The class will meet in the room to the left of the south entry of St. Andreas [...]]]> We are currently studying an overview with the Four Gospels, and will then decide which gospel we will focus upon.  All four are so unique and give us specific insights on how they saw and understood Jesus the Christ.

The class will meet in the room to the left of the south entry of St. Andreas and will run from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. each Sunday.  The format of the class will be interactive, meaning that everyone will have an opportunity to ask questions, give input and exchange ideas with others in the class.  This is a “BYOB” class – (Bring Your Own Bible), so that we can compare what the different translations say concerning God’s word for us.

We know that some people are in Copenhagen for a day, a month, or years.  Acknowledging that reality, we believe that this Bible Study will be both challenging and stimulating for one’s faith in an incredible God who never gives up on any of us.  We encourage you to make some extra time before Sunday worship – and join us!

ICC and COP15: 7-18 December, 2009

By David Stanners

“The threat of dangerous global warming, caused by the build up of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide poses challenges to the entire world, and commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and [...]]]> Learn more about COP-15 in this letter from ICC member, David Stanners:

ICC and COP15: 7-18 December, 2009

By David Stanners

“The threat of dangerous global warming, caused by the build up of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide poses challenges to the entire world, and commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address this serious threat to God’s creation”. (ELCA)

Between the 7th and 18th December Copenhagen will be host to the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Estimates are that over twenty thousand people will descend on the capital from across the world: politicians and protesters, lobbyists and influencers, NGOs and business leaders. As things are going Heads of State are expected too, especially in the final days.

ICC and the COP

ICC has no official contributions to the COP or programme of events. Our usual Sunday morning worship services will be held at 11.30 during the COP and on the 6^th, 13^th and 20^th December we will be prepared to welcome an increased number of guests to worship because of the conference. Equally, with our Christmas Concert on Saturday 5^th December, at the start of the COP, we will be opening our doors to all who wish to come.

Through our long-standing cooperation with the Danish National Council of Churches and its Climate Change Group, we have been tracking preparations for the conference for a long time. In cooperation with this group, and with the COP in mind, ICC began down the road more than year ago now to become the first Green Church in Denmark. This we have achieved successfully and on September 12^th this year, ICC received one of the first Green Diplomas to be awarded together with two other Danish churches. The Bishop of Greenland, Sofie Petersen, presented the Diplomas at a ceremony in Odense (additional information on website).

Pastor Loren Gustafson is invited to attend several religious events associated with the conference, including the international ecumenical worship service at the Cathedral of Copenhagen on Sunday 13 December at 14.00. Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams will preach and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, as well as bishops and church leaders from Denmark and abroad will be in attendance.

This service will be followed by the ringing of the church bells 350 times to echo the upper safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of 350 parts per million (by volume). Today’s carbon dioxide levels are 384 and rising (see e.g.: http://co2now.org/). The bell ringing is a call of alarm, hope and action to world leaders underlining the spiritual, ethical and moral dimensions of climate change. It is a global event occurring at 15.00 local time in churches across the world (see e.g. http://www.grist.org/article/2009-11-12-climate-change-rings-churchs-chimes/).

Ways you can be part of COP 15:

Events:

Copenhagen will be a buzz of activities, but please be warned: security will be high and the transport system will be stretched to its limits. The organization Wonderful Copenhagen has produced a cultural calendar which overviews the many events happening over this period (http://www.visitcopenhagen.com). In addition, a calendar of religious events going on during the COP can be found at: http://www.gronkirke.dk. Click on English for the calendar. Finally, St Alban’s, the Anglican church in Copenhagen (http://www.st-albans.dk/) will be open daily from 08.30 – 19.00 for the fortnight of the conference.

Accommodation:

Given the number of people looking for places to stay in Copenhagen over this period, accommodation is at a premium. If you are interested in offering accommodation take a look at the following two sites: http://www.newlifecopenhagen.com http://en.housing.cop15.dk/

Learn more about COP 15 and Caring for Creation:

The official COP15 Web Site: http://en.cop15.dk/

For the Evidence see the IPPC, International Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/

The UN website for climate change: http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/climatechange/gateway

European Environment Agency: http://www.eea.europa.eu/cop15

The United States Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

Climate Action Network: http://www.climatenetwork.org/

ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America): http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy/Issues/Environment-and-Energy/Global-Warming-Climate-Change.aspx

Bishop Sofie Petersen presents the diploma to Henrik Krøll, council chairman of ICC. Photo: Niels Thure Krarup

“You [...]]]> On September 12th, ICC received a Green Diploma. ICC and two other churches were the first churches in Denmark to receive such a Diploma. The Bishop of Greenland, Sofie Petersen, presented the Diplomas at a ceremony in Odense. 

Bishop Sofie Petersen presents the diploma to Henrik Krøll, council chairman of ICC. Photo: Niels Thure Krarup

“You have taken a remarkable step ­ a step to be followed by others. Not only for your own congregation, but for all churches and the society that our churches are a part of,” Sofie Petersen said. She spoke about how she experiences climate change first hand in Greenland ­ but also about how climate change affects everyone.
 
The Diploma is proof that ICC and the two other churches have had their environmental action plan certified by EnergiTjenesten (”Energy Service”, ­ an organization that advises organizations, individuals, schools–and now churches–to work on reducing their energy use and CO2-emissions). Each church has had a report made on their consumption of energy and articulated goals for how to reduce it within the next year. ICC has committed to focus on reducing heat and also to focus on making our purchases more sustainable, including supplies for the office and for coffee hour.
 
For Sofie Petersen there is no doubt that working with climate is motivated by the responsibility that God has given us humans in relation to the earth. “It is vital that churches are aware of climate change and its consequences. And in this question we must work together across religions, which is necessary, since we share a common globe that we must care for,” she said.
 
More churches are working on getting Diplomas. The initiative was started by Grøn Kirke, which is an ecumenical project within the National Council of Churches. More can be read about the Diploma and other green efforts at www.gronkirke.dk.

(This article is adaptated and translated from an article on Folkekirken.dk.)