Apostelkirken – An international community

Apostelkirken – An international community

By Peter Krøgh Lundby Gravesen, Ida Cecilie Guttman Gammeltoft og Asmus Sebastian Kobbernagel

On a rainy Sunday in March, we took part in a Christian service in Apostelkirken (The Apostel’s Church) on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Compared to ‘normal’ churches, what sets Apostelkirken apart is that it is a so-called ‘integration church’. We had decided beforehand that we would base this blog post on observations and refrain from doing interviews. The first thing we noticed was two non-Danish looking men in casual attire standing outside of the church smoking. They didn’t seem to mind the rain and were occupied with conversation and cigarettes. The atmosphere surrounding them matched their informal clothes. As people started to arrive they greeted each other with “Good morning” and we were greeted the same way.

Inside, the church was full of people. Some were standing engaged in conversation and others were sitting on the pews. There were all kinds of people: old, young, teenagers and families with children. The majority of whom seemed to be of Danish ethnicity and about a third seemed to have different ethnic backgrounds. The hubbub of people filled the room with a liveliness that contributed to a relaxed and informal atmosphere. We wouldn’t have been surprised if lunch boxes had started to materialize. In other words, you wouldn’t think that a church service was about to take place and that the priest was already standing in front of the altar waiting to begin. We had planned to place ourselves all the way in the back of the church, but these benches were already occupied by a group of men in their mid-thirties, in hoodies and quilted jackets. Even so, we managed to find a place to sit on a pew close to the back end of the church. The priest had to raise his voice before people found their seats, the talk stopped, and the service began.

The service shifted between prayers, preaches and readings in different languages. The readings were done both in Danish and Farsi. During the prayers and preaches the low murmur of a voice was audible in the background, almost as if someone somewhere had turned on a radio. Soon we realized that the sound was coming from translation headsets worn by almost all the people that looked like they had another ethnicity than Danish.

The sermon was about openness and avoiding turning a blind eye to what’s going on in the society around us. The pastor drew parallels to the development of an egg: “The eggshell must not be too thick otherwise the life inside will perish”. Afterwards we prayed for the newcomers in Denmark. That they would not feel excluded from society and that they will be able to find a better life in Denmark.

Maybe this church is and can be a foundation for a Christian community for people of all ages regardless of ethnicity. As the service ended and we started putting on our jackets it was clear that most of the other churchgoers were not in a hurry. People were chatting and a lot of them seemed to know each other and we overheard several empathic sentiments. Some of the churchgoers would probably attend the following activities: cake and coffee, dinner, and bible study. Based on our observations, Apostelkirken seems to be an international community. It is a place for cultural encounters and a contact zone in a religious setting. But even though we felt inspired by the atmosphere, the music, and the beautiful words, we chose to ignore the words of the sermon and leave the devout for now, instead preferring the wet and cold of the Danish winter.


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