Our Sanctuary Ship

The custom of hanging a model sailing vessel from the ceiling in the central part of the church is widespread in Danish and Danish-American churches. The first record of a Danish kirkskibe (church ship) was about 1560 in the Church of St. Olav at Elsinore. One of the oldest surviving models dates from the early 1600s and hangs in the Ho Church, on the west coast of Denmark.

In 1994, the West Denmark worship committee and council recommended that a model Danish ship be built and hung in our church. The ship was built by Erling Grumstrup and funded by Ferna Holdt.The ship is patterned after the Norwegian Lion Battleship, which was built in 1765 at a time when Norway was under Danish rule. The ship was 176 feet long and 45 feet wide. It had a crew of 667 and contained 70 cannons.

It took Erling more than 900 hours, over the course of a year and a half, to create the replica.

The model is a representation of the church as a ship, guiding the congregation through life. Pointing toward the altar, the ship symbolizes the journey towards God and ultimately eternal life.