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Nyhet / Publicerad 29 oktober 2020 / Ändrad 1 april 2025

Newsletter

Summary in English

Newsletter April 2025

The Vicar's Thoughts

Happy Easter!
Christ is risen!
Soon we will wish each other that.
But there's still a little while until then.

When you were little, did you dress up as Easter witches? Did you fill out and draw Easter cards that you gave away when you knocked on doors? And did you hope at the same time to get a bunch of candy in the basket you held out when you generously gave away those lovely drawings?

I did that with my siblings, and so did most other children in our area on Easter Saturday when I was growing up. It’s a tradition I thought had more or less disappeared, but apparently, it still exists in some parts of Sweden. We children, of course, thought it was very exciting, and we had trouble sleeping the night before. It also took time to draw the Easter cards, no copies there!

At the church, we were talking the other day about Easter, what we do at the church during Easter week, and the traditions we ourselves grew up with. We were probably pretty unanimous in agreeing that Easter is a relatively simple thing to celebrate and prepare for, precisely because there aren't so many demands and stress around Easter as there are, for example, at Christmas. It’s simply a calmer time.

There are different stories each day during the week before Easter. Each has its own feeling. Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, is full of joy, while Maundy Thursday ends in darkness and abandonment. Then comes Good Friday's seriousness and sorrow. But the Easter stories don’t end on Good Friday. For when it seemed like everything was over, God opened a way. That is what the Easter stories want to show us.

Life triumphs over death, and something new begins.
God always opens new paths and helps us see new possibilities.
We can believe in a resurrection and a future with God.

Like warmth in the body,
your grace flows through life.
To a living hope,
you have given us new birth.
We shall not perish.
Our future is here.

Hymn 945 Like a river through time
from the Finnish hymnal. Text: Catharina Östman

With these words, I wish you all the best and God’s blessing. Welcome to services and fellowship. I wish you a bright and joyful Easter!

Katja Lin
Vicar
Melbourne
Australia

Church Opening Hours

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays: 10 am - 4 pm
Sundays: Church service at 11 am. 
Café and shop 12 pm – 4 pm.

Church services in April

Fifth Sunday in Lent
Sunday, April 6th at 11:00 AM
Theme: The Reconciler
Vicar Katja Lin
Staffan Thuringer - Organist

Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 13th at 11:00 AM - Danish Service
Pastor Christian Rønlev Berwald
Staffan Thuringer - Organist

Maundy Thursday
Thursday, April 17th at 6:00 PM - Maundy Thursday Mass
Theme: The New Covenant
Vicar Katja Lin

Good Friday
Friday, April 18th at 10:30 AM - Good Friday Service
Theme: The Cross
Vicar Katja Lin
Fluteloops (Lotta Liu Nilsson and Lynne Collins) - Flute
Soup will be served after the service, followed by a joint ecumenical walk to Toorak Uniting Church.

Easter Sunday
Sunday, April 20th at 11:00 AM
Theme: Christ is Risen
Vicar Katja Lin
Gunnar Wenehult - Trumpet
Staffan Thuringer - Organist

Second Sunday  Easter
Sunday, April 27th at 11:00 AM - Lay-led Service
Theme: Witnesses of Easter
Gunnar Wenehult
Ebba Marklund
Fluteloops (Lotta Liu Nilsson and Lynne Collins)
Michael Spencer - Organist

Coffee will be served after each service. Welcome!

Services held this month at another location:
Saturday, April 5th at 11:00 AM - Easter Service
at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Northbridge, Perth
Vicar Katja Lin and Deacon Håvard Tønnesen Osland

 

Come and celebrate Walpurgis Night - Wednesday, April 30th!

The celebration begins at 4:00 PM outdoors with waffles, soup, sausages with bread, coffee, and marshmallows for the children to roast over the bonfire. A quiz walk for young and old, as well as a fishing pond for the children.

The fire will be lit at 5:30 PM, and at 6:00 PM we will listen to a speech for spring and the choir "Skutans" spring songs.

Children’s Group Lille Skutt meets on Thursdays from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The church’s play group Lille Skutt is a meeting place for Swedish families with young children in Melbourne and has met weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

Since it is still taking time to finish the veranda room, where we normally meet, we will focus the children’s group to Thursdays and pause the Tuesday meetings for now.

So, join us at Lille Skutt on Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM for play, snacks, crafts, and a song gathering where we sing Swedish children’s songs at 11:30 AM.
On Thursdays, today’s lunch will also be served from 12:10 PM to 1:10 PM.

Welcome!

 

Welcome Bea!

Hello everyone!
My name is Bea, and I am 23 years old.

