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WORSHIP IN AUTUMN

(All services at St Alban’s take place at 10:30)

Wednesday morning services are held in the Lady Chapel and last 30

minutes, using the Book of Common Prayer.

Sunday parish Eucharist is held in the main church and lasts

about 1 hour, using Common Worship. If you use a hearing aid,

please use the T switch to connect to the loop system.

Coffee is served after the Sunday service.

The Sunday school starts at 10:25

Baptisms are held on the first Sunday of each month.

Our choir is back in full voice ready for a busy autumn season.

All are warmly invited to all services.

CHRISTMAS SERVICES:

At St Alban's Church Copenhagen

Two Services of Nine Lessons with Carols

Sunday 15 December at 1600 at St Alban's Copenhagen. ( ticket

needed)

Monday 16 December at 1900 at St Alban's Copenhagen (ticket

needed)

Saturday 21 December at 1700 Carols and poetry by candlelight for

all the family

Tuesday 24 December at 1200noon Christingle Children's Service

Tuesday 24 December at 2230 Midnight Mass

Wednesday 25 December at 1030 Christmas Day Family Eucharist

St Alban's Church in Jutland

Sunday 22 December at 1400 at Jelling Church, Jelling, Carols in

English

Sunday 29 December at 1400 at Logetkirke, Vejle, Carols in English

Details from Deacon Christophe chndi2011@gmail.com

SERVICES IN AARHUS

Our parish of St Alban’s covers the whole of Denmark, and our

sister congregation at Aarhus gathers six times a year for the Holy

Eucharist in English, led by Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd and Deacon

Christophe Ndikuriyo. Deacon Christophe also leads a regular

service (in English) in Vejle, on behalf of St Alban’s.

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In 2013 our Anglican services at Aarhus will take place at

Møllevangskirke, Møllevangs Allé 47–49, 8210 Aarhus, at 19.00 on

these dates, followed by refreshments in the church hall:

1 September Harvest Thanksgiving

3 November All Saints’ Day

15 DecemberService of Nine Readings with Carols

Everyone is most welcome.

If you have any questions or for more information, please contact

Rogena Holst on 86 22 06 45.

SOCIAL NEWS SECTION – DIARY DATES:

St. Alban's Annual Men’s Night Out – Friday November 1st – contact

Chris Parker (parkskov@hotmail.com) for more details.

St Alban’s Theatre Club - Friday November 15th

Fancy seeing a ghost story?"The Woman in Black" presented by That Theatre company at KRUDTTØNDEN Serridslevvej 2, 2100 Kbh Ø

Tickets are available at www.teaterbilletter.dk or call 70 20 20 96 Performance begins at 20:00 and 19:30 for pre-drinks at the theatre.

Council meeting dates: 6th November 2013

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ORDERING TICKETS

FOR THE CAROL SERVICES 2013

IMPORTANT NOTE: NOW TWO WAYS TO DO THIS

Throughout November tickets will be available to all members on

the Electoral Roll on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

4 tickets per member

1. FOR THOSE WITH EMAIL – on line booking now possible.

An email will be sent to you with instructions on how to order your

tickets on line. (easier than booking airline tickets!)

Please complete this order process by 30 November.

On 1 December remaining tickets will be available to the general

public via the church website.

PRINT YOUR OWN TICKETS

REMEMBER TO BRING THEM.

Without them, you will be unable to attend the service.

2. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT USE COMPUTERS:

Please speak to a member of the Ticketing Team during coffee after

the Sunday service, to request your tickets: John Mills, Maria Kvan

Mortensen, Chris Parker & Claire Clausen

Any unused tickets must be returned for redistribution.

Send an email to: webmaster@st-albans.dk at least five days before

the services or phone one of the Churchwardens 28120128 or

25112391

People who are not (yet) on the Electoral Roll* will need to wait until

December to order tickets. (*see page 6)

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Dear friends,

Advent is a special time in our Christian year. It is easy to miss it in

the midst of our busy December, when we rush around getting ready

for Christmas. Food, family, friends, shopping, are all important, but

what does the season of Advent really mean to us?

I invite you beyond a merely sentimental understanding of Christmas

as "waiting for the baby Jesus" to a deeper appreciation of the

message of the Incarnation of God in Christ. Jesus identified his own

message with what he called the coming of the reign of God or the

kingdom of God. Whilst we have often settled for the sweet coming

of a baby, Advent is time that should and can challenge us.

When we sing "O come, O come, Emmanuel" on Advent Sunday, we

are not just being sentimental but we are doing something bold and

risky. We are calling for the coming of God's kingdom, not just a

special birthday party. The Word of God, and especially the words of

the Incarnation in John 14, confront, convert and console us.

Saying "Come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20) we are making our

entire lives, and the life of the church, one huge "advent". Advent is

always, until the end of days. It is the yearning and crying out for

God's kingdom, and working to make it happen.

I warmly invite you to engage with Advent in a special way by coming

to the Tuesday evenings at St Alban's at 1800, exploring the themes

of Fear, Faith and Forgiveness.

And when The Feast of the Incarnation arrives at Christmas, I warmly

invite you to join one of our Carol Services at St Alban's, Aarhus,

Jelling or Vejle.

