ST ALBAN’S CHURCH

MAGAZINE FOR THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN

2019/2020 www.st-albans.dk Winter

St. Alban’s is a quarterly magazine printed by: JESPERSEN TRYK, Ved Langebro 1, 2300 København S. Email: [email protected]

Copies are available in church and it is available to view on our website: www.st-albans.dk Maria Kvan Mortensen kindly distributes it by post to members of our community who cannot access it electronically.

Editor: Beverly Lloyd-Roberts Managing Editor: Revd Smitha Prasadam. Photographers: As stated. Article authors: As stated.

Front Cover: Animal Blessing Service in October, 2019

Contributions, articles and photographs are gratefully received. Please send to [email protected]

Saint Alban's Church follows the Danish copyright law. If we have unintentionally published something without permission, please contact us.

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Service times

St Alban’s, Copenhagen

Holy Communion services are held every Sunday morning at 10:30.

Holy communion (or morning prayer) every Wednesday morning at 10:30 (Not on 31 December 2019)

Other services are held according to the season.

Coming up in the next few months:

Nine Lessons and Carols 8th December 1600 9th December 1900 Christmas Messy Church 14th December 14:00 Poetry and Carols 14th December 18:00 Children’s Nativity Christmas Eve 12:00 Midnight Mass Christmas Eve 23:30 Christmas Festival Eucharist Christmas Day 10:30

More detailed information on the services are on the notice boards and the website closer to the time of the service.

St Alban’s Church in ,

We also have an English-speaking congregation in Aarhus, Jutland, which meets at 18:00 on the last Sunday of the month (except December), in a church we gratefully borrow from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark.

Our Chaplain, Revd Smitha Prasadam of Saint Alban’s, Copenhagen, will normally lead the services. The Christmas Carol Service is on the 15th of December at 1800

Refreshments are served in Sognegården after the service. Everyone is welcome. Further details are available from Angela Hansen at [email protected] 3 ~ 3 ~

Message from the Chaplain:

Advent is a time when we are invited to learn how to wait for the Lord who comes. The temptation is to eliminate Advent and move directly to Christmas.

I’m writing this message in the last week of November having come from a school Nativity play. It is Tuesday and Advent Sunday is still a few days away.

The moment the Nativity draws near, it is time to start partying, “hyggeligt” Christmas lights are all around us, people are already saying “Happy Christmas!” We just cannot wait (says one who regularly prays – “Lord give me patience but hurry!”)

So, what can Advent teach us about waiting? Or Christmas about gift? Or indeed Epiphany about revelation?

First of all we who are rich must open our eyes to the poor who have no option but to wait. We too must share the patient vigil as they wait for a just and fairer sharing.

One tiny element is deepening our understanding of how God comes. The coming of God is not like the cavalry galloping to our rescue. God comes from within; from our deepest interiority. He is as St Augustine said, “closer to ourselves than we are to ourselves.”

During Advent we exercise patience as we wait and watch for the coming of the Lord; for his coming is not just the birth of a child but of a word. One might even say it was the coming of a language. It needed thousands of years before there was a way in which God’s Word could be spoken in the form of Jesus just like it took thousands of years for the development of the English of Shakespeare which now is used by poets, preachers, philosophers and peasants. The Word of God does not come down so much as it wells up within us and through our human language bringing hope, joy, reconciliation and peace. They are words within the Word. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory” as the glorious prologue to the Gospel of John proclaims.

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Alienation and division are as old as humanity itself but so too is the desire for reconciliation and unity. The prophet Isaiah who we hear throughout Advent and Christmas says, “they will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war.” (Isaiah 2.4).

Reconciliation is the renewing of relationships, it is a returning to friendship among persons, families, churches and groups. Jesus singles out those who worked for reconciliation for special blessing. “Happy are the peacemakers, they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt 5.9) The relationship between God and God’s people was strained and broken many times in the history of the chosen people. With each return to friendship the covenant is renewed and strengthened and the reconciliation celebrated. The formal return to Yahweh led to the annual celebration of the great day of Atonement (At-One-Ment).

Isaiah constantly speaks of the coming Messiah as the “Prince of Peace” and when Jesus is out and about we see that this is indeed his business. He worked for reconciliation. He saw that there could be no reconciliation without forgiveness - so forgiveness became a major theme in his preaching and activity.

This gives us hope. God is a concerned father, a good shepherd seeking out the lost and the lonely and setting right that which is broken and fractured.

Jesus emphasises that it is not just the person’s relationship with the community, wider society or environment though these are important. It is the life-giving relationship with the Living God

Let us pray then that the God of Advent meet us as we face the encircling darkness, that we may have the courage to challenge injustice, guard against self-righteousness, move towards the coming Light of the world and proclaim peace.

