Both Canadian and Danish Patriotism became very strong in the congregation during the war years as we became informed and invo1ved in the war as it pertained to Canada and Denmark. The 1941 budget shows expenditures supporting The Danish Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross as well as Norwegian Relief, British War Victims, and gifts for men in Service. The Young People’s Society used part of their meetings to write letters and send packages to those overseas and in the Merchant Marines. In 1941, the head of the Lutheran Church in Greenland visited our congregation with a request. He asked that members of our Church temporarily adopt some Danish children from Greenland so they could attend school in Toronto as Copenhagen was now closed to them. On two occasions we were visited by Henrik Kaufmann the exiled Danish ambassador to the U.S.A. At these visits we hosted large meetings of the Danish-Canadian community to hear about the war effort. Our own services were sometimes visited by Norwegian airmen from “Little Norway” on the Toronto Islands. Pastor Bondo represented our synod on the Lutheran War Commission – a body that assigned military chaplains. In 1947 Pastor Bondo was awarded the King Christian X Freedom Medal for his work for Denmark during the war. We also had special wartime services, including a service commemorating the political martyr, Rev. Kaj Munk of Denmark, and a service of thanksgiving for Victory Day. In 1946 we held a grand “Welcome Home” program for more than 50 young people of the congregation who had served in the Armed Forces. This event is remembered as an all-time highlight as such relief and joy was felt at this homecoming.
Original Credits Carl Larson, Philip & Irene Jorgensen