Den 06. januar fyldte William 70 år! Og selv om han gik stille med døren med det, ville menigheden markere denne mærkedag og fejre denne (ikke kun fysisk :-)) store mand. Under messen søndag den 09. januar fik William mange anerkendende og kærlige ord fra pastor Jude. I pastorens prædiken fremhævede han vigtigheden af, at ord og gerning følges ad, og at det netop kendetegnede vores kære William. Under forbønnerne bad pastoren for, at vi fortsat i mange år kan nyde godt af Williams ukuelige engagement i menigheden. Der var mange ekstra festlige indslag under messen. Vores afrikanske og tamilske brødre og søstre gav flotte eksempler på deres sangskat, derudover blev der danset til afrikanske rytmer under frembæringen af gaverne, og det var tydeligt, at mange havde lyst til at stå op og danse med! (til Williams 80års dag danser jeg med!) Men William, som helst ville undgår så megen opmærksomhed, havde flere overraskelser i vente. Menighedssalen var dækket op til fest, med dejlige og velsmagende tamilske og afrikanske retter. Anton agerede toastmaster og sikrede, at vi fik nogle festlige timer i samvær med fødselaren og hans kone Inger. Det ville sprænge indlægget her at referere Antons, Eriks og pastorens taler. Men ingen tilhører kunne være i tvivl: William er højt elsket af hele menigheden, for den person han er og det arbejde han utrættelig stiller til vores rådighed. Børnene underholdte med en livlig ballon dans, hvilket var med til at højne feststemningen endnu mere. Kagemanden blev halshugget og et enkelt stearinlys pustet ud, 70 ville nok havde dækket kagen helt, og nærmest umuligt at slukke uden brandvæsenets hjælp! I sin takketale sagde den tydelig bevægede fødselar, at talemåden “Tak er kun et fattigt ord” virkelig gav mening for ham på denne uforglemmelige dag. Han udtrykte sin glæde for arrangementet og takkede for de mange gaver fra hjertet, samt de utallige lykønskninger. I løbet af de næste par dage vil der komme en del billeder, men da mit kamera på et tidspunkt løb tør for strøm, mangler der nok nogle billeder fra enkelte indslag. I er velkommne til at sende jeres billeder til os, og vi vil sørge for, at de kommer i galleriet.

Mark

 Også her fra tastaturet skal der endnu engang lyde et “Hjertelig tillykke” til William og en kæmpe tak for alle medvirkende ved arrangementet. On the 6th. January William was 70! And even though he kept it to himself the congregation wished to celebrate the day for a big (not only in stature) man. During the Mass yesterday William received many appreciative and fond words from Father Jude. In his sermon he  emphasized the importance that both word and deed are neccessry, and that this was a hallmark of William’s engagement. During the intercessions Father Jude prayed for William’s continued engagement for many years in the future. There were many festive items during the Mass. Our African and Tamil brothers and sisters gave many examples from their choral repetoires, whilst the procession of the gifts was accompanied by African song and dance. Many felt the desire to stand up and dance as well. (When William celebrates his 80th. then I’ll dance as well!)

Although William wished  to avoid too much attention there were ,nevertheless, more surprises waiting. The congregational hall was decorated for a party complete with delicious Tamil and African dishes. Anton acted as toast master and ensured that we had some festive hours together with the birthday child and his wife Inger. It will fill too much should I refer to Anton’s, Erik’s (Parish Council modorator) and Father Jude’s speeches, yet none of those present could be in doubt: William is a much-loved member of the congregation; for the person he is plus the untiring work he does for the us. The children entertained us with their balloon dance which increased the party atmosphere considerably. The birthday cake was cut and the single candle blown out. 70 would have more than likely covered the whole cake and almost impossible to put out without the assistance of the fire brigade. In his speech the deeply moved birthday child, by referring to the Danish phrase, ‘ “Thank you”  is a an insufficient word’ , said he realized just what this expression really meant on that unforgettable day. He expressed his joy for the party and the many presents he had received plus the many congratulatory cards. During the next couple of days pictures from the Mass and party will appear on the ‘Galleri’ link, but because my camera’s battery needed recharging during the course of the festivities some parts of the events were not recorded. All are welcome to send in their pictures to us and we will ensure that they come onto the ‘Gallery’ link.

From my computer’s keyboard comes a final, ‘ Hearty Congratulations’, to William and an ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all who contributed to the festivities.

Mark.