Revd Smitha Prasadam Chaplain

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Harvest Festival

On Sunday 29th September 2019 there was a fantastic ‘Harvest Festival Service’ at St. Alban’s Church. I have been coming to St. Alban’s for 9 years now and I have never seen such a good ‘All Age Service’. I think I can say there was definitely something for everyone in that service.

The warm glow it gave me seeing all the happy faces of the children getting involved in the service was wonderful. Other churches across the world seem to be worrying about not having enough children in their regular congregation but here at St. Alban’s the youngsters are gaining in numbers. This is wonderful, because as Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14. Encouraging children to join in not only 7 ~ 7 ~

brings new children in as they tell their friends how good it is at our church, but it brings their families in too. In the future these children will remember how they enjoyed Church when they were young and be more likely to take their children to Church. A truly good way of spreading the good news of Christianity.

The flowers in the service were wonderful, a big thanks must go out to our dedicated team of flower arrangers. Thanks, must also go to Martin and Merete, who not only baked a harvest loaf for us but also one for the congregation in Århus. The loaves were works of art, almost too good to eat, a sheaf of corn with a cute little mouse on each.

The next ‘All Age Service’ was wonderful too, with the children using building blocks with words on them to say what really builds a church.

This was fantastic as it gets the children to realise from a young age that it is the people that are the main building blocks of the Church.

Words and photos by Bev Lloyd-Roberts

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HARVEST FAIR

St Alban’s first ever Harvest Fair, held on 26 October in Skt Ansgar’s Church hall, is now a happy memory. When the annual summer fete had to be cancelled at the last minute the obvious alternative was to hold an autumn event, if only to sell the vast amounts of jam and marmalade stockpiled in the cupboards. Luckily Skt Ansgar’s Church hall was available on a convenient autumn Saturday, and so a project group set to work to mount a Harvest Fair.

The PR team immediately produced lively posters and publicity material, the usual suspects and a good many more were cajoled into baking enough cakes and scones to feed an army, the kitchen and food serving teams gathered their forces, Aarhus contributed a car boot full of goodies, the home produce team labelled and hatted vast numbers of jars of jam and marmalade, the Løgismose supermarket again contributed a general basket of goodies for a raffle, the books people were ruthless in selecting books as we only had half the usual sales space, the plants people surpassed themselves for the time of year, and the gifts and bottles tombola people couldn’t believe their luck with all that came weltering in. Members of the project group had fun decorating the hall and were joined

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by others to make up a heavy gang for all the driving and fetching and carrying. Every one of them deserves a big thank you for all their efforts.

By special request there were a couple of innovations for the occasion: a Prayer and Praise table concentrating on theological books and religious items, and a sustainable development stall which doubled as the children’s corner, although at one point the children took off to make a cake in the kitchen – sustainable development by another name, perhaps.

Our favourite bagpipers, knowing that their full-blown instruments would be a bit much indoors, instead entertained us with “small pipes”, which kept the decibels down to a manageable level. Before coming they had practised in the waiting-room for the eye department at hospital where one of them is the resident surgeon – an unexpected entertainment for the poor souls sitting around there, no doubt. We were also entertained by a mother and son recorder duo, although they had to work hard to be heard above the general chatter.

The confined space meant that we all had plenty of opportunities to talk to people from both the church and visitors to the Fair whom we might not have spoken to before, thus fulfilling another of our aims with communal events: to work together and have a chance to appreciate each other’s abilities. In short, a good time was had by all.

Words by Rosemary Bohr on behalf of the Project Group: Joyce Adda, Alex Onea, Martin Rasmussen, Palle Thordal, Smitha Prassadam

Photos by Bev Lloyd-Roberts

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Pet Blessing October 2019 Now I have to confess this is my favourite service of the year, due to the fact I am crazy about dogs. God certainly created a loving, faithful companion when he created the dog. Of course, all pets are welcome at the pet blessing service but here in St Alban’s, Copenhagen we only seem to get dogs, although there are usually some photos of other pets brought in to bless. The Pet Blessing is always usually held on the Sunday closet to the ‘Feast of St. Francis of Assisi’ who was born in the 12th Century.

The service this year was led by Lay Reader Victoria Wadsworth-Hansen and the blessing was given by Revd Palle Thordal.

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The dogs were all very well behaved and as always some of them decided to join in with the hymns. Buster went up and stood by his daddy, Graeme (yes we do call ourselves Mummy and Daddy to him, like a lot of dog owners these day) while he did a reading.

Victoria’s two dogs were extremely good considering they never cried out to her while she was doing the homily, but they were very happy when the service was finished, and they got their cuddles. All of the dogs there seemed very calm and seemingly very interested in what was going on when Revd Palle blessed them.

