Brunstad Conference Center facts for kids
Brunstad Conference Center (BCC) is a conference centre in Stokke, Vestfold in Norway. The centre is owned and managed by the Christian fellowship called Den Kristelige menighet. They are often called Smith's Friends. The Smith's friends bought the farm at Brunstad near Stokke in Melsomvik in 1956.
The center was used for their own conferences. In 2000 Smith's Friends, decided to let others use the building. The old meeting hall which seated 4,700 was replaced by a new meeting hall, with space for 6,800 people, and a tent camp with over 600 caravan spots was fixed and replaced with just as many cabins, which were rented by the members of the church.
Maintenance and development of Brunstad is still done by volunteers. During the building project and during arrangements, members are used as voluntary workers, or paid expenses. Money for the expansion project came for the most from the effort from the "A-lag" (A-team), where the church's youth from all over the world participate and do voluntarily work.
BCC is now a modern location for events and conferences. Brunstad has several restaurants, a cafeteria style restaurant, a large coffee bar, and a grocery store.
BCC got a lot of stories in the media in 2004 when BCC bought Østre Bolærne island from the Norwegian Military. After a lot of media attention, BCC agreed to cancel the sale, and the town of Vestfold Fylkeskommune became the new owner. Instead, BCC was able to buy property on Syningen in Hallingdal.
Events
Every year one of the biggest shows at Brunstad Conference Center is the Arctic Equestrian Games, Norway's biggest horse show. It was first held in February, 2006.
