International Church Copenhagen

 
I was the Australian Delegate attending a meeting of The Global Fellowship of Christian Youth. The meeting had concluded late Saturday afternoon and committee members and wives had shared in fellowship with a concluding meal at a Greek restaurant in the suburbs of Copenhagen. 

Sunday – Folk were either dispersing to other places or other commitments, but we were not due to leave until mid-afternoon. Our hosts Tage and Sabine asked what we would like to do Sunday morning. We indicated that we would like to go to an English-speaking service. 

After checking in the Saturday paper listing of services, we opted for the International Church of Copenhagen. We were very glad we did. 

The service was held in St. Andreas Kirke adjacent to the Botanical Gardens, but Sunday was rather wet so there was no incentive to spend time in the gardens either before or after the service. 

We felt very much at home, in what they described as a less formal service of word and prayer, which we were able to follow very easily from the printed order of service and other material included as inserts. 

It was Reformation Sunday and the theme centred on Martin Luther and 'Justification through faith alone.' The preaching from the pastor,
Rev. Timothy J. Stewart, was excellent, delivered in a fairly conversational style (with a decidedly American accent), but impressively without any visible reference to notes. 

Other aspects lent credence to the international character of the church and the specific nature of the service being conducted. 

The first reading from Jeremiah 31:31-34 was read first in Danish and then repeated in English. The other readings were all in English. The small choir sang an anthem entitled 'Oh, sing to God above' to a Latin American tune which they repeated in Spanish – apologising first to any Spanish speakers in the congregation. During the offering a Dutch lass sang in Dutch accompanied by her father on guitar – they were also members of the choir. 

At the end newcomers were invited to introduce themselves, and after I had done so, the next person was a young Armenian Catholic student who was studying theology in Copenhagen – he was introduced to the church organist who was also an Armenian. Glancing around the congregation it was clear the people came from a very wide range of backgrounds and nationalities. 

The International Church of Copenhagen is an international ecumenical ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in cooperation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark. It describes itself as an English-speaking, multi-cultural and ecumenical community. 

They have come from over 25 different nations and many denominations. They say that in this vibrant diversity, they find great strength and purpose. They are a community of faith, built on love, understanding and tolerance of differences. Instead of being separated by diversity, they are united in their celebration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and their professed faith in the Triune God. 

Although the congregation has ties with the Evangelical Church in America, and it remains an essential part of its identity, the name of the parish was changed to the International Church of Copenhagen in order to reflect the international and interdenominational nature of their mission. 

Our Danish hosts said that they also enjoyed the service very much although they were members of another church. 

It was both a challenge and yet a memorable experience to have worshipped with them and so briefly shared in their church — if we were in Copenhagen we would want to be part of it again.