Maicon Silva Steuernagel came from Brazil to Norway in the autumn of 2010 and has been an active part of OiC ever since his arrival, dividing his time between serving our community and his work with NMS—where he currently supports young adults who travel to engage with churches and organizations in cultures different from their own.

A pastor and social anthropologist by training, Maicon is passionate about the space of possibility that opens when we meet across our differences: the possibility for growth in understanding, compassion, forgiveness, reconciliation, and embrace, and the possibility for walls of division, hatred, and prejudice to lose their strength and fall. He believes our tables should be set with generosity and grace—whether it is the table of the altar or the everyday tables where we share meals and life together in our communities and homes.

Maicon’s home is a beautiful mess of languages and other forms of cultural chaos, and his idea of a perfect day is a home cooked meal shared with his family—and always a few friends. If it’s summer and the food is cooked over a campfire, you are likely to find him smiling and deeply grateful.