I study journalism in Gothenburg, but I will be in Melbourne from mid-April.

I look forward to volunteering at the Swedish Church in Melbourne for about a month, and I hope to see you there!

Best regards,
Beatrice Jönsson Lindholm

Annual Meeting Report from the Church Council and Church Board Chairperson

Thanks to all the church members who participated in the Swedish Church Australia LTD AGM where new members of the Church Council and the board was elected. 

We had more members present than ever before, and I believe this shows that more people are interested and engaged in what’s happening at the Church.

During the annual meeting, the outgoing members of the Church Council were thanked: Roger Kalla, Kjell Arne Andersson and Tina Zenou and also Anna Önnebo who have been on the nomination committee for many years.

We thank you for your commitment and for your time and we wish both former and current elected representatives all the best and God's blessings. 

New members were elected to the Church Council, which now consists of the following people: Katja Lin (Ex officio), Ella Barlow, Marie Kudnig, Marie-Susanne Kretschmer, Debbie Sayers, Ulrika Harrison, Martin Reftel, Lovisa Odelstierna, Therese Lundgren May, Mats Marklund (chairperson).

Honorary members, Pia Bentsen (Denmark) and Tomm Paulsen (Norway)

The board of Swedish Church Australia LTD also had two new members nominated, and the new Board now consists of Anna Önnebo, Ulrika Harrison, Berith Öström, Maria Moren, Mats Marklund (Chairperson) and Tina Zenou (Secretary).

Berith Öström also remains on the nomination committee and Tina Zenou was elected as a new member.

In reports from both the Board and the Church Council, it was stated that above all, there have been many property matters during the year 2024, with several water leaks in both the larger apartment in the main building and in the veranda room.

The veranda room is still closed and we are waiting for a final report on the damage and the insurance company's approval of upcoming repairs.

There have also been problems with the heating system and the boiler.

There were also many positive things that happened in 2024, with an increased number of visitors and members, now almost at the same level as before COVID. 

We have also had 17 volunteers during the year who have lived and worked at the church, as well as many local volunteers. A big thank you to you!

The Christmas market is still very successful and well-attended, with similar returns as last year despite the tougher financial times for many visitors. 

The church’s finances remain stable with few variations compared to the previous financial year.

The new agreement with Church of Sweden Abroad (SKUT) has now been signed by the Church Board, guaranteeing the ongoing financial support for the two positions  in Melbourne (Vicar and Assistant). With this cooperation agreement, we The Swedish Church Australia, can now also begin the process of employ a Minister in Sydney, something that has been on the table for some time.

The Church Board looks forward to the coming year of our different parish activities.
See you at the Church!

Mats Marklund
Church Council Chairperson

 

New Members of the Church Council

At the annual general meeting for the Swedish Church in Melbourne on Sunday, March 30th, Lovisa Odelstierna, Martin Reftel, and Therése Lundgren May were elected as new members of the church council.

Lovisa Odelstierna
Hello,
Thank you so much to all the members for giving me the honour of being part of the church council.
My name is Lovisa Odelstierna, and you may have seen me at the Church over the years. I moved to Australia and Melbourne in 2008, and the Swedish Church in Toorak has always been a hub in mine and my Swedish friends' lives here in Melbourne.
It was through the Swedish Church that I met friends who were also interested in choir singing, so we started a singing group that performed at church, among other things.
A few years later, in 2013, the Swedish Church started Skutan, our church choir, and I have sung in the choir ever since.

The Swedish Church in Toorak is such a wonderful resource in our local Swedish and Nordic community, and I will work to ensure that the church continues to be this, and hopefully an even better resource.

I’ve gained so many wonderful friends through the Swedish Church in Toorak, and I truly want all newcomers and established Swedes and Nordics in Melbourne to find just as good friends through the church’s activities. In my professional life, I work as an engineer at Ford and develop the electronic system in our locally developed cars. My job involves many decision-making meetings with a focus on development, and it’s with this experience I hope to contribute a lot to all members through the church council.

If you see me at church and have ideas or thoughts, I’m always happy to hear your thoughts. It’s together that we make this wonderful church!

Lovisa

Martin Reftel
Hello,
My name is Martin Reftel. I am from Gothenburg, but I’ve lived in Melbourne since 2013.
I’ve been active in the church my whole life, from children's groups and youth groups, to being a confirmation leader at Åh diocesan retreat centre and for the Gothenburg Cathedral congregation.
University studies in photography brought me to Melbourne in 2003, and it was then that I first came into contact with the church here. It became a fantastic place to meet others who were also far from home – a meeting place for both fellowship and worship.

