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Nyhetsbrev från Svenska kyrkan San Francisco, februari 2026
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Var med och stötta kyrkans arbete genom att teckna medlemskap eller lämna en donation. Du kan enkelt göra detta genom Paypal eller att skicka in en check. Mer info här. Kom ihåg att betala medlemsavgift för 2026!
Då utlandssvenskar inte betalar någon kyrkoskatt i Sverige är detta ett sätt att stödja vår församling i San Francisco när det ekonomiska stödet från Sverige på sikt minskar.
Enbart genom ett starkt lokalt engagemang och ekonomiskt stöd kan Svenska kyrkan San Francisco fortsätta sitt arbete i norra Kalifornien och finnas här som stöd för bosatta och besökade svenskar.
Ett enkelt sätt att göra detta är att bli månadsgivare och på så sätt ge församlingen en stabilare ekonomi. Man kan välja vilken summa man vill och sätta upp direkt betalning varje månad. På så sätt behöver man ej oroa sig för att förnya sitt medlemskap.
Du kan även betala in genom att skicka en check till kyrkan: Church of Sweden SF, 2454 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.
Detta års årsmöte kommer att ske den 12:e april efter gudstjänsten. Vi går då igenom verksamhetsrapport, finansiell rapport och inval till kyrkorådet.
Denna gång ställer Birgitta Houghton, Erik Eklund, Inger Vida, Kikki Nordin och Margot Harrell upp till omval och Lars Johansson upp till nyval.
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Välkommen på svensk gudstjänst i San Francisco söndagen 8:e februari kl 11.00 i Svenska Kyrkan San Fransisco, 2454 Hyde Street.
Joakim Schröder är präst och musiker Therese Brewitz. Tillsammans sjunger vi svenska psalmer. Vi firar Kyndelsmässodagen och temat är Uppenbarelsens ljus.
Agendan och delar av gudstjänsten är på engelska - så ta gärna med engelsktalande partners och familjemedlemmar.
Efteråt samlas vi till kyrkkaffe och gemenskap. Denna gång ordnar Svenska klubben med kyrkkaffet.
Efter kyrkkaffet kommer duon Duo Sabu på piano och sång ha en konsert i kyrkan.
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DUO SABU IN CONCERT FEBRUARY 8, 2026 Duo SaBu is a unique musical partnership between Heidi Saario, pianist, and Erich Buchholz, tenor, established in 2022. We perform classical art songs of many origins, with an emphasis on Nordic and Finnish composers. We bring a sense of drama and theater to our concerts, and do everything we can to share these poetic vignettes with musical integrity and narrative engagement. We have performed concerts at the Finnish Hall in Berkeley, the Piedmont Center for the Arts, the Flower Piano Festival in Golden Gate Park, and private house concerts.
For our concert at the historic Sjomannskirken in San Francisco, we will offer songs and piano pieces by Elfrida Andree, Agathe Backer-Grondahl, Edvard Grieg, Jean Sibelius, Toivo Kuula, and Oskar Merikanto. You will hear songs about the sea, lullabies, a perfect sunset, loss, and tales of adventurous love, in English, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish. This will be a tuneful hour of romance and melody. Full texts and translations are provided, and a free will offering via cash box or Venmo is greatly appreciated. |
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Välkommen på svensk gudstjänst i Los Altos lördagen den 21:a februari kl 15.00. Vi samlas i Los Altos Lutheran Church, 460 S El Monte Ave.
Temat för gudstjänsten är "Prövningens stund. Präst är Joakim Schröder och Zaida Singers medverkar.
Efteråt samlas vi till kyrkkaffe och gemenskap. Denna gång med semlor.
Varmt välkomna!
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Barn med föräldrar, far/morfäräldrar, aupairer och så vidare är välkomna på barnsång i kyrkan på Hyde Street varannan fredag. Vi sjunger svenska och norska barnvisor tillsammans.
Vi börjar med sångstund med rörelser med och för barnen. Sedan tänder vi ljus tillsammans innan vi går upp till övervåningen för fika, samtal, lek och gemenskap.
Vill du komma - hör av dig till kristin.hamren@svenskakyrkan.se.
Varmt välkomna! |
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KOM OCH HÖR JOAKIM BERÄTTAR OM FILMEN!
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Svenska kyrkan visar nordisk film! Onsdag den 18:e februari visar vi filmen "G - som i gemenskap" som Joakim medverkade i som skådespelare som ung . Joakim kommer att berätta om filmen om inspelningen från klockan 18.30.
