”It’s sometimes challenging to meet Danish people”

“Cooking is a gift to others.”

So says Diana, a long-time member of the Folkekirken for Internationals community. Along with her husband and two sons, she has participated in numerous FFI events, including potluck brunches.

The concept of the potluck brunches is simple: Bring along your favourite brunch dish from back home and share it with the other participants.

“This is one way for me to service the church,” Diana says. “It’s a way for me to give something back.”

For one of the potluck brunches, Diana and her family brought a vegan version of japchae, a traditional Korean dish with sweet potato noodles, fried vegetables and sometimes meat.

“I learned this dish from my grandmother about 40 years ago,” says Diana who is originally from Korea but has spent most of her life in the US.

“For me, food represents family, culture and togetherness. It’s a way for me to let others know about my culture – and for me to learn from others when they cook for me. It’s also my way of having my children feel part of Korean culture.”

The family moved to Copenhagen five years ago.

“When we came here, we didn’t know anyone, and it’s sometimes challenging to meet Danish people, so it’s really important for us to have the Folkekirken for Internationals community. It’s a home away from home – particularly for the holidays or when we are in a spiritual crisis or when we just need a fellowship.”

“You feel a sense of belonging”

“When I look around in the church, I see people who look like me – internationals who are probably also looking for a certain community here in Copenhagen. People from Asia, from Latin America, from other parts of Europe. To see those people attending with you, you feel a sense of belonging.”

So says John about the Sunday Jazz Services, held at Eliaskirken by Folkekirken for Internationals. The services offer internationals in Copenhagen the chance to meet, reflect spiritually and sing together, accompanied by leading Danish jazz musicians.

John is originally from The Philippines, where he was raised in a Catholic Christian family, and has also lived in Saudi Arabia. In 2014, he moved to Copenhagen, where he now works as an art director and designer for a private company. He began attending the Sunday Jazz Services around early 2024.

“I felt that I could really be a part of this community, not only as an international living in Copenhagen, but also as a son of God and as somebody who wants to reconnect with the church and with my faith and feel safe and loved and accepted for who I am,” he says.

John now regularly participates in the services, sometimes along with his husband.

“There has always been a certain stigma between being gay and attending the church, but here that wall is totally gone,” he explains.

John particularly emphasises the music aspect of the services.

“I love that the music is very contemporary. It’s a mix of regular church songs with a twist and songs that I know, like Moon River or Bridge Over Troubled Water or Amazing Grace,” he says.

“The music speaks to you and connects to your soul and in your heart. It is used to evoke an emotion and to encourage people to sing along. In singing, you can find a strong sense of togetherness and belonging, and that I have found here in Eliaskirken.”

“It feels like a family”
 

“There’s no better environment for this than a church,” says Olga, a regular participant in the Music & Family Time classes offered by Folkekirken for Internationals. “The acoustics are great, and there’s a lot of light and a lot of space. This church has a beautiful energy.”

The classes take place in Eliaskirken in Copenhagen’s Vesterbro district. They are in English and explore the Danish tradition of “baby-hymn-singing”, where parents and their babies and toddlers meet in churches to sing together and enjoy music, movement and rhythm.

Olga found the classes via an online search after she moved to Copenhagen in 2023 with her daughter Skylar who is just under two years old. They have been attending for about a year – first in classes for babies up to the age of 12 months and now in classes for toddlers aged 1 to 3 years. Both classes take place on select Saturday mornings.

“The songs are beautiful, and it’s a very gentle environment. Skylar is very calm when the class goes on, and she’s never overstimulated. I think she loves Sarah and her voice,” Olga says with reference to Sarah Maxted, an experienced church musician and music educator who leads the classes.

Olga was born in Ukraine and have lived in Germany and the UK before moving to Copenhagen where she works in the sales department of an international software company. The Music & Family Time classes have helped her find friends in the city. In between the baby and toddler classes, there’s a one-hour community session with the chance to chat over coffee and snacks.

“You meet people here all the time,” Olga says, “and there’s a lot of likeminded people with international experience. It’s feels like a family or community, especially for me as a single parent. Copenhagen is a long way from home, and it can be hard to find friends here. It’s extremely important to have this kind of community.”