A holy Advent and a joyful Christmas to you and your family,

Grace and peace,

Jonathan

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BJØRN’S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ADVERTISEMENT

Bjørn’s International School is a small and friendly school in

Copenhagen, offering a quality education for children from 6 to 16

years of age. Students from throughout the world attend Bjørn’s

International School and follow either an English or Danish

curriculum.

Bjørn’s International School is partially subsidized by the state and

adheres to the national standards and qualifications for schools in

Denmark. Those students who plan to live in Denmark for at least

four years and enroll in the Danish-speaking Department will receive

an education that follows the Danish School Curriculum.

Upon graduating from Bjørn’s International School, students in the

English-speaking Department will have followed the curriculum

requirements of the IGSE (International General Certificate of

Secondary Education). The students will have had the opportunity of

taking the IGCSE examinations in up to six subjects (English, Maths,

Science, Geography, History, and Art and Design).

The Danish and English departments are frequently combined so

there is constant interaction between the students in both

departments.

Please feel free to contact the school and arrange a time for a visit.

We would be happy to answer your questions and show you the

school.

Address:

Bjørn’s International School

Gartnerivej 5

2100 Copenhagen Ø

Phone: (country code 45) 39 29 29 37

Fax: (country code 45) 39 18 38 42

School Leader: Pia Drabowicz

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MANY HANDS…..

Each spring and

autumn our beautiful

church is visited by a

small but active group

of rubber-gloved

cleaners. The pews

are polished, the light-

bulbs washed, the

garden is tidied and

swept, the cobwebs

are removed and

intrepid men climb

very high ladders to

clean pillars and

posts. The grounds

surrounding the

church were given a

trimming and a

grooming; especially a

number of trees!

This autumn was no

exception and there

was the added

incentive of the Festal

Evensong with Royal presence. New and older members of our

congregation gathered for breakfast and coffee before getting stuck

in and working solidly for 3½ hours. Cupboards were reorganized

and a feeling of general satisfaction began to spread through the

group. By midday it was all over and despite the early start we had

actually enjoyed ourselves. Thank you so much - everyone who came

so early on a Saturday morning. The polished and sparkling church

reflects your hard work. CCC & CP, Churchwardens

Roll Up, Roll Up!

It is not too late to join the Electoral Roll. There are forms in church

or it can be downloaded from the website

(www.st-albans.dk/new-electoral-roll).

Also, please remember the Electoral Roll when you change your

address or phone number. You can email me at electoralroll@st-

albans.dk either with new information or just to check whether I have

the right details. Or you can ask me in church.

Pauleen Bang (Electoral Roll Officer)

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RESTORATION RESUMÈ

The “Year of Restoration” is moving steadily towards completion with

only the drainage and windows projects outstanding.

Drainage: The city authorities have approved the project but the

Cultural Heritage people have dragged their feet over final

permission which is why no progress has been made. However before

the frost sets in the church will be connected to the city sewer and we

can cross this off the list as well.

Windows: Only the Princess Alexandra and Princess Viggo windows

remain to be restored and this will take place in early January when

Devlin Plummer will return to remove them, block the windows and

replace them before Easter 2014.

While, we thank God for the wonderful gift our

neighbour has given, it is interesting to know

the reason why the strange, now-famous seven

pointed star has become the logo of this global

company. This is the true story:

When Captain Peter Mærsk Møller took

command of his first steamer the S.S.LAURA in

1886, her black funnel was ringed with a blue band with a white

seven-pointed star on each side.

While accompanying her husband on a voyage years earlier, his wife

Anna Møller had suffered a serious illness, which left a lasting

impression on the deeply religious captain. In a letter to his wife, he

explained the background for the company's new emblem: "The little

star on the funnel is a reminder of the evening I prayed for you so

dejectedly and anxiously, asking for the sign that I might see in the

grey, overcast sky, a reminder that the Lord hears our prayers".

When The Steamship Company Svendborg was founded in 1904, the

white seven-pointed star on a sky-blue background became the

funnel emblem for ships of the new company. The star also went

along when The Steamship Company of 1912 was established and

thus became permanently linked to the Maersk fleet.

Today, the seven-pointed star is present in the company logo for

several of the business units within the A.P. Møller - Maersk Group,

creating a bond that brings the Group’s diverse range of activities

together. CCC

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ROYAL VISITOR AT FESTAL EVENSONG

What would otherwise have been a typical damp Danish Sunday

afternoon was instead bright with the warmth of expectation, as HM

Queen Margrethe II joined the congregation of St Alban's Anglican

Church, Sunday Oct. 20.

The Evensong celebration was held in thanksgiving for the restoration

of the historic structure, which was originally built with the assistance

of Princess Alexandra. Eight-year-old

Daniel, waiting

outside with the

other children to

greet the Queen,

guest admitted he

was a bit nervous,

but he wasn't quite

sure why. With a

broad smile, he

presented Her

Majesty with a posy

kindly donated by

Mrs. Lori Andersen, and exchanged a quick handshake.

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Inside, the choir processed in, led by Mr. Junior Williams, who like so

many other parishioners, is an immigrant to Denmark. Having

arrived from Sierra Leone 13-years-ago, Williams attends services

every Sunday "which is good," he says with a nod and a smile.

