Should there be a Danish Church in Thailand?

Danish Seamen’s Church and Church Abroad is investigating if a Danish Church could or should be established in Thailand. Currently, a member of the Executive Board of the Church, Preben K. Mogensen, is in Thailand to investigate the possibilities.

IMG_0049_web “It started out with a request from the Danish Embassy if we were able to help with some of the social work,” says Preben K. Mogensen.

“This is very much about listening to people and that is something we do far better than the embassy. We have time for it and people can trust that whatever they tell a priest we do not pass on to others – including the embassy,” he adds.

Preben Mogensen has had a meeting with the wellknown Dane in Thailand, the publisher Gregers Moller and Robert Kronberg, the Chairman of Scandinavian Society Siam to see if there would be support from the SSS for establishing a Danish church in Thailand – and where this association would suggest it should be located.

“I have told Preben Mogensen that I believe the best location would be in Bangkok where most of the resident Danes working here are located,” says Gregers Moller, adding that this is also convenient between the two other options, Pattaya and Hua Hin.

“I believe that if you pick any of these other locations, you will not be considered the Danish Church in Thailand but in that city only,” Robert Kronberg adds.

In Bangkok, the Swedish priest Lovisa Moller has also had meetings with her Danish colleague. Preben K. Mogensen will also go to Pattaya, Hua Hin and Phuket to meet with people in the Danish community there to listen to their input and advice.

Preben K. Mogensen will conduct his research until the end of this month. He is currently a priest at a Danish church in the North German town of Flensborg. If the assessment is favorable to the idea of establishing a Danish Church in Thailand, he will probably not be the priest who would eventually relocate here.

“I am only here to gather information and bring that home. The analysis and financial considerations will then be up to the council of the Danish Seamen’s Church and Church Abroad – of which I happen to be also a member,” Preben K. Mogensen adds.

To give the Church council the best basis for making a wise decision on the issue, all Danes are encouraged to fill in the questionnaire on the following link – either to show their support of the initiative or their disapproval of the idea.
https://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=XGJHCPGECJ95

Preben K. Mogensen would be grateful if as many Danes as possible also share the link with friends in Thailand so as to give the Church the most informed basis of making its decision.

He will be in Thailand until 6 March 2013 and can be reached also on a local mobile phone number 08 88 78 1987 or e-mail: [email protected]

 

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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