Life then took my wife Jessica and me (whom I met at university) to London, where we worked for almost a decade. It was an intense and exciting time with many impressions and challenges. After that, it was time to return to Melbourne.

Reconnecting with the Swedish Church in Toorak was a given – especially now that we are four in our family after having our two boys, Kasper (8) and Robin (5). It’s nice that they get a connection to the Swedish community and traditions. The cinnamon buns are also a hit!

My relationship with the church is also linked to my professional life, as I have worked with Christian-themed books for over twenty years. So far, I’ve written over eighty books, including the annual book Kyrkoårets Gudstjänster (Church Year Services), an inspirational book for those working with services. Through this work, I’ve had the opportunity to really delve into the church year and its texts.

I’m really looking forward to taking another step into the congregation by becoming a member of the church council. I look forward to contributing to our joint work and contributing to our fellowship in this way.

All the best,
Martin

Therese Lundgren
I grew up in the northern part of Sweden, in a small village outside Skellefteå. The contrasts are big between a little red house in the countryside where the nearest neighbour is almost a kilometre away, and an apartment in Carlton, in the metropolis of Melbourne, where I first lived when I came here. In August, I will have lived in Melbourne for 21 years, and the Swedish Church has been an important part of my life during those years. As a new mother, it was nice to have a meeting place where I could speak Swedish, meet other mothers, and sing children's songs I actually knew. Now, it’s choir rehearsals with Skutan that are a weekly recurring event.

I enjoy nature and like to go camping when the opportunity arises. I live in Ascot Vale with my son Samuel, who has just started driving lessons, and our cat Strössel, who comes running when we call "candy." We love to make meatballs and bake buns both for everyday and festive occasions. "Fika" is a word all our friends are very familiar with.

I look forward to new experiences as a member of the church council in the coming year.

Therése

 

Have you renewed your membership for 2025?

It is still possible to renew your membership or become a new member of the Sweden Church in Melbourne.

If you are unsure if you have renewed, please contact the church via email: melbourne@svenskakyrkan.se

A big thank you to all who have renewed their memberships or given contributions in other ways!

For information on how to become a member or renew your membership, visit our website, click here.
Pay via Shopify, click here.
You can also pay the next time you visit the church.

Thank you for your support, we need you!

Thursday Lunches in April

April 3rd - Hoki in egg and parsley sauce
April 10th - Pea soup and pancakes
April 17th - Easter plate
April 24th - Kalops (Swedish beef stew)

A vegetarian option is always available for each lunch.

Lunch is served from 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM (lunch prayer at 12:00 PM), and it includes salad, bread, and coffee. The lunch costs $18 for members, $22 for non-members, and $1 per year for children up to 12 years old.

Stina is happy to receive suggestions for lunch dishes for upcoming months.

You can email your suggestions to stina.dunstan@svenskakyrkan.se.

Recurring activities every month

Service
Sundays at 11 AM.

Lunch Prayer
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12 PM in the chapel.

Children’s Group Lille Skutt
Thursdays from 10 AM - 12 PM in the church hall.
Singing time at 11:30 AM.

Tuesday Gathering
Meeting point for the retired, meeting every second Tuesday of the month at 12:00 PM for a shared devotion and lunch. The next meeting is on April 8th, when kålpudding (Swedish cabbage pudding) is served.

Book Club
Meets the third Tuesday of the month at 1:30 PM to discuss current Swedish books.
Next meeting is April 15.

Choir Skutan
Rehearses Wednesdays from 7 PM - 9 PM.

Thursday Lunch
Thursdays from 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM.

Garden Group
Meets Fridays at 10 AM to care for the church garden.

Ecumenical Prayer Group
Meets the last Thursday of each month at 10:00 AM in one of the churches in Toorak.
This month, it will be on April 24th at the Swedish Church.

Have questions about any of the activities or groups?
Contact the church via email: melbourne@svenskakyrkan.se

From the Church Records

Deceased:
Amanda Joan Nordstrand
Deceased on November 30, 2024

A memorial service was held at the Swedish Church in Melbourne on March 21.

Grant her, O Lord, your peace and let your eternal light shine upon her. Amen.

We are here for you

Contact us via phone or email if you want to talk or need support.
You can also contact us if you wish to receive a home or sick visit.

How to reach us:
Katja Lin, Vicar
T: 0421 045 112
E: katja.lin@svenskakyrkan.se

Gunnar Wenehult, educator
T: 0459 225 532
E:  gunnar.wenehult@svenskakyrkan.se

Do you want us to pray for you or for someone you know? 
Every week we, who work at the Church, gather to pray for the needs that arise. We include everyone in our thoughts and prayers. No one should feel forgotten. Get in touch with your prayer topics to Katja or Gunnar.