Words and photos by Bev L-R

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The Guardians’ Lunch

The Guardians’ lunch was held on Saturday 23rd November, kindly hosted by Revd Smitha and Peter in their home. The lunch is held every year and is a way of saying thank-you to all involved with the Guardians. This is a large group of people who are willing give up their time in three-hour slots to welcome visitors into St. Alban’s Church. Of course, they give up more than three hours in reality as many of them have to travel a long way and most of them on public transport. Rosemary has kindly written a little about the history of the Guardians, so do carry on reading below, it is very interesting. In the photos above you can see Grace receiving a large bouquet for all the years she has given her time; Grace is retiring from the Guardians now. Patrisya is seen receiving a plant for all the many times she came in this year before she got a job. The 13 ~ 13 ~

last photograph is Rosemary receiving a beautiful bouquet and a thank- you speech from Smitha for all the countless hours that Rosemary gives every year to the Guardians. She really is a star!

Words and photos by Bev Lloyd-Roberts

The History of the Guardians In common with many other aspects of life at St Alban’s Church, the guardians are about to undergo a change. From now on, they are to be known as “Visitor Welcome”, or “Welcomers.” so in recognition of their long and illustrious service as The Guardians, here is a short history of how they came about.

The church was first open to visitors for four hours a day in 1934, with total donations that year amounting to DKr 319. This presumably came to a stop, as the next mention of the church being open to visitors was in about 1981, when the wife of the incumbent, the Rev Hugh Picton, together with Hamish and June Barclay, started an informal group of people willing to give an hour or two to open the church weekly. In our present congregation June Woolrych, Linda Jensen and Carol Jørgensen can remember being part of this group in its very early days. They used to collect the key to the church from an office on the other side of the road. There were no rules and no rota. Visitors were few in number in those years before the Baltic Sea opened up after the cold war and the cruise ships started coming in increasing numbers. June can remember how pleasant it was to have time to talk to the visitors.

Later Ruth Schulsted took over the organization. She devoted a huge amount of time to the church and despite being regularly warned not to be in the church alone she carried on opening the church by herself regardless. Later organizers included Edith Beyer, Vicky Jones, Candy Gilmartin, Chris and Nini Leigh (2006–2010) and Rosemary Bohr (2011 to date).

In the last two decades the number of visitors to the church has shot up. Nowadays we reckon to receive several thousand during our season, which is usually from Holy Week to the end of September. This has meant that we have had to become far more organized with a rota and rules to comply with both ecclesiastical and civil law. We have also had to become far more safety conscious and to get used to the panic button installed in 14 ~ 14 ~

case of emergency. On the plus side, donations from visitors have also shot up and are now an important part of the church’s annual budget. In 2016, we raised a little over 400,000 kr in the six months we were open. An increasing challenge is how to dispose of the huge amount of foreign money being left in the plate. Suggestions welcome!

The one thing nobody seems to know is when the Guardians acquired their name. I arrived in 1987, and as far as I can remember they were called that then. If anybody knows more about their history I would be very grateful to hear so that we can fill in the record.

As the Guardians become Welcomers, it is fun to look back over the years and remember the many people who have done a stint on the door. Just like the rest of the congregation, we come from all over the world and enjoy using our languages when we welcome visitors. The guide that we give to visitors now exists in 42 languages, and we have great fun seeing the smiles of amazement when we hand them out in, for example, Hebrew, Farsi or Bahasi Indonesia. Several of the Welcomers are not regular church people but enjoy meeting others and spending time in, and to the benefit of, our beautiful church. This work will now be located within the mission and outreach of St. Alban’s Church.

Article by Rosemary Bohr

Public Transport

If you are having problems getting to church by public transport since the bus routes have changed, please add your name and contact details (preferably e-mail) to the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. We are collecting information in order to send a complaint to the public transport system in Copenhagen. If you know someone who can't get to church any more, or you can't get to church yourself, please send their/your name and contact details to [email protected]

Words by Pauleen Bang

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Meeting the Congregation in Copenhagen The Chege Family I am sure you have noticed our family by now. We tend to make an impression due to mere volume. We consist of me and my husband, and 4 kids. I usually present myself as “having a Danish passport.” Having lived abroad most of my adult life, I might be Danish by birth but culturally a mix of the countries I have lived in, i.e. Belgian, English, Italian and quite a bit of East African (Ugandan/Kenyan) culture. My husband is Kenyan and before coming to Denmark, we lived for 4 years in Nairobi. Although we never thought, we would leave Kenya; unforeseen circumstances turned life tough and left us with no choice. Returning to Denmark has been both a positive adventure as well as a rough ride. Educated within the field of political science with mostly EU and international experience, I now work at the Danish Parliament (International Department) and we have applied for family reunification, which – as many of you know – is not exactly a walk in the park. We need prayers and lots of them in order to succeed. My husband is an electrical/IT-engineer with experience from multinational companies in the States and if given the opportunity, he will be looking for jobs here soon.