The congregation was seated by 15.30 as requested, and was treated

to a wonderful organ recital played by Mr. Iain McLarty, our Director

of Music, Organist

Choirmaster. He had

rehearsed the choir for

most of the weekend

and their singing

proved it had been

worth every minute.

Many commented on

how wonderful the

singing was.

"I've heard that the

Queen is very astute in

theology," said the

Right Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Rowell, Diocesan Bishop, who flew in to give

the sermon, (p 9) and who wrote the words to one of the hymns sung

at the Evensong.

Archdeacon Jonathan LLoyd, the Chaplain, thanked the many

members of his flock who worked so hard on first the restoration and

then the service. The church looked resplendent with beautiful

flowers everywhere, even a

beautifully coloured floor

decoration for the Queen to

look at during the service.

Jean, Mary and Carole must

have felt such pride at their

hard work. Having asked

the parishioners to at least

think about wearing hats

for the occasion, he

blushed a bit as he donned

his own!

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After Evensong

was over, Her

Majesty was

escorted by the

Chaplain and

Mrs Susanne

Trudsø, an

official restorer

from the Danish

National

Museum to view

more closely the

restoration of on

the altar, font.

pulpit and the

Alexandra memorial. Joining them was H.E. Vivien Life, the British

Ambassador to Denmark.

Before the royal visit ended The Queen signed the Visitor’s Book,

which Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cambridge had signed the

year before.

Then, while the British

Ambassador signed the

immediately below the

Queen’s signature, the

Churchwardens were

pleased to introduce the

Queen to several people

who had done a great deal

to make the restoration

possible. She met Mr.

Terry Devlin, who had restored the stained glass windows, Mr.

Graham Pay, whose initial efforts with the Mærsk Foundation finally

bore fruit, Mr. Scicard

Lancelyn-Green, the bell

maker, Mrs. Katie Robson,

former Churchwarden who

initiated and oversaw the

windows repairs and Dr. Tony

Higgins, church archivist who

had written the 125 History

and Guide to St Alban’s with

Mrs. Robson.

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Interested remarks were exchanged with each before Her Majesty

departed to face the gathered press and crowds in Churchillparken.

Thereafter the entire congregation was invited to share a glass of

wine or elderflower cordial and chocolates. After the quiet, respectful

atmosphere of the service, the noise of happy, relaxing people was

quite extraordinary.

By SaraLloyd Truax and Claire Clausen. Photos: Anita Wales.

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SERMON DELIVERED BY HIS GRACE,

BISHOP GEOFFREY OF GIBRALTAR

AT THE FESTAL EVENSONG IN THANKSGIVING

FOR THE RESTORATION

OF ST ALBAN’S CHURCH, COPENHAGEN,

TRINITY XXI, 2013

“O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and of Israel,

our fathers, keep this forever in the imagination

of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and

prepare their heart unto thee” (I Chronicles, 29.18)

We come together today to give thanks to God for the restoration of

this wonderful church, in which generations have worshipped since

its consecration in 1887. We come to give thanks to God for the

generosity of many who have made this restoration possible, not

least the Maersk Foundation. We come also to remember with

thanksgiving those who were involved in the first building of this

church, not least Princess (later Queen) Alexandra, who gave

generously in support of St Albans and who was herself present at its

consecration – and this continuing link with the Royal Family of

Denmark is fittingly symbolised by your presence, Your Majesty, with

us here, as we give thanks today.

Recently I took a group of Oriental Orthodox delegates from our

ecumenical discussions to the Sunday Eucharist at the Chapel Royal

at Hampton Court Palace. Afterwards the Chaplain of Hampton Court

took us on a tour. We paused before a fine portrait of Anne of

Denmark, the wife of James I of England, and VI of Scotland. She was

the ancestor, we were told, of all the Royal Houses of Europe, except

for King Zog of Albania. We then saw a portrait of Anne’s father and

were told that James I did not like him visiting, because of the large

retinue that came with him, and the large amount of food they

requited. Seeking a deterrent James put on a production of

Shakespeare’s, ‘Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’.

Our two lessons for this service bring together two contrasting views

of the significance of holy places and holy buildings. In our first

reading, the Chronicler, who comes from what scholars know as the

Priestly tradition of the Old Testament, gives an elaborate account of

the generosity of benefactors for the service of the Lord. And later on

he will write in detail of the building of the Temple under Solomon,

and the dedication of the Temple. In the second reading we heard of

the sharp condemnation in an acted parable by Jesus of the abuses of

Temple worship – a Gospel story which always makes the promoters

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of cathedral shops and enterprises in England somewhat uneasy. The

house of God is turned into ‘a temple of merchandise’. In the first

three Gospels this is a story that is told at the end of Jesus’ ministry,

following his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. In St John’s

Gospel, from which our reading came, it stands at the beginning of

the Gospel, and is linked with question of the Jewish religious leaders

to Jesus about his authority to act in the dramatic way he has done,

driving out the Temple the sellers of sacrificial animals, the oxen, the

sheep and the doves, and the overturning of the tables of those who

changed money into the sacred Temple coinage (and doubtless made

a cut on the side). The commercialisation of religion, turning worship

into a business, is a distortion of what worship is all about. But Jesus

replies to the angry question that if the temple is destroyed he will

raise it up in three days – to his questioners a blasphemous and

arrogant retort. But John says, what Jesus is speaking about is the

temple of his body. This – as is John’s whole Gospel – about the new

creation that is being brought about, a worship as Jesus later tells the

Samaritan woman is ‘in the spirit and in truth.’ And at the end of his

Gospel Jesus tells the frightened disciples on Easter Day, that that

new creation has been brought about by his breathing on them the

Spirit of living holiness. They are to be the temple which is his body –

and this powerful understanding is found in many places elsewhere

in the New Testament – in St Paul, in the first Letter of Peter, and of

course, pre-eminently in the Letter to the Hebrews.

