Danish ties renewed
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve returned to the land of his grandparents to join local Church leaders in hosting Danish government and civic leaders in a dinner and concert April 30. The evening was a friendly opportunity to renew long-standing ties between Denmark and the Church, and to explain how gospel teachings answer pressing issues facing Denmark and Europe.
Many Danes attending that evening were familiar with Utah; some had lectured at Brigham Young University as a part of the Scandinavian lecture series, which had been established in the 1980s through an endowment at BYU by Leo Jacobsen, who had a desire to build greater cultural and educational ties between Denmark and Norway and Brigham Young University and the state of Utah. Joining Elder Perry, who serves as president of the Europe Central Area, was his wife, Barbara.
The evening began with Elder Perry meeting with Bertel Haarder, Danish Minister of Education and Religion, to discuss issues related to the Church in Denmark.
"Elder Perry offered the Church's hand in dealing with the challenges which threaten the European society," said President Jens Andersen of the Copenhagen stake.
Minister Haarder is familiar with the Church, having visited BYU on two occasions and attended the Copenhagen Denmark Temple open house with his family prior to its dedication in 2004.
After their meeting, they were joined by Brian Mikkelsen, Danish Minister of Culture; Sren Haslund Christensen, recent Lord Chamberlain to the Queen of Denmark; Michael Ehrenreich, co-editor of the leading Danish Newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad; and Linda Nielsen, rector of the University of Copenhagen; and their spouses for the dinner.
Local Church leaders who also attended the dinner with their spouses included: Jens Andersen, Copenhagen stake president; Erik Ryttersgaard, Aarhus stake president; President James Williams of the Copenhagen Denmark Mission and President Dee Jacobs of the Copenhagen Denmark Temple.
After the dinner, Minister Haarder shared his gratitude and appreciation for the bonds of friendship that exist between Denmark and BYU.
In his comments, Elder Perry spoke of his tall, strong Danish grandfather who settled in Logan, Utah, and the impression his grandfather made on his life. Elder Perry also talked about the importance of the bridges that had been built between Utah and Denmark and his appreciation for the Danes and their contributions in building the Church in Utah in the 1800s and those who now build the Church in their homeland.
Elder Perry also expressed his concern for Europe, and handed out a card which stated the purposes of the Church to strengthen people of the world, especially Europe.
Elder Perry and his guests then attended a concert by the BYU Wind Symphony Orchestra, which drew enthusiastic praise for its closing number, "Go Ye Now in Peace." Copenhagen was the orchestra's first stop as part of a four-week tour of Scandinavia.
On the evening prior to meeting with government officials, on April 29th, Elder Perry joined the orchestra for a fireside with members and their friends. He crowned the fireside with kind comments to the orchestra, and then asked how many students in the orchestra had Scandinavian ancestors.
Approximately 80 percent expressed such ancestral ties. Elder Perry emphasized in the importance of knowing and studying the history of ancestors.
Elder Perry spoke of the sacrifice early Danish members made to travel and settle in a desert community like Utah. He said he remembered sitting on the front porch of his grandfather's home and listening to stories of the beautiful country of Denmark. He remembered his grandfather telling how he cut lumber in Logan Canyon for the Logan temple.
The highlight of the performance came when the members of the orchestra laid down their instruments and sang to the audience of the Lord's love for all. The sweetness of the Spirit filled the hall and visibly touched the hearts of many.
President Williams of the Danish mission noted that the orchestra became an effective missionary tool. Many investigators attended the fireside, which was a relaxing, informal evening with members.
