Your Name 
Elizabeth Padillo Olesen with 3 other colleagues

Title/ Position
Coordinator,

Organization:
Cross Cultural Ministry of Kolding Deanery (Tværkulturelt arbejde i Kolding Provsti) part of Haderslev Diocese

Country:
Denmark

Your Message
February 20, 2023

Letter of Support

In times when our world is facing new wars and growing insecurity, and when more weapons that are lethal display power and struggle for dominance, World Interfaith Harmony Week matters! When our one world is facing crises in energy, food, and economy, and tormented by the havoc and sufferings brought about by pandemics and climate changes in earthquakes, floods, landslides, hurricanes and super typhoons, World Interfaith Harmony Week matters! Joint activities to work for peace and harmony become much more urgent as an imperative for everyone, for every organization, for every local community, for all faiths and religions, for all nations.

It is in coming together that we can talk, reflect, and possibly lay out actions for a world of peace and harmony. We are connected to each other, though separated by distance and space; we need to pause and talk with each other, eat together, sing, dance, write and share thoughts, allow art in poetry, drawings, and paintings to have its voice, create forums and raise nagging questions, seek common answers, and involve women and our children in schools in the dialogue! We are one people, who in spite of our differences in convictions, cultures and religions, have something in common, that is, our common longing to live in peace, harmony, and freedom.

This is what UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, as we have understood, has called us to be and to do. This is now our 5th time to join and as the years go by, we are getting more cooperation of people to join in this common venture for our common existence as one people in one world, created by God, called to a purpose to love, and serve for common good.

Thanks for the call to mark this event every February and further create more activities at the end of January to the first days in March. This we have done. Thanks for the privilege to join with others to share what we have done in our local context and to learn from those who are participating in this event through their reports.
Thanks for the WIFHW team that has continually coordinated this event since 2010 or 2011!

May God bless you and keep you!

Sincerely yours,

Elizabeth Padillo Olesen, coordinator, Cross Cultural Ministry of Kolding Deanery* from 2010 to spring 2023.

Jårliny Spence Swanlake Petersen, colleague for the Cross-Cultural Ministry of Kolding Deanery

Michael Markussen, International Pastor of Kolding International Congregation, co-partner with Elizabeth and Járliny for Cross Cultural Ministry of Kolding Deanery, and chairperson for the Haderslev Stift Committee on Migrant Cooperation and Church Encounter with other Religions

Camilla Henriksen: Consultant, Migrant Cooperation and Church Encounter with Other Religions of Haderslev Diocese*

* Kolding Deanery (Kolding Provsti) is an organization of 31 local churches in the municipality of Kolding, Elizabeth is retiring in few days and continues to support the work for UN World InterFaith Harmony Week as volunteer.
*Haderslev Diocese, headed by bishop Marianne Christensen; consists of 7 deaneries with churches in 7 towns in Denmark with local congregations in Sydlesvig at the southern German border. It has a total of 173 local churches and 221 priests. Kolding Deanery has 31 local churches within the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Denmark or locally called Den Danske Folkekirke.

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