In recent years scholarship has come to recognise that when the

Jewish Temple was destroyed by the Roman army in AD70, not only

did this cause a crisis in Judaism, it was taken up in Christianity. As

Dr Margaret Barker has put it – Temple Judaism went into

Christianity, and the self-understanding of Christians took the rituals

of the Temple and its priesthood and sacrifices, and saw Jesus as the

Great High Priest, who fulfilled all that the Temple had meant. When

Jesus died on the cross, the Gospels note that ‘the veil of the Temple

was torn in two from top to bottom’ – the veil, embroidered with the

symbols of the heavens, of the cosmos and the created order, and

which veiled the holy of holies, the place of the presence of God, was

now laid open, by the sacrifice, the tearing of the body of Jesus. And

the breading of bread in the Eucharist is a drawing into that sacrificial

offering.

In the prayer of David in the Chronicler’s account of the rich gifts that

have been given for the worship and service of God, we are reminded

that all riches, possessions and wealth come from God. They are

gifts, and therefore gifts to be used. There is a stewardship that is

integral to all that we own and possess. It is given to us for service,

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for the care of creating, for the right-ordering of the world’s finances

so that the poor and the needy and the refugees are not excluded

from the world’s bounty. There is an ecology of money as well as of

the environment; an ecology of human life, as well as of crops and

herds, for there can be polluting distortions of power just as much as

polluting desecration of the earth.

In his prayer David sets forth a vision of God the giver of all good

gifts, to whom we return those gifts for his worship and service. He

speaks of his own offering, and the joy of the people’s offering. And

then he goes on, with words I took as my text, that God will give

grace, to keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the

heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee. The

imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people – it is a

powerful expression. Jewish thought was later to make much of the

tension between two imaginative frameworks – the yetzer hara (the

evil imagination – the Hebrew has the sense of formation and

creation, how we see things) and the yetzer ha-tov (the contrary good

imagination), and David’s prayer is that the imagination of the

thoughts of the heart (and the heart we remember in the Bible is the

place of will and choosing), will remember and come back to this

overall sense of worship, of the worship of our lives, as seeing and

knowing that all that we are, all that we have is gift. Mary in her

Magnificat, which we sang a moment ago, speaks of God scattering

the prod in the imagination of their hearts.

In David’s prayer the imagination of the thoughts of the heart

overflows into thanksgiving and offering and response. The English

poet, W.H.Auden, said, in a powerful phrase, that we were ‘to practice

the scales of rejoicing’ – to have thankfulness at the very root and

heart of our being – or as Christian language might say, we are to be

‘Eucharistic people’ for ‘Eucharist’ after all, simply means

‘thanksgiving’. And thanksgiving is never tight-fisted. it is always

generous, and as we come to give thanks to God for the restoration

of this special and wonderful building, our true thanks are shown in

generous hearts and transformed lives, which kindle the imagination

and overflow in love. Jesus spoke of the temple which was his body –

we are the body of Christ, we are that temple, and we are those who

are to be built up in faith and love that the world may believe, may

have a vision that gives hope – a hope that is not built on the

unstable soil of greed and acquisitiveness, but on the transforming

love of Christ. That must be the vision for St Alban’s, and for every

Christian church – and may God give you the abundance of his life

and grace that you may live that vision out. *

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MUSICAL NOTES

When we look at the history of music in the church, different

traditions have provided distinctive gifts. Whether it is monastic

plainchant, Calvinist metrical psalms or Baptist Gospel choruses, the

character and identity of that confession is often intrinsically linked

to their music. In liturgical terms the Anglican church would be most

closely identified with Evensong, but in music this would probably be

what is called "Anglican chant".

This was developed around the time of the English Reformation,

growing out of the plainchant that had been used to sing the Psalms

in Latin. It was designed to better fit the English text and also allows

fuller harmonies. The important factor with any type of chant though

is that the text is in prose rather than metre. A metrical hymn has a

certain number of syllables in each line of a verse. For example think

of the National Anthem (the British one rather than the Danish) and

count each syllable. You should end up with a pattern of 664 6664.

This is actually quite a unique metre (Moscow is the only other tune I

know to it) but in more common metres tunes and texts can be

interchanged.

The reason why many people initially find chanting difficult is

because of this lack of a steady pulse to put the words to. Only the

melody is defined and the rhythm is left up to the singer and while

this makes it easier to sing individually it can also be quite baffling if

you're not used to it. However, if you just think of it like speaking but

on a particular note then it is much easier. In fact we're used to

speaking in the same rhythm in church every week when we say

things like the Lord's Prayer and the Creed together.