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I have been an Anglican for quite a number of years by now and confirmed into Church of England. All the kids are baptised in the Anglican Church as well, whereas my husband is Catholic. We look forward to being part of the church community and make friends here. Church is an important part of life for us as a family. The kids already love it here and should I wake up on a Sunday morning feeling too lazy to go to church, the kids surely will not let me rest in peace until we get here.

Words and photos from Kirstine Chege

Big Band Concert On Friday 27 September a special concert took place in St Alban’s given by the Band of the Yorkshire Regiment. Those present couldn’t help but be swept up by the colour and noise as the scarlet-uniformed musicians, especially the outsize brass section, gave the music their all.

The Band of the Yorkshire Regiment is a military wind band based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, which provides musical support to the Yorkshire Regiment and the British Army generally both at home and abroad. They were here with the Fourth Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment, who invited their regimental band to join them on exercise in Denmark in September. The Band treated our audience to two sets, each containing a well- balanced mixture of pieces taken from genres such as film, pop, ecclesiastical, jazz, musicals and military. Not every arrangement was purely instrumental; for the jazz section, a band member sang a couple of standards accompanied by the instrumentalists. Judging by the enthusiastic applause at the end of the second set and the reception the encore received, the concert was a great success.

Not only was the event fun and cheerful, the church’s coffers benefited too. Through the British Embassy, the Band had kindly agreed to play this special concert in St Alban’s in aid of church funds. The amenities fund, which is financing various projects (including the final work on the new toilets), benefited to the tune of approximately DKr 5300, so we are grateful to the Band for including us in their hectic schedule.

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Meeting the Congregation in Aarhus Bert and Solveig I met Bert when I was working as a staff nurse in Skipton and Wimbledon from 1960 to 1962. Then Bert got a job in Denmark in an oil refinery. We got married in Denmark in 1963.

We moved to Aarhus in 1971 and have been here since. I was a Theatre sister in Skejby university hospital. Bert and I first joined the service in Aarhus in the 80s. Our children had left home in the 90s, they are spread out over Denmark now. Debbie is in Fåborg, Linda in Gentofte and Jean in Sunds, near . The grand children live in Ålborg and Fåborg.

God has blessed us with love and life and we thanked him for Bert's 90th birthday

Words by Solveig. Portrait photo by Karin Mailand

Aarhus Birthdays

From the youngest to the oldest - celebrating birthdays from 2-90 years

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Michael Arbon RIP

On 18 August at 9:00, whilst the church bells were chiming to call to prayer, Michael passed away peacefully.

His funeral was on 27 August at 14:00 in Nørre Galten Kirke in Hadsten. From the St. Alban's community, Pauleen Bang (Copenhagen) and Margaret Clark (Aarhus) took part.

This beautiful church was packed, as was the reception afterwards. Michael was clearly much loved, judging by the number of people who spoke such moving words about him. The service started with a solo of his favourite hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter. This provoked a few smiles (Michael's joke) since it was about 30oC outside. During the service we also sang "Jerusalem" and the Brits in the congregation sang out in Michael's memory.

He was also much loved and valued within the St. Alban's community, mostly in Aarhus, but also in Copenhagen by those who knew him.

Pauleen says "Michael was a tremendous help with the social media work for Aarhus a few years ago and we developed a long-distance friendship. I also met him a few times and was grateful for his friendship. One very happy memory of when I was in Aarhus for a long weekend was a

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meeting of some Brits at the Golden Lion in Aarhus, where we shared a fish and chip meal (see photo). Both Michael and his wife, Janne, and his son, Martin, were there along with other familiar faces. He will be sadly missed":

Margaret says "Michael loved singing and this was evident at our Carol sing-a-long after Nine Lessons and Carols in Møllevangs church, Aarhus. He was always the first to volunteer when I asked for 3 kings to sing a verse each of 'We Three Kings of Orient are'. I miss him".

Janne (Michael's wife) thanked us for taking part in Michael’s funeral and making it a real 'Michael' day bridging the English and the Danish tradition and singing. She also asked us "to bring a thank you for the happy times we have spent in Aarhus, Møllevangskirken, especially in December. It was a special joy for Michael - and me".

Sadly, Pauleen and Margaret had to leave before the reception was over because of a train to catch. Michael has gone, but he was clearly remembered with such love.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

Pauleen Bang and Margaret Clark Photos by, Margaret Clark and Anne Kristine Arbon.

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CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2019 During August I was fortunate to take part in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and to see, again, the places associated with the life of Jesus Christ. Nazareth, where Jesus grew up, is now a sprawling Arab town, but in the first century was only a village of perhaps 500 people. Capernaum and the places around Lake Galilee have retained their peacefulness and beauty across the centuries. And Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, which was once the ‘little town’ spoken of in the Christmas Carol now houses the large ‘Church of the Nativity’ built by Constantine, a bewildering array of gift shops and the terrible and much graffitied wall that separates Palestinians from Jews.

