The Swedish Church Thai Trip

The Bishop responsible for the Church of Sweden Abroad, Sven-Bernhard Fast visited Bangkok and Phuket in February this year to see how the Swedish Church operates in Thailand. Sven-Bernhard Fast was appointed the Bishop of Visby, Sweden, in March 2011, under whose authority the Church of Sweden Abroad is placed. Prior to this assignment, he was Secretary General of the Christian Council of Sweden which is a coordinating organisation for various lines of the Christian faith, like catholics, Lutherans, orthodox, etc.
 
The Bishop was accompanied by Stefan Bergman, the new regional head of the Church of Sweden, who used to have the responsibility for USA and Latin America.
 
During the visit to Bangkok, Sven-Bernhard Fast and Stefan Bergman participated in a special Evening Mass on Wednesday 1 February 2012 at 18.30 at Bangkok Christian Guesthouse, 123 Saladaeng Soi 2, Silom, Bangkok. The Swedish Priest in Bangkok Lovisa Moller also took the Bishop to see some of the other places where the Church operates in Bangkok.
 
While in Bangkok, the Bishop also managed to participate in a conference organised as part of the Gothenburg Process about the international trade in weaponry and ammunition.
 
On Friday, 6 February, the Bishop and the Swedish Priest in Bangkok, Lovisa Moller traveled to Phuket to meet with the Priest Maria Eksmyr and assistant Ingvar Olofsson. On Sunday, he also participated in a Mass on Kata Beach, Resort and Spa at 11.00.

While there, they had the opportunity of meeting some people, indulging in church work and experiencing the beautiful island.
 
As the church in Thailand is mobile, the mission is to go around from place to place meeting people where they are. The Bishop was brought around to meet different people such as some Swedish entrepreneurs, restaurant owners and the children from the Swedish school in Kamala.
 
They also passed through hospitals and Phuket prison to visit those with special needs.

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