Filmen spelades in 1983 och handlar om 3 unga killar (varav Joakim spelar en (Robban) som just slutat gymnasiet och som tampas med olika problem i livet. Andra kända svenskar som Magnus Uggla medverkar i filmen. Filmen har fått kultstatus i Sverige och har mycket nostalgi från 80-talet.
Passa på och kom och se denna film där Joakim medverkar på hans sista filmkväll i San Francisco!
Varmkorv, popcorn och dryck serveras. Anmäl gärna om du kommer. The movie is in Swedish and unfortunatly there are no English subtitles.
Kom gärna med förslag på filmer ni tycker vi ska visa framöver! |
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Kom till kyrkan och träffa andra skandinaviska ungdomar. Norska sjömanskyrkan bjuder på hemlagad tacobuffe.
För studenter, au pairer och andra unga vuxna. Perfekt om du vill knyta nya kontakter och uppleva genuin stämning och hemkänsla.
Anmäl om du kommer så vi kan förebereda rätt mängd mat.
Ni är även välkomna till Berkeley på onsdagen den 4:e februari för våffelfrukost som serveras i 420 Social Science Building 9.30-11.30 med kaffe och våfflor från Norska sjömanskyrkan.
Varmt välkomna!
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Our first Scandinavian Sunday Social will be hosted on February 22nd from 4:00-7:00 pm at the Norwegian Seaman's Church in San Francisco. This is the perfect opportunity to meet and connect with other young Scandinavians living in the Bay Area.
Come mingle, cook together, and enjoy a home-cooked meal with the best view of SF. Hope to see you there! For food planning purposes please register to Kristin. Cost $10 at the door. |
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Lördagen 28:e februari kl 10.00 möts vi vid Crissy Fields och vandrar tillsammans en lättsam promenad med underbar utsikt mot Golden Gate bron där Inger Vida och Kajsa Murphy bjuder på semlor. You are invited for an easy Presidio walk. About 2 miles. Saturday, February 28th10am. Beautiful views of Golden Gate Bridge! Coffee and Semla will be served. Meet up, hang out and enjoy old and new friends!
Please wear comfortable shoes and bring water. Meet at: "Crissy Field Changing Rooms" and look for the Swedish Flag.
Crissy Field Changing Rooms are located at Crissy Field East Beach Parking Lot (On Javowitz St. off Old Mason St). On Google Map, search "Crissy Field Changing Rooms"
This event is organized by Kasja Murphy and Inger Vida on behalf of the Swedish Church SF.
Any questions? Contact Kajsa (415-246-0955) or Inger Vida (208-720-3786).
RSVP by February 26th to Kristin Hamren
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Vi samlas i Rossmoor för att umgås och fira en enklare andakt tillsammans. Andakt startar 12.30 med präst Joakim Schröder. Sedan enklare lunch. Anmäl om du kommer för adress.
Tack till Tessie Forsberg och Gunnel Cole för hjälp att arrangera. |
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by Karl Mettinger
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Assistant Professor Martin Thelin, MD, PhD, is a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. His wife, Mira, holds a PhD from the Institut Curie in Paris and is a scientist at a biotech company developing new cancer drugs. They are pictured here with their two children, Sami, five, and Liv, one.
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WE MET FOR THE FIRST TIME AT OUR Annual Meeting a year ago, when Martin signed up to become a member of our Church. His grandfather was a priest, and Martin married Mira in Lebanon, where she grew up in the Maronite Church, which has roots dating back to ca. 400 AD. The whole family has now found a new home in our beautiful church, which they love. As an alumnus of Lund who also spent time in East Africa—myself in 1968 and Martin during his medical studies—and having studied tropical medicine at the American Hospital in Beirut in the summer of 1972, I feel privileged and proud to know this brilliant couple and their beautiful children.
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How did you discover the Church of Sweden in SF?
We discovered the Church quite simply by walking past it one day. The sight of the Swedish and Scandinavian flags flying outside immediately caught our attention. We were drawn in by this beautiful place and found it to be very warm and welcoming.
Where did you meet?
We met at an immunology conference in New Hampshire. It was autumn, and the vibrant foliage provided a beautiful backdrop. I saw Mira, and we eventually sat down to talk. She shared her engaging story about growing up in Lebanon, and I shared my roots in Sweden. We connected deeply over our shared values and interests.
We later got married in Zahle, Lebanon, in 2017. It was a massive milestone, not just for us, but for my Swedish family and friends who traveled there to celebrate. For many of them, visiting the Middle East involved stepping out of their comfort zones, and some even felt a bit of apprehension beforehand. However, those fears quickly vanished once they arrived. It was exciting for them to experience a totally different culture—the warmth, the hospitality, and the vibrant traditions of Lebanon. It became a beautiful memory of our two worlds coming together. Today, we are the proud parents of two wonderful small children who are growing up with this rich dual heritage.