To visit these sites is to be reminded that Jesus was born in a physical place and time. His parents had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census. The Bethlehem ‘inn’ described by St. Luke would have been a large room in which visitors would have unrolled their sleeping mats.

Despite St. Luke’s comments, the room at the inn would be unlikely to have been completely full, as you could always squeeze in another body. But a crowded hostel floor was no place for a young woman about to give birth. So it seems the innkeeper – far from being the grumpy character that he has become in our infant nativities – found Mary somewhere more decent, in all likelihood his own family’s cave. Caves made good homes, as they kept cool in the summer and relatively warm in the winter. At the ‘Church of the Nativity’ you can visit the cave where, by tradition, the birth took place. It appears that Mary gave birth in the relative privacy of the part of the cave allocated to the animals.

Luke tells us that Mary placed her newborn baby in a manger. The only ancient Near Eastern manger I have seen was used both as a reservoir for water as well as a being a feeding trough. And it was made of stone.

Attending to the details of Mary’s circumstances perhaps helps us to ponder again the earthy reality of the Saviour’s birth. Jesus was born in a cave, surrounded by animals, and the newborn baby was laid in an elevated stone basin intended for the nourishment of the animals. St. John reflects that ‘the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth’. The divine Word is enfleshed, puts on humanity, in an utterly physical and natural manner.

Yet this baby embodies the logos, the Word of God. The divine Word takes flesh. The invisible, transcendent second person of the divine Trinity speaks into our human existence. God’s speech is known in the life of this human person, and if we want to know how God speaks we are directed to Jesus. There is an integrity between the life and actions of Jesus and the word and will of the eternal God. This birth is an extraordinary divine ‘speech-event’. 21 ~ 21 ~

In our own day, speech and communication are as powerful as they ever were. Words are used to influence and persuade, to heal or to harm, to encourage or undermine, to nurture hope or generate fear. With the internet and social media the whole world now feels like one global speech community with a myriad of voices vying for attention, prominence and influence.

What is so frequently lacking is a consonance between what is spoken and the physicality of real people. Disembodied voices with anonymous names or email addresses offer comment without responsibility. And public figures whose image has been created by marketing consultants deliver messages massaged by spin doctors that seem unconnected with their own personal histories. As a result we experience ourselves caught up in powerful communications networks where we can’t easily distinguish truth from lies and struggle to find firm foundations for trust in what we are hearing.

Words are precious, and powerful – sacred even, if we trace them back to the divine Word. The event of Christmas invites us to model our lives and our speech on the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, rather than be fashioned by the powerful networks of discourse swirling around us.

Addressing Christians at Ephesus, the second century Father of the Church Ignatius wrote:

“Pray without ceasing on behalf of other people. For there is in them hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting; in contrast to their error be steadfast in the faith, and for their cruelty manifest your gentleness. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all kindness.”

Faithfulness or trustworthiness, humility, gentleness and kindness remain the hallmarks of Christ-like communication.

So amongst all the Christmas gifts, we prepare to celebrate the supreme gift – God’s greatest ever gift to the world. It is the gift of a person full of grace – of loveliness, goodness, graciousness. And this is a gift, a person, full of truth – reality, integrity, trustworthiness. In fragile flesh he comes and dwells, being born in a cave amongst the animals, laid in a manger. God who is outside space and time speaks into human reality to transform it from within.

Wherever you live in our European diocese, I wish each of you and your families a very happy Christmas. And I hope that during 2020, whatever the year ahead brings, God will irradiate your lives with his presence and his peace.

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BISHOP’S ADVENT APPEAL 2019

Anglican Communion Fund - Empowering Women

The Role and Work of the Anglican Communion Fund

My appeal for Advent 2019 is for the Anglican Communion Fund (ACF) – the only Fund I am aware of that specifically supports the mission and work of communities across the Anglican Communion, often in the poorest and most dangerous parts of the world.

In August 2019, Helen and I had the privilege of sharing in a pilgrimage in the Holy Land for bishops and their spouses from across the global Anglican Communion. That experience gave me a renewed vision for the huge potential of the Anglican Communion in a world where so many of our biggest problems, such as climate change, migration and human trafficking involve inter- relationships between people in different countries and continents.

Whilst not a big fund, the ACF tries to deliver maximum impact by working at three levels in the Anglican world: - Resourcing local projects in line with the 5 marks of mission initiated by churches, and responding to crises; - Strategic partnerships: working at the level of an Anglican Primate/Archbishop to develop a strategic plan for an Anglican Province; - Enabling the Anglican Church to be represented in the United Nations, the European Institutions and through the Anglican Centre in Rome.

My appeal focuses on the ACF’s work with empowerment of women, because we know that women often both bear the heaviest costs of poverty or conflict and are also those whose empowerment can do the most to bring development that reaches grass roots and bring hope for the future. The appeal covers the first two levels of ACF’s interests.