During the last year we have been experimenting with different ways

of doing the psalm in our services (with a response, antiphonally

etc.). While wanting to keep Anglican chant as a focus, there has been

the major difficulty of the Book of Common Prayer not having

pointing, meaning that it is impossible for the congregation to know

when to move notes and not being able to sing confidently. After

trying various different ways and talking with people we have come to

the conclusion that the best thing to do is to provide a sheet of paper

each week with the pointing. Of course it may be that for different

seasons or special occasions it still seems appropriate to do things

slightly differently, for example to have it spoken during Lent, but the

whole congregation singing the chant should be our standard weekly

practice. Since many people may never have been taught how to sing

chant, here is a very short guide.

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Quick Guide to Singing Anglican Chant

- Each verse has two halves; these are separated by a colon. The first

half of the tune normally has four notes and the second has six.

- Each half of the verse is then split up by asterisks. Up until the first

asterisk you sing one note, in between the asterisks two notes, and

between the asterisk and the colon/end one note again.

- Between the asterisks you change note on the last syllable unless

there is a dot ( • ) to indicate another place to change.

For example here is Psalm 1 verse 1.

Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the

ungodly, nor stood in the * way of * sinners : and hath not * sat • in

the * seat of the * scornful

The first half would go like this...

note 1 - Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the

ungodly, nor stood in the

note 2 - way

note 3 - of

note 4 - sinners:

You can see that most of the words are sung on the first note and the

changes are at the end, acting like punctuation.

The second half would go like this...

note 1 - and hath not

note 2 - sat

note 3 - in the

note 4 - seat of

note 5 - the

note 6 - scornful

Notice how the dot alters where you change note between the

asterisks. This is not actually that common though and it's easy to

pick up when it happens.

A few more tips

- Don't sing every syllable with equal weight, they should have the

same stress as if you were speaking which means small words are

quite light.

- Let the words flow, try and think of a whole phrase at a time rather

than a word or syllable. This will also help you connect with the

meaning of the words.

- As with all hymns, sing confidently and if you get something wrong

then it's only God who matters and he/she doesn't care about

mistakes when we sing! Iain McLarty

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18

HAMBURG MUSIC AND LITURGY WEEKEND,

6th - 8th September 2013

On the first weekend

in September, three

members of our choir

(Dorothy, Pauleen and

Steve) took a trip

down to Hamburg to

take part in a weekend

of workshops which

explored how to be

creative with music

and liturgy. This very

exciting weekend was

organised by our Chaplain and led by Iain McLarty and his sister

Margaret, who works as a church and community musician in

Scotland and is a former musician of Iona Abbey.

The following report is a combination of the reports by our

choristers.

On Friday evening we were sixteen people from Anglican churches

across our Archdeaconry (and the Archdeaconry of Italy and Malta) as

well as two young Baptists, who were also interested in joining the

workshop. We were hosted by Mathew, the very friendly and outgoing

Australian chaplain, and were

served a delicious evening meal

kindly prepared by one of the

parishioners and assisted by the

Peruvian ambassador. The

sessions started, of course by

introducing ourselves, a number

of people from the North of

Scandinavia down to Southern

Europe. Expatriates maintaining

their faith away from 'home' as

well as people native to their

countries, who had embraced the Anglican faith. Many very

interesting life stories were told during our socializing and eating

together in the course of the weekend. We shared some of our

favourite songs together, talking about why they were meaningful to

us and this was a unique opportunity to share from our different

backgrounds and cultures.

Saturday morning started with “deconstructing liturgy”, writing

keywords on pieces of paper so that they could be moved around and

pieced back together in many different ways. This exercise has really

19

made me think about

what I am actually

saying and singing

during the Eucharist

and inspired thoughts

about things that

could be changed, as

well as things that

ought not to be

changed! This was

followed by a

fascinating prayer

/meditation session

over pieces of bread,

which we slowly

broke and ate while

contemplating where it had come from, how is it transported and

things like texture and colour. This reminded me very much of

Mindfulness (which I have practiced a great deal), where one totally

focuses on things with all ones senses, living totally in the moment.

After lunch we had a "wee sing" which was a different (and

challenging, for some) way of learning new songs. One person would

sing a phrase and the rest of us repeated it. We gradually built up a

whole song, even in harmonies. Now l know music is not only for

those you can read but for anyone who can sing, actually it is a free

rhythm anybody can learn. The last session, called "creative worship

in practice" was a putting together of all the things we had learned

and working out how we could use them at home in our local

congregations. Then we had another social get- together at a

Columbian restaurant next door to the St. Thomas Becket church.

On Sunday morning we took part in the Holy Eucharist, which

included som e of the things we had learned during the workshop, not

least of which was teaching the congregation new songs. They were

so enthusiastic about this that they kept on singing, even after the

service was over. And so did we and continued right up to the group

photograph!