How did you decide to study medicine and become pediatrician-scientists?
I was born in Lund, Sweden. My parents were high school teachers, so I grew up in an academic environment with my two older siblings. Although my grandfather was a priest, we did not attend church frequently while I was growing up. My wife, Mira, comes from a different background; she grew up in a Catholic environment in Zahle, Lebanon, where she attended French Catholic schools run by nuns.
Mira was a dedicated student who took academics very seriously from a young age. One of the books she read early on was about Marie Curie, which had a profound impact on her. Inspired by Curie, she began conducting her own experiments with yogurt in the kitchen. Her childhood dream was to study at the Institut Curie in Paris, a dream she eventually realized when she moved there to complete her PhD in immunology.
My own decision to pursue medicine was driven by an interest in biology and an urge to help people. However, my specific focus changed during a pediatrics rotation in my fifth year of medical school. I was deeply struck by the burden that children with Type 1 Diabetes and their families have to carry. Even with technological advances like insulin pumps and glucose monitors, families still live with a constant fear of high and low blood sugar. I realized that dependence on these devices limits life. This experience compelled me to pivot my research; I wanted to do more than just treat symptoms. My vision is to develop treatments that stop the disease process entirely and preserve the body's own insulin production.
Also, during medical school, I traveled to Uganda and saw villages devastated by HIV. This led me to co-found the "Katunguru Women's Initiative," where we sold handicrafts in Sweden to support vulnerable women in Uganda. That experience cemented my belief in the importance of advocating for patients who cannot advocate for themselves.
Academic Journey: Tell us briefly about your studies in Lund and Lebanon and how you both moved to Boston/Harvard.
Our academic journeys started from two different directions before converging in Boston. My wife’s path took her from her hometown of Zahle to the Lebanese University in Beirut for her undergraduate studies in biochemistry. From there, she moved to the Institut Curie in Paris for her PhD, and finally to Boston for postdoctoral research on primary immunodeficiencies.
My journey took me from Lund to Boston to do research at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School. There, I worked on identifying and blocking the specific immune cells that cause diabetes. We even worked on engineering cells to fight autoimmunity, which was fascinating work.
Following my time in Boston, I moved to San Francisco to complete my residency in pediatrics and my fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at UCSF. Now, I work as a physician-scientist, splitting my time between caring for children with lipid disorders and diabetes, and working in the lab to find the underlying causes of Type 1 Diabetes.
Life in San Francisco: When and why did you move to San Francisco?
In 2017, we moved to San Francisco so I could pursue my specialist training at UCSF. UCSF is a world-leading institution for diabetes research, with a very collaborative environment where doctors and scientists work together to find cures. It was the perfect place for me to combine clinical care with my research goals.
My wife has transitioned to the biotech industry here in the Bay Area, with her company located in South San Francisco. She is currently working on developing novel cell-based therapies to treat cancer and autoimmunity. It is exciting work that perfectly fits the innovative spirit of this region.
What are your favorite places and activities for leisure time? What do you like best at the Church of Sweden SF? What can be done better for families like yours?
Much of our leisure time is spent chasing after our two small children, aged one and five — they certainly keep us busy! We love taking advantage of the city’s many parks and museums; the Exploratorium and the California Academy of Sciences are family favorites.
As for the Church of Sweden, we truly love the welcoming community. It provides a peaceful environment that feels like a sanctuary to us. We are deeply thankful for everything that is done here. Our son, Sami, particularly enjoys the fika right after the service—and honestly, we all do!
It is wonderful meeting Priest Joakim and the lovely community members. We also cherish the specific traditions like the Lucia celebrations and the music and play sessions. Regarding what could be done better, we are very grateful for the current activities, but we would simply love to see even more initiatives that bring families together. Activities that help our children connect with Swedish and Scandinavian traditions and language are invaluable to us, so expanding on those opportunities would be wonderful.
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Children sing-a-long at 10.30 am Friday February 6th and 20th
Thursday Febraury 5th 6 pm Young in SF dinner
Sunday February 8th 11 am, Church service and church coffee in San Francisco. Afterwards concert with Duo Sabu at 1 pm
Wednesday February 18th 6.30 pm, Movie Night "Filmen G- som i gemenskap"
Saturday February 21st, 3 pm, Swedish church service in Los Altos with church coffee with semlor.
Sunday February 22nd 4 pm Young Scandinavian Social
Wednesday February 25th 11.00 Meet up in Rossmor with short devotion and lunch
Saturday February 28th 10 am Walk from Chrissy Fields, fika and semlor
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