Andreas Nilsen
Our dearly beloved brother, Andreas Nilsen, went home to God on January 7th of this year, at his home in Brevik. He was 74 years old. A rich and wholehearted life lived in faithfulness toward Christ has thus been concluded on this earth.
Brother Nilsen was apprehended of Christ in his youth while doing his compulsory military service. There was revival on board one of the navy ships, and together with several other sailors he came to our meetings in Horten.
Settling in Brevik, he zealously and faithfully held meetings for some elderly sisters for many years. After some years, revival broke out, and a splendid group of young people joined, among them several young couples. The revival also spread to Porsgrunn and Skien. Through his faithfulness throughout many years under the cover of reproach, brother Nilsen had received wisdom from God so that he was well equipped to look after the flock. He became a truly good shepherd for them, and an unusually good love-relationship arose among them. He was avidly interested in each one of them and never spared himself in order to help them.
Brother Nilsen worked as a shop foreman at the Brevik shipyards until he became a pensioner. He and his God-fearing and faithful wife, Marie, who is still living, had six children—three daughters and three sons, all of whom are grown-up and married and wholeheartedly along in the church. Their grand-children also participate in the meetings by testifying Brother Nilsen’s home was always open to the friends.
The flock of friends gradually increased, and eventually it became difficult to find a meeting hall that was large enough for both young and old. Then the friends started to build a large, first-rate meeting hall using voluntary labor. Since there are many capable tradespeople among them, the project progressed quickly. There was no lack of capable brothers and sisters willing to help. Brother Nilsen was able to attend the dedication feast of the meeting hall this past fall.
On Wednesday, January 13th, we gathered for his funeral in Brevik. It was a genuine church funeral, both in the chapel and then at the gravesite, and apparently it was the largest funeral that has ever taken place in that locale. Brother Nilsen was respected both inside and outside the church. Several hundred people were in attendance. For the memorial feast in the new meeting hall, tables were set for approximately three hundred people, and all the seats were taken. Besides friends from various places in Norway, friends came from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In the past, tours to Brevik have been arranged for the friends from outside Norway in connection with our summer conferences at Brunstad, and there they have been received hospitably by the friends and have had blessed gatherings. So they had learned to know brother Nilsen especially well, and when his passing was announced, several of them made the long trip to his funeral.
At the memorial feast it was emphasized how brother Nilsen had sacrificed himself, serving the friends so that they were greatly blessed. Many of the friends praised God for brother Nilsen, mentioning all kinds of good qualities from his life. His wife, children, and grandchildren were full of gratitude for husband, father, and grandfather.
Life passes quickly; may God give us abundant grace to finish our race to His honor, zealously and faithfully. Think to be united with Christ and the saints in everlasting and glorified joy in the heavenly habitations! If Christ has been our life, and not material things, then death will be our gain, an entrance into life’s incorruptible glory. That is where our accumulated treasure and riches must be!