My experience can be summed up in three words: joy, challenge and

fellowship. Working together, singing together, praying together and

the reaction of the congregation were all joyful. For me this was a

new way of learning, which I must admit was challenging. Although I

found it challenging and outside my comfort zone to learn simply by

listening, it was a good experience and I found that I can learn this

way too. Although I still prefer "traditional" church music, I can see

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that there should be a place for something less traditional. I realized

that workshop participation is actually open and it is good to know

that there are music educators out there, no matter what your

educational or professional background. Altogether a very exciting,

informative and thought provoking weekend!

*****

DEANERY SYNOD REPORT

This year we met in Trondheim, Norway, a beautiful city with a

magnificent cathedral. As always, the programme was full and, as

usual, very interesting. There was worship, meetings, bible study,

interesting news from various sources and also time to relax and

socialise with our Deanery friends.

We, the lay chapter, started with lunch on Friday, followed by a lay

chapter meeting. Amongst other things, we discussed what was good

and what could be improved at both chaplaincy and diocesan level;

themes included geography, which affects how much we see our

priests and bishops and there was even a suggestion that the Diocese

be split in two, since the differences between North and South are

significant - Porvoo/Lutherans in the North, Catholics in the South.

We brainstormed what the attributes were that we would like in a new

bishop and we came up with some questions for the bishops (see

"Grill the Bishops" later in this report).

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After that, we gathered together with the clergy, for a report from

Bishop David on what is going on in our Diocese and in the Church of

England. He spoke of the changes which have marked our change of

Archbishop. He also told us about what is happening about women

bishops - there is a group who are working on a new motion which

will hopefully be voted on at the General Synod in November this

year.

Our Diocese is going through a period of change, not least because

Bishop Geoffrey will be retiring on November 8th this year. There are

two groups of interest here, the "appointing bishops" (made up of the

Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London and a Bishop

nominated by the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative

Council - Archbishop of Lokoja, Nigeria) and the "consultative group".

The latter group is made up of the Standing Committee of the

Diocesan Synod and the Diocesan members of the General Synod.

Interviews will take place and then the "appointing bishops" will make

a decision.

We have also hit a setback regarding the "freestanding archdeacons"

since the funding the Diocese asked for has only been given in a very

limited way, which means that our hope of unburdening the current

seven archdeacons, who are also chaplains, is not something which

will change in the very near future.

Later the same day we had a

presentation from Jonathan

(our chaplain and archdeacon)

about Safeguarding, followed

by presentations on Godly Play

(by Renee Abrahams from

Stockholm) and on work with

young people (by Peter Hogarth

from Stavanger).

After this, a buffet supper was

provided by the congregation

from Trondheim, which was

very tasty.

Saturday was also a full day, with Bible Study after Morning Prayer,

based on the themes for this Synod, which were Leadership, Pastoral

Care and Pilgrimage. After coffee, we had a wonderful "Grill the

Bishops" session with Bishop David and the presiding bishop of

Norway, (whose role is similar to our archbishop) Bishop Helga. This

was a real treat and Bishop David began by saying that he was a very

lucky bishop, since he was probably the only one in the Church of

England who was sitting beside a woman bishop. There were

questions which enabled us to compare and contrast approaches in

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the Church of Norway and the Church of England with regard to such

matters as evangelism, secularisation in Europe, confirmation,

women bishops, Church-State relations, and the role and ministry of

bishops in general.

After lunch, we went on a Pilgrimage Walk through the city of

Trondheim, led by the pilgrim priest from the cathedral. We learned a

lot about the church in Norway, the history of the city of Trondheim,

the archaeological finds and a great deal more besides.

Jane Passant, our Verger dwarfed by the huge cathedral in Trondheim

Before and after dinner, we had a business meeting which culminated

in the drafting of 3 resolutions for the Diocesan Synod, which were all

(after much discussion and many adjustments) voted on and passed.

These covered our Deanery's representation within the Diocesan

Synod, which has been reduced from 2 to 1, our disappointment with

the funding for the "freestanding archdeacons" and a request to put a

"grievance procedure" (from the Common Tenure legislation) in place.

Furthermore there was a resolution asking our Area Dean to contact

the Archbishop of Canterbury protesting the Archbishops' Council's

decision regarding funding for the "freestanding archdeacons". Also

at the business meeting, we discussed the accounts and the budget

and discussed the venue for next year's Deanery Synod meeting,

which will now be in Canterbury.

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In the evening we had a confirmation service in the cathedral. A

young linguistics student from Uganda, called Joy Kibogo, from the

Trondheim congregation was confirmed by Bishop David at a very

festive service, which was punctuated by impromptu song led by

Amos Manga, from Vaasa in Finland. Afterwards we were invited to

share in a celebratory cake and snacks.

On Sunday morning, after Morning Prayer, breakfast and reflection

groups, to evaluate this Synod, we all went over to the cathedral for

an ecumenical service together with the Norwegian Lutheran Church,

presided over by two bishops (our own Bishop David and the

Norwegian Bishop Helga). Prayers, hymns and readings were all in

two languages (English and Norwegian), although Bishop David

preached in English. It was a wonderful service where one of the four

Cathedral choirs sang. The cathedral, which is enormous, was fairly

full and everyone seemed to enjoy this wonderful occasion.

Lunch was provided by the Anglican congregation again and then it

was time to return to our various chaplaincies.

