...as I write this.  It truly is a special time of year, and I hope everyone will have a wonderful and safe Christmas. The last two months have been very busy with special events as well as our regular weekly activities. From All Saints Sunday to the Fall/Christmas Bazaar, and then the Christmas Concert and the Lucia Pageant and Juletræsfest – many well attended events enjoyed by all. A very big thank you to all the volunteers and participants who helped to make these events such great successes. We also drew the winners of the Christmas Lottery (listed elsewhere). Again, thanks to all who purchased tickets and made donations – and to the prize donors as well.No doubt our remaining Christmas services will likewise be well attended and enjoyed by everyone. Make sure you check the website and/or calendar for dates and times.

And to continue with the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to mention that on behalf of all our members, we have made donations to The Scott Mission, The Salvation Army, and the North York Harvest Food Bank. These are well established and deserving charities that do great work to help those in need, particularly at this time of year. We are grateful that, with your support, we are able to make these contributions.

Although we’ve had great participation at most of our special events, we still seem to be a bit “thin” at some of our regular Sunday services. Our livestream services are popular with those who live far away or are not able to physically join us, but it would be nice to see the rest of you once in a while if you can make it. We also try hard to provide different cultural events, so together with our regular weekly activities, there are various events throughout most weeks that are ready to greet you. Why not give them a try?

January and February are usually relatively quiet months. This gives our many dedicated volunteers a chance to catch their breath. However, we will still celebrate New Year’s Day with a service and a message from the Danish Queen. And in February we are making plans for a family service to celebrate Fastelavn. In the meantime Church Café, Bible Study, Golden Age Club, and the Folk Dancers continue their meetings and are open to receive visitors at any time. 

2022 was a very interesting year. We were able to control and work within the work within the covid restrictions. We completed the Sanctuary upgrade. We have reached out to many Danes and non-Danes with social media, network groups, and import sales. We have made plans to expand our activities and special events and are making a big push to get more people interested in them. Remember, we are a church AND a cultural centre. Let’s make 2023 the year we open our doors to everyone. We will need your help and support to get this done – make sure you get involved. 

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and safe New Year!!

Sune Overgaard

President’s Message from Kirkehilsen January-February 2023