Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham… (Genesis 26:18)

Sten and Else Thompsen are an important part of the history of the Christiania Church, known in Danish as Christianiakirken. A short summary of their story is presented here as a testimony to their lives which they committed to the LORD God, and the ongoing spiritual fruit that such lives bring.

By 1970, Sten and Else were pushers living in northern Jutland, Denmark.

Sten was brought to faith after coming to Chrisiania to buy hash for selling in Jutland, shortly after the free state was founded in 1971. Here he met missionary Johny Noer, and then spent three days at the Unge Kristnes Center at a house called Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be glory), at the end of which Johny told Sten that he had to make a decision whether or not to accept Jesus Christ as his saviour. Sten did so, and moved with his wife Else for a short time in Christiania, and then led missionary work there for almost thirty years. From 1991, they founded and then pastored for over a decade the Free Church on the Harbour Frikirken på Havnen located in Christianshavn, the Copenhagen neighbourhood that includes Christiania, where they planted a housegroup, and for a time held monthly gospels services in Christiania. John Andersen, the pastor and founder of the Christiania Church, was an elder of Frikirken på Havnen under Sten and Else Thomsen, and led the housegroup that the church planted in Christiania.

When Sten and Else retired, they closed the Free Church on the Harbour Frikirken på Havnen. After its accounts were closed, Frikirken på Havnen gave 50,000 kr. to the Christiania Church in 2013, as well as its PA sound equipment. That seed funding proved critical in allowing the Christiania Church to remain solvent over the following 7 years of turbulent finances.

Since then, Sten and Else have conducted frequent covert missionary trips to China, and started the BURN 24-7 worship ministry in Denmark.

Sten and Else occasionally attend the Christiania church, sometimes leading the worship and/or preaching.