There is a Christian revival in several places, with street missions operating from tents in the city centres of Trondheim and Oslo, and Marches for Jesus in both Tønsberg and Brattvåg this weekend. “Today the streets of Tønsberg were filled with worship, prayer and testimony about Jesus Christ,” writes Joseph Akinyele on Facebook. He is a pastor in an international church denomination, is based in Norway and engages in missionary work. Akinyele is not alone in spreading the word of God.
Christian immigrants are passionate about Norway, believes journalist, podcaster and author Tone Dalhaug. She was among the many who participated in the March for Jesus in Tønsberg this weekend, and summarises on Facebook that she and many others from different church backgrounds had taken part in something powerful and beautiful:
“Michele Paulsen from Brazil carries the vision and has organised this for several years in Kristiansand. Many Christian immigrants experience a missionary calling to Norway and pray for our country. It was wonderful to hear speeches, worship, the blowing of shofars, and to walk down from Slottsfjellet to the centre of Tønsberg, where there was later a worship concert. It turned out to be a fine Sabbath,” writes Dalhaug and shares a video from the March for Jesus.
25,000 in the March for Jesus in London
One week earlier there was a March for Jesus in London, where 25,000 people reportedly took part. This comes several decades after the Jesus movement that began in London in 1987 and spread to several countries and continents before the Christian movement somewhat declined. At least in the West.
According to the organisers, the aim of those who arranged the March for Jesus in London at Pentecost was “to publicly celebrate Jesus, heal the spiritual atmosphere in our city, and create hope and peace in our communities”, according to Evangelical Focus.
“Younger generations have genuine courage to follow Jesus,” Henry George from London told Premier Christian News. The organisers in London wished to join the global Christian revival currently taking place and said that they were inspired by places such as Belfast, Paris and Colombia to revive the Jesus movement. “People from Asia, Africa, Europe and America are organising Marches for Jesus, and we want to join the global family,” he told the Christian newspaper.
Brazilian launched the Norwegian March for Jesus
The initiator of the March for Jesus in Tønsberg is Michele De Almeida Paulsen, originally from Brazil, and it all began with a revelation she received in 2013. Jesus called her to carry out something that she herself did not yet understand, Paulsen writes on her own website.
Michele Paulsen organised the March for Jesus several times during the years that followed. At the time she lived in Kristiansand and recounts that it was somewhat difficult to secure the municipality’s cooperation:
“I went to the municipality in Kristiansand and told them that I had received a vision from God. The employees of Kristiansand municipality did not understand my vision, because they asked me who had spoken to me? Has God spoken to you? How can God speak to you? Yes, I told them several times that God had spoken to me and that I had to do something, but I did not know how to carry it out. They sent me from person to person, and in the end they found someone whom they believed could understand me,” writes Michele Paulsen.
Some of the participants in the March for Jesus in Tønsberg on Saturday, 30 May 2026. Photo: Joseph Akinyele, Facebook.
International environment
The Jesus movement did indeed emerge, and this weekend there was a major event in Tønsberg. Joseph Akinyele was among the many participants. He is himself a pastor in the international church denomination Kingdom Culture International Church (KCIC). The church has branches in several countries, including Germany, Slovakia and Nigeria. One of its leaders is based in Tønsberg, Norway. “When a city pauses and Jesus is exalted” is the title Akinyele gives to this weekend’s event for Jesus in Tønsberg:
“People from different congregations, nations and generations came together with one purpose: to lift up the name above all names – Jesus. What moved me most was not the size of the event, the music or the march itself. It was seeing people surrender their hearts to God in the middle of the city centre. People kneeling in prayer. Hands raised in worship. Tears bearing witness that God is touching lives in our own time as well.
A special thank you to Pastor Michele Paulsen for her vision, leadership and tireless efforts throughout the planning and implementation of the Tønsberg March for Jesus 2026. Through her ministry and the efforts of many volunteers, the Body of Christ was united across congregations and backgrounds to lift up Jesus in our city.
Thanks also to all the volunteers, musicians, prayer ministers, pastors, congregations and participants who made this day possible.
Revival is not primarily about large gatherings. Revival begins when ordinary people give Jesus the place He deserves. May the seeds sown today bear fruit in Tønsberg, Vestfold, Norway and far beyond our borders. ‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ (John 12:32) Jesus was lifted high today. The glory belongs to God alone,” writes Joseph Akinyele in his report, which includes a large number of photographs.
Jesus in Brattvåg
There was also a March for Jesus in Brattvåg near Ålesund on Saturday, 30 May. It was not as large an event as the one in Tønsberg, but highly successful, participant Vigdis writes on social media:
“Thank you to everyone who came today. Nelly came all the way from Volda, and several nations were represented. We were blessed with wonderful weather, and the Lord was there. Several young people came and joined the March for Jesus. We sang, and the worship went forth,” she summarises.