1. Tanzania Strategic Partnership The Anglican Church of Tanzania has a vision for spiritual and socio-economic transformation across the country and, with the help of ACF funds, they are rolling out a Church and Community Mobilisation Programme (CCMP) in over 20 dioceses. CCMP uses Mothers Union Bible Study groups to help people bring positive change to their families and communities.

Village and Community Banks enable group members to contribute towards and receive micro-loans to help them create businesses. 23 ~ 23 ~

2. Women on the Frontline ‘Women on the Frontline’ is a programme designed for senior Christian women, usually wives of bishops, in areas affected by violence, conflict and poverty, bringing them together on retreat and giving practical training in reconciliation. The programme is led by Mrs. Caroline Welby, wife to Archbishop Justin Welby, and by Mrs. Sarah Snyder, the Archbishop’s Advisor on Reconciliation.

In many parts of the Communion, bishops’ wives are thrust into an important role as the ‘Mother’ of the diocese and are expected to provide leadership to women in the church. Unlike their husbands, who will have had some training for their roles, these women are very often unskilled and undereducated for the role they find themselves in. They need encouragement and equipping to carry out their role with confidence.

Every ‘Women on the Frontline’ programme reaches about 20 women directly. Each of these women take their learning and experience back to their communities. If each reaches a further 10, then 200 women are impacted. Four programmes have now been run – in South Sudan, Burundi, the Solomon Islands (pictures below), and DRC. Further programmes are planned in the Middle East and Pakistan.

The Lambeth Conference in July 2020 will bring together 500 or so bishops plus spouses from across the Anglican Communion. This is our diocese’s opportunity to strengthen mission work across the Communion and to make the Communion real for people (especially women) in other continents. We can make a difference both to senior Anglican women in conflict-stricken areas and to community groups in Tanzania. Advent is the season of hope, and we can share some of this delightful virtue with others.

Please do support my appeal.

With every blessing,

+Robert Gibraltar in

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David Preston

David Preston lived in Copenhagen for a year when his father was Chaplain here for the year in 1946/47. He introduced himself to Smitha, and I got the chance to take a photo of him and his wife with Smitha outside our Church. He has emailed me with some of his memories of that time.

My memories of Copenhagen were positive - and we lived in three different homes, in Lyngby, then in a street called Svanevænget which went straight down to the sea edge in Strandvej and lastly in a flat a bit further away from the sea. I had a number of Danish friends who spoke some English, mostly connected with St Albans. I first learned to swim in the sea while in Copenhagen too.

I was aged 9 on arrival and 10 when we left to return to England where my father did a Diploma in Education at Leeds University - I succeeded in being accepted by a Grammar School in Wakefield since my parents had taught me while in Copenhagen.

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The following year we moved to Staines, Middlesex where my father became a Grammar School teacher - my Mother got a job nearby also as a teacher. He helped in local churches but never again was a priest in charge. They lived in Staines, then Laleham by the Thames until retirement. He died in July 1996.

My wife and I very much enjoyed this visit to a Sunday service in St. Alban’s in September.

Below are photos of my parents when they were visiting Baunehøj in 1946. Then a serious-looking picture of my father when he was still in the war not long before he ended up in Schleswig in 1945.

Words and photos from David Preston

If anyone has an interesting articles or memories from the past, please sent them in to me: [email protected]

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David Preston, son of Rev. Preston, Chaplain of St Alban’s 1946/47 sent me an article from the Newsletter of that year. The article was written by A.G. Woolrych. This is just a small excerpt from it, if anyone would like the full article please email me and I can send it to you, [email protected]

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Deanery Synod 2019

This year's Deanery Synod was held in Stockholm, hosted by Revd Nick Howe, our Area Dean, in the Princess Hall, which is attached to the Church of St. Peter and St. Sigfrid. Revd Nick Howe, welcomed everyone on Friday 13 September at 14:00 in the Hall. Apart from the Lay delegates and the Deanery clergy, Bishop David was present, as was Andrew Caspari, Diocesan secretary, and Canon Ulla Monberg, Director of Ministerial Development for the Diocese.

The first item on the agenda was a talk by Revd Ulf Lindgren, a Swedish priest and Canon Precentor at Stockholm Cathedral. His talk was entitled "What do you say when you have said Hello" and he started by explaining that when someone rings 112 in Sweden, they are asked whether they want Police, Fire, Ambulance or a Priest.

Ulf is one of the priests on the rota and he talked about how to deal with grief and suicidal thoughts. His approach was to ask questions: about the person who had died, about what food they liked, what made them laugh, what music they liked : or about the potential suicide - who will find you, 28 ~ 28 ~

why did you phone, how will you do it. This was a most inspiring talk and many participants thought it was a great addition to the 112 options.