****

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REPORT FROM THE DIOCESAN SYNOD,

3RD

– 7TH

JUNE 2013

The word "synod" comes from the Greek "σύνοδος" (synodos) meaning

"assembly" or "meeting", and it is synonymous with the Latin word

"concilium" meaning "council". Originally, synods were meetings of

bishops, and the word is still used in that sense in Catholicism and

Eastern Orthodoxy. In the Anglican Communion, the model of

government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is

governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of

representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the

Communion the body by which this representation is achieved is

called the Diocesan Synod. Clergy and lay elected representatives are

elected for a three-year term of office. The first Diocesan Synods met

in 1970, and elections have been held every three years since.

Election is by the members of the Deanery Synods of the diocese, and

the number of representatives of each deanery is in proportion to the

total number of 'members' of the churches in that deanery, compared

with the diocese as a whole. The House of Clergy and the House of

Laity should have approximately the same number of members.

(Taken from Wikipedia)

Every Synod is special. A meeting of clergy and lay representatives

gathered to worship, discuss and to do necessary business. This

year’s synod was a little more special than usual. Firstly, it was the

first synod in a new triennium, but it was also our Diocesan bishop’s

last Diocesan synod as the Rt. Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Rowell is retiring in

November this year.

I remember the first time I joined synod; my apprehension at walking

into a large conference hall full of new people, trying as best as I

could to not only follow and understand the numerous and various

meetings but to “put in my pennyworth” – which was the reason I had

been elected to be there. I am privileged to be representing you

again for another three-year period and will endeavour to be engaged

and contribute positively to the further development of our vast,

exciting and unique Diocese.

Worship and bible study are a central element at the synod and each

day starts and ends with a service. Bible study this year was on the

theme “Citizens of Empire, Citizens of Heaven”. It began after a

hearty breakfast and was led by the Rt. Rev. Michael Ipgrave, the

bishop of Woolwich. On Wednesday evening there was a Eucharist

service with the Bonn Chaplaincy, Saint Boniface. They generously

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provided a buffet supper afterwards which was held in splendid

sunshine in the church courtyard.

Business always starts late on the first day, enabling people to arrive

from the far-flung corners of our Diocese, the largest in the world,

and also for senior staff to hold their first meetings before synod

officially begins.

After the official welcomes and the presidential address, the first

important item of business this year was to meet by houses (clergy

and laity), and for each house to elect their Chairman, Standing

Committee as well as members to serve on other diocesan

committees for the triennium. We also went through the minutes of

last year’s meeting. Lay Canon Mrs. Ann Turner from Northwest

Europe, one of our two General Synod Lay Representatives, had

decided not to re-stand for election as Lay Chairman for the new

triennium. Two others who had agreed to stand requiring a secret

ballot. Mrs. Celia Paterson from the Archdeaconry of Gibraltar was

elected our new Lay Chairman. I am representing our Archdeaconry

on the Diocesan Standing Committee for the next three years, which

will involve travelling to London in the autumn for a two-day meeting.

The Ven. Patrick Curran of the Eastern Archdeaconry won this

election for the House of Clergy.

Tuesday started with official business, and after lunch

Caroline Boddington, the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments,

spoke and introduced the ‘Vacancy in See’ process and how a new

Bishop for our Diocese is appointed. This continued after supper for

Bishop Geoffrey's last Synod before he retired in November

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members of the Standing Committee, who will be more closely

involved in the vacancy process. This involves meeting later in the

year to discuss and prepare a profile for candidates applying for the

position. A small working group from the Standing Committee was

formed to do some initial work on this document.

On Tuesday there was also an interesting presentation from Bishop

David focusing on the Ministry Team and their work. Note-worthy

facts emerging from this session emphasised the diversity and scale

of our Diocese, and how it is changing and maturing. For example:

at any one time there are over 50 individuals overseen by the

Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) and in June 2013 there were

16 ordinands in training (12 residential), 3 deacons were ordained in

2012, 4 deacons and 2 priests were scheduled for ordination in

2013, 5 ordinands released to English dioceses in 2012/13 and 6

clergy from other confessions at different stages of transfer.

As for Reader ministry there are 32 men and women aged between

29 and 72 (a generally lower age profile than in the rest of the C of E)

in training, and an increase in transfers from the UK. These figures

have been growing steadily and reveal a vibrant and growing Diocese

bucking many of the trends seen in other Anglican dioceses.

Before lunch on Wednesday, there were three presentations. Mr.

Andrew Brown, Secretary to the Church Commissioners explained

what they do. Our Diocesan Communications Officer, the Rev. Paul

Needle then gave a presentation on communications. Paul and his

team worked hard on the Diocesan web site and plan a further

overhaul. Please take a look at www.europe.anglican.org as there is

much useful and interesting information, including Bishop David’s

blog. Lastly, our own Ven. Jonathan LLoyd, Archdeacon to Germany

and Northern Europe, reported on the activities of the Mission and

Public Affairs Unit.

After lunch, to help the Mission and Public Affairs Unit, we were split

up into 6 groups to discuss “what we understand by

‘Commemorating World War I” ahead of the 100 centenary of its

commencement in 2014. My group found it a rather difficult task. It

would have been easier to commemorate the end of such human

suffering rather than the start of it. However, we all agreed on the

need never to forget that mankind was, and is, capable of

perpetrating horrendous acts on each other, and on God’s earth.

