When Brunstad was purchased in 1956, the area was far from what we know it as today. It was a small farm with a farmhouse and barn, forest roads, wet fields, and ditches down toward the beach. Still, the place meant a great deal.
The memories from the early days at Brunstad are still clear.
Until 1957, conferences and gatherings were held in other places in Norway, including Nesbyen. Ruth Vedvik (85) especially remembers the prayer meetings by the waterfall in Nesbyen, where the sound of the water meant they could gather without disturbing those who lived nearby. She had been attending conferences and gatherings ever since she was a little girl.
When the news of the purchase of Brunstad came, Ruth, who was 16 years old at the time, and her friend got a ride on a motorcycle down to see the place with their own eyes. It was in 1956, the year before the first Summer Conference.
Memories from the first summer
At the first Summer Conference in 1957, the meetings were held under a wooden frame with a tarp. She remembers that during one of the meetings, it was rainy and windy. So someone had to climb up and push the tarp into place, because it was about to blow away.
That summer, Ruth lived with four or five girls in a small tent. It was just big enough for them to sleep in. When it rained, they would sing, “Out in the world storms are raging; Here it is peaceful and blest.” Ruth says that they were mostly dry inside the tent, even though it was storming outside.
She laughs a little when she thinks back on the good memories.
When the girls were going to set up the tent, they encountered some challenges. A young man came over and helped them. His name was John Vedvik. Three years later, he and Ruth got married. The next few years they had ten children together who would all get rich childhood memories at Brunstad. Practical challenges at the campsite did not stop them from coming back every year.
People who left a mark
She talks about the church leaders she grew up with, and about how they complemented each other.
“Elias Aslaksen liked to hold long meetings,” Ruth says.
“Beside him sat Aksel J. Smith. They were very different, but they got along very well and supported each other,” Ruth remembers. She smiles when she recounts a small episode from a meeting.
“Aslaksen suddenly had to go out, and Aksel J. Smith leaned forward and said with a twinkle in his eye:
‘There must be others who need to run the same errand, so I think we should end the meeting now!'”
She experienced that they had great respect for each other.
“They submitted to one another. I can never remember there being any bad blood between them, and that made the whole atmosphere very good.”
But it is not only the leaders she remembers.
Throughout the conversation, Ruth constantly talks about people who showed care in quiet ways. She remembers how when her mother grew older, she would often come down early to the campsite in the morning to be with Ruth and John’s large flock of children.
“Sometimes we woke up, and then mother was already sitting quietly inside the tent annex.”
When Ruth and her sister Eva May talk about their mother today, they often return to the same question:
“‘What would mother have done now?’ And we know the answer. At least no evil!”
The development begins
Brunstad changed quickly, and after a few years there were better restroom facilities, a meeting hall, and eventually a dining hall inside the small farm. Around the area, loudspeakers were set up so that people with children could listen at the campsite.
One of Ruth’s clearest memories is the loudspeaker outside the restroom building. People would gather there with chairs to listen. This way, the children could sleep nearby, while the parents could take in the edification.
For Ruth and her family, the days were simple, but full of content. The children swam, played, and spent long summer days by the water. Their favorite thing was eating down there by the water. When Ruth looks back, it is the small moments she remembers best.
Year after year, the family returned, and the Summer Conferences became a fixed point.
Desiring to gather around God’s word
Much has changed since 1956, and Ruth still comes to Brunstad every year. Forest roads and ditches have been replaced by modern infrastructure, and instead of a bag of food under a tarp, participants now enjoy food provided in the all-inclusive concept.
But Ruth is clear that there is one thing that has not changed: The preaching and God’s word, which bring fellow believers from all over the world back to Brunstad year after year.
That was what drew Ruth to Brunstad as a young girl in 1956, and it is still what makes her come back to the conference in 2026, 70 years later.
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