Later in the afternoon, while the Lay Chapter was in progress, the clergy cooked supper for the Lay delegates - and it was delicious. After this Bishop David gave us all an update on what was going on in the Diocese. On Saturday, after Morning Prayer, there was Bible Study led by our own chaplain, Revd Smitha Prasadam, followed by the Business Session, which covered safeguarding, the Common Fund rules, terms for Deanery Synod and much more. In the evening we had a "marketplace". Each participant had written down a question to be answered by other delegates and had 10 minutes for each group to come up with answers. This was an interesting exercise and hopefully those with the questions got some useful answers.

This was followed by Evening Prayer and the evening meal (delivered by an Indian Restaurant). On Sunday there was a festive Eucharist in the church followed by a "potluck" lunch provided by members of the congregation.

Since this was the last Deanery Synod in the triennium, there will be new members next year, so hopefully someone new will write a report of the proceedings.

Words by Pauleen Bang Photos by Pauleen Bang, Andrew Caspari and svenskakyrkan.se

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From Cuddesdon to Copenhagen

My week-long placement with Revd Smitha at St Alban’s Church gave many opportunities to reflect on the notion of distance. I live in Wiltshire where my husband is a curate in the Church of England, yet I work at the University of Oxford, and train at Ripon College Cuddesdon, six miles or so outside of the city of Oxford. On Sundays, I am to be found at Westminster Abbey where I have held a ceremonial role since 2013. So, when on Friday, 25 October 2019 I arrived in Copenhagen to complete a parish placement with Revd Smitha, I knew that this particular journey would give me new perspectives on faith, community, and distance.

Copenhagen is a city that calls to the heart, drawing out deep affection even after only a short stay. Its location means that it is used to welcoming strangers from near and far. The presence of so many churches speak of communities who are seeking God, and a way of expressing their relationships with God, through different Christian traditions. It is a city that also speaks the languages of many peoples, and yet is rooted in ancient customs and identities.

It is about 900 miles from Wiltshire to Copenhagen. It felt like no distance at all when I met the wonderful community at St Alban’s. Revd Smitha’s generous welcome had helpfully set the scene of the church’s history and growth on the Friday, and how it serves the community, near and far. There was genuine hospitality on display at the Harvest Fair on Saturday, which brought in what felt like hundreds through the doors. The food was plentiful and the welcome warm. In between serving teas, coffees and cakes, I was able to speak to members of the congregation from all parts of the city and beyond, and I learnt a great deal about what it means to be a people of God. How can we bridge the distance, therefore, between those who came to the fair and those who walked by despite the invitation to come in?

On Sunday, I brought my husband Oliver to worship at St Alban’s, which was a joyful experience. The international congregation gathered around the table set by Jesus, and to whom all are called and welcomed. I spent time after the service again speaking to members of the congregation. I learnt more about the distances people had overcome to be able to call Copenhagen home, and the distance covered just to get to church on Sunday. Again, I reflected on travel as I discovered the distance between 30 ~ 30 ~

Copenhagen and Aarhus and the challenging journey made once a month by Revd Smitha.

Monday and Tuesday were filled with fascinating conversations with members of the church and plans to meet with others. I learnt about identity and purpose, and how churches need to shape their own identity in a way that points to Christ. There were conversations about personal faith, the Church of England, the wider Anglican Communion and the challenges of building a parish when the physical boundaries seem stretch across the entire nation! I am still very thankful to all who gave up their time, and who spoke openly about their hopes and ambitions for St Alban’s.

Eucharist on the Wednesday brought me back to table prepared and furnished by love. It was wonderful, too, to have a meeting with a baptism family afterwards, which seems to point back to the sense that we are all held in a love greater than we can possibly ever imagine, and that this love has been with us since birth. Another meeting gave me the opportunity to learn about the church’s outreach through groups gathering across the city. This encouraged me to reflect on how we build community. On Thursday, my final day in Copenhagen, I attended the ecumenical gathering at Jerusalemkirken, which was a perfect way to end my placement: looking out and seeing how to bring all Christians closer into the one Body of Christ. How can we close the distance between God and us, and between each other? How do we deepen our relationships and root them in the Trinity?

Distance is a funny thing, is it not? The real distance between places and people may not match the feeling of the distance we experience. Think, for example, of family and friends who reside outside of Denmark. While they may be physically far, they are also simultaneously near because of the power of the heart to bring them to mind and to keep them close. And so it is with me and you. I am not yet sure when I will return, but I give thanks for the week I had with you all, for the wonderful conversations, grace-filled welcome and abundant laughter. The 900 miles now feels like no distance at all. Tusind tak St Alban’s!

I wish you all reflective and peaceful Advent, filled with joyful expectation. Yours in Christ, Mariama.

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Why silence?

“How silently, how silently, the wond’rous Gift is given”

Rest In silence we respond to the invitation of Jesus to come apart and rest a little. Silence is the language of unity, friendship, love and adoration – the speech of the Spirit.

