matteson Mission School or other projects that follow the guidelines given on education in the Bible and the books of Ellen White.
As classrooms connected to the school the Granheim Foundation also operates some services for the local community:
A home bakery, including vegetarian catering service that upon ordering? brings healthy, tasty meals into people’s homes for special occasions as well as the everyday. (pics of some food – in faith that we will restart this soon)
A composting plant with reception of branches from private gardens in the community. Over the years the foundation has developed an organic compost of high quality that is available for sale. (picture of the test, and maybe the bags?)
According to the school program, each student invests 10 hours work per week for the Granheim Foundation as part of their compensation for their stay at the school.
Granheim Foundation is a member of Adventist-laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI) and Outpost Centers International (OCI).
Mattesonskolen eies og drives av Granheim- stiftelsen, som i tillegg til skoledriften også driver vegetarisk catering og kompost- og grøntanlegg. Mattesonskol- en samarbeider med Gospel Ministries International (GMI) og engasjerer seg i et dynamisk, verdensomspennende misjonsarbeid. Granheimstiftelsen er medlem av Outpost Centers International (OCI) og Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI), og er en assosiert LIGHT-skole (Lay Institute of Global Health Training)
Practical Work
 |
 |