Some 80 members of the Danish community in Thailand gathered at 7 pm on Sunday night, 18 March 2018, to take part in the first Service of the Danish Church in Thailand and the elaborate ceremony that marked the instalment of Pastor Christa Lund Herum as the first Pastor of the Church.
The service was conducted by Danish Bishop Marianne Gaarden and Dean and Secretary General of the Danish Church Abroad Pia Sundboel and of course the new Danish Pastor herself, Christa Lund Herum. The instalment service was also a musical experience. The Church organ was played by Mr. Okechukwu and during the service there were three musical intermezzos by Okafor Band, Asbjoern Kroell on guitar, Ofek Tal on piano and with Jakob Dinesen on saxophone and Yasmin Kierkegaard as the vocalist.
The instalment and inauguration service took place at Christ Church, which is well-known to most as the Church on Convent Road / Satorn Road, where the Swedish Pastor Lars Ryderstad holds the Christmas Service. Leading the new Danish pastor into the Church was also Danish Ambassador Uffe Wolffhechel, the Chairman of the Church Council Bjarne Tvilde. Among the honorable guests was also the Danish Pastor Anders Skaaning Andersen, Swedish Pastor Lars Ryderstad, and Norwegian Pastor Ragnvald Seierstad.
In recognition of the many non-Danish participants in the service, Pastor Christa Lund Herum held her first sermon in English, just like much of the ceremony took place in English and most of the Hymns in the service were published in dual language.
The congregation seemed to have forgotten most of the hymns that were selected for the service, but did know how to sing the last hymn, Amazing Grace, so as the new Church Songbooks get dusted off there is hope for the future, where Christ Service will be held every second Sunday in the Chapel at the CCT near the BTS Rachathewi. The first service in Pattaya will be this Sunday 25 March held at the Norwegian Church there.
After the service, the Danish Church hosted a reception with canapes and drinks in the meeting room next to Christ Church.