Surrender Silence and surrender go hand in hand. Both are simple and both are difficult; and they are important keys to living by faith. In silence we let go, and that can be hard to do or even frightening. In silence, we become vulnerable. In silence we give up the many projects we have with ourselves and with God and make ourselves available for God's project with us. Not surprisingly we may spend much time and energy on resisting this.

Resistance Silence is not flight: silence is also the foundation of and sometimes the only language of resistance to what G.K. Chesterton called “all the easy speeches which comfort cruel men”.

Compassion Silence and compassion go hand in hand. In silence our barriers fall and we become vulnerable and open to others. Otherwise what aims to help others may so easily become a way of satisfying our own needs.

Silence is the looking and listening which sees all things in God. In silence od is actually inviting you to live with nothing you can call your own, and in this emptiness, this poverty of spirit, you are on the threshold of encountering od’s desire for you. Silence can therefore give us a new way of returning to the market-place.

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Practising Silence

Ways in. You may find any one of a selection of breathing or relaxing exercises helpful. Also, something as ordinary as taking a cup of tea to your sitting-place or kneeling-place and drinking it slowly and attentively. Not often mentioned in guides to silence is five minutes spent making a to-do or memory list for the coming day, or the next day if you keep silence in the evening. Then you have “parked” things that otherwise might clamour for your attention.

Distractions. These will probably come however careful your preparations. Do not wrestle with them: there is nothing distractions like better than a good fight! Do not try to overlook them: remember most distractions have to do with the business of human living in one way or another, and that is where God chose to become flesh. So invite them in to take a seat and say you will listen to them later…

Rock bottom. You may even feel you no longer know how to pray. This is quite normal, but the temptation is to run away from it and either force yourself into ways of praying that were once “right” or give up praying altogether. Whatever you can or cannot do, renew your intention in poverty and simplicity of heart, knowing that God’s gentle attention is resting on you just as Mary holds the Christ-child

Remember always: It is God’s silence you are keeping, not your own.

“O come to us, abide with us, be born in us to-day”.

Holy One, Loving Presence, In whom our hearts are opened, Our desires transformed And no secrets are necessary: Enlarge our narrow thoughts By the in-breathing of your liberating Spirit, That we may be made whole in your Love And unreservedly surrender to your still, small Voice.

Article by John Nicholson 33 ~ 33 ~

Thursday night is Bible Discussion night at St Alban’s Church.

Interesting topics each week, discussed in a friendly way.

Starting at 18:00 and aiming to finish at 20:00.

Newcomers always welcome.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Thursday Night

Bible Study

Christmas BRING AND SHARE MEAL

THURSDAY 19th DECEMBER AT 18:00

Electoral Roll

If you want to join the Electoral Roll, there are application forms in the Narthex or you can contact me in church. You can also find more information and the form on our website:

https://www.st-albans.dk/new-electoral-roll

If you are not sure whether you are on the Electoral Roll, please send an e-mail to [email protected] to check. Use the same e-mail if you have changed your name, address, telephone number or e-mail, so that I can keep the Electoral Roll up-to-date.

Thank you

Pauleen Bang (Electoral Roll Officer)

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Tax-Efficient Giving

St Alban’s receives no subsidy from the state or the national Church and is funded by the generosity of the congregation and visitors.

Did you know that you will get tax back on your donations to St. Alban's, if you pay Danish tax?

All you need to do is make sure that the treasurer knows your CPR number and how much you have donated, so that the correct numbers can be given to Skattestyrelsen.

The easiest way to do this for any electronic transaction (e.g. a bank transfer or MobilPay) is to include your CPR number in the comment or message that goes with the payment.

For cash donations, a quick note to the treasurer by e-mail (treasurer@st- albans.dk) or SMS text message (+45 5137 4709) with the amount and your CPR will work, or you can leave a letter with the details for the treasurer with any of the ministers at church.

We take privacy of data very seriously at St. Albans and thus it is only the treasurer and the two other signatories to the church accounts that have any access at all to records of the CPR numbers.

Please note that the treasurer is currently missing CPR numbers for quite a number of people who have made donations, so remember to e-mail, SMS text or write to him to get your tax back.

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Saint Alban’s Church

Under the Patronage of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II Churchillparken 11, 1263 Copenhagen K Weekly Eucharists

All are welcome SundaySundays School and Wednesdays for children mostat 10:30 Sundays.

Contact details:

Chaplain: Revd Smitha Prasadam [email protected]

Affiliated: Canon Ulla Monberg 3526 0660

Permission to Officiate: [email protected] Palle Thordal [email protected]

Canon Jemima Prasadam MBE

[email protected] Chritophe Ndikuriyo

Licensed Readers: [email protected] Lloyd-Roberts

[email protected] Prasadam [email protected]

Ursula Sonnewald [email protected]

Victoria Wadsworth-Hansen

[email protected] Simpson – Reader in Training [email protected]

Printed by Jespersen Tryk + Digital ~ 36 ~