We also praised the important role that the EU has played in helping

to keep the peace, furthering understanding and increasing

prosperity in Europe. How much easier it would be if we were all

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simply citizens of Europe: it doesn’t matter if you come from one side

of a border or the other. We need to remember we are first and

foremost human rather than a national of a country.

Later, Rev. Canon Ulla Monberg, Diocesan Director of Training, gave

Synod an interesting account of the meeting she had attended at the

15th

Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), 27 Oct– 7 Nov 2012, in

Auckland, New Zealand. Co-opted, she and four others represented

the Church of England at the ACC and will do so for another two

meetings, or a maximum of six years.

On Thursday the business of Synod was conducted. Mr. Michael Hart,

chairman of the Diocesan Board of Finance, expertly led us through

the Diocesan accounts, budget figures, risk analysis, etc.

The Diocesan Registrar, Mr Aiden Hargreaves-Smith, reported on the

Diocese in Europe Measure 2013. This means that Diocesan Synod is

now the ‘responsible body’ (formally the Bishop’s Council) and the

Church Commissioners have the legal power to provide funding from

1st January 2014.

In the afternoon Dr. Iain McGilchrist gave an address entitled

‘Neuroscience, reductionism and religion: all is not what it seems’

drawn from two of his books. This was a fascinating insight into how

the brain works, specifically the left side contra the right, and how

our personalities, and even the way we regard religion, is affected

and what happens if one side of our brain is overly dominant.

The end of Synod is always celebrated with a formal dinner in the

evening. This year’s dinner was extra special as Synod was saying

farewell and thanks to Bishop Geoffrey for his 12 years of ministry to

the Diocese in Europe. Bishop Geoffrey and all of us were surprised

and entertained by several of the senior clergy putting on a hilarious

Gilbert and Sullivan ‘Pirates of Penzance’ style comic operetta,

complete with silly costumes. During the performance, Bishop

Geoffrey well known for his large and varied collection of hats, had

numerous different hats placed on his

head – including a balaclava! A very

unusual sight! Bishop Geoffrey took it

all with good humour and appeared to

enjoy himself immensely, as did we all.

Next year’s Diocesan Synod will be held

in the Kardinal Schultz Haus, near

Cologne, 2- 6th

June 14.

Nigel Rowley,

Diocesan Synod Representative Nordic and Baltic Deanery

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REGISTRAR’S REPORT

Baptisms

6 October: David Michael Aaen Hall Parent: Anne Aaen Hall 3 November: Winston Mads Klee Burton Parents: Christopher Malcolm Burton and Hanne Birgitte Mengel Klee Burton

Marriage Blessing

28 September:Jesper Fløcke Larsen and Sumeta Miranda Sørensen Canon Ulla Monberg was

happy to be able to

officiate at the marriage

blessing of the daughter

of one of St Alban’s

Church’s colourful and

faithful parishioners, Sarah

Sørensen. The proud

mother had arranged the

blessing ceremony for her

daughter as part of their

wedding celebrations. She

had also made sure there

was an exciting variety of

provided excellent Indian

specialities to be served

afterwards, some of which

were shared and enjoyed

the next day after the

Sunday service.

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TRYG FONDEN GENEROUSLY DONATES A

HEART DEFIBRILLATOR

Last autumn, Stella Brøndum kindly

used her contacts and wrote to Tryg

Fonden to ask if they would donate a

defibrillator (heart-starter machine) to

the church. After a visitor had a bad

turn during a service last year, the

Council realised that we really need to

be able to help anyone who suffers

from cardiac arrest. The Foundation

kindly granted our request and the

machine arrived.

The next step is training people in

how to use it. The Foundation offers a

full training course of 4 hours, and

the next three years, a refresher course of two hours. Three stalwart

women took the main course and any fears of how to deal with a

seriously ill patient are now allayed. All three were “older” but they

listened, learnt and most importantly, practiced, until they (and the

trainer) were confident.

A condition of this grant is that the heart-starter machine is

available to the general public. As we know there are many thousands

of people in the park every year, and some marathons are run in or

close to it. The exact location of the machine is registered with the

emergency services, and the police, so by allowing the machine to be

placed outside on the porch wall, we are providing an essential

service to many people.

It is positioned on the right-hand side

of the porch, inside the fenced-off area,

(the lock is preventative only) so it will

not spoil the iconic beauty of the

church’s front façade. A bright green

arrow on the postbox will clearly

indicate where to find it. We have also

laminated a poster and stuck carefully

on the back of the notice-board, so the

general public can, in need, read it and

learn what to do.

It is NOT difficult to save lives with this

machine. One must simply keep giving

CPR heart massage until help arrives, and the machine tells you

exactly what to do. CCC

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NEWSLETTER NEWS

The next Newsletter will be the November-December 2013 issue. The

deadline for material to reach the editor is 25 October We always

welcome contributions and content ideas from the congregation.

HELP! We still need an Editor!

If you would like to be on the newsletter team or have any questions,

please contact the churchwardens.

You are most welcome to submit material by e-mail to:

churchwardens@st-albans.dk or write to Churchwardens,

Churchillparken 11, 1263 Copenhagen K