... October, and it has been sunny and 20 C the last couple of days. How do I write something about late fall and Christmas with this going on?? Welcome to weather in Toronto. A week from now it might even snow….

Happily, the events at our church are a bit more predictable. The only item not that predictable is the participation level – and we’re working hard to improve that. With your help – I know we’ll get there. We’ve now put the Welcome Back fest and the Thanksgiving Dinner behind us. Both were very well attended – one outside in the park, and the other in our Royal Hall. By the time you read this we’ll have had our Planning Meeting and a Family Service complete with our guest artist Simon Aaen from Denmark. We certainly have a variety of events for you to take part in. As noted above – the more, the merrier.

The next two months are usually very action packed - All Saints Day, Fall/Christmas Bazaar, Christmas Concert, Lucia Pageant, and of course the Christmas Week including a New Year’s service. And these are in addition to the regular weekly activities of Church Café, Golden Age Club, Folk Dancing – even Bible Studies and a Movie Afternoon. What more can you ask for? The events are there – now we just need you to participate. Make sure you check out the calendar and our website for details.

You should notice more activities and special events coming soon. We are making a big push to get more people interested in what we do. But we also need to know what it is that you would like to do. How do we get our children and grandchildren involved – as well as neighbours and friends, young and old, Scandinavian or not? We are a church AND a cultural centre. We are open and welcoming. We want to learn about culture and customs from Denmark as well as from many other countries. Toronto is very multicultural and we have neighbours from almost everywhere. Please come and share ideas and perhaps even learn something new. 

I’ll repeat what I said last time because it is an important message: “This is your church and we need you to be part of it. All are welcome. Volunteers are always needed and appreciated. Please let us know if you can help. We still serve coffee and a small snack after the service – and would love to have help to continue this treat.” 

I know it is a bit early, but – best wishes for a happy and safe Christmas Season.

Sune Overgaard

The President’s Message from Kirkehilsen November-December 2022