A fellowship living based on Christian foundations - but everyone is welcome to join.
We, the Kirkhorn family (Bente and Tomas, and our three sons) live in a big villa from 1915, in Dalby 10 km outside Lund city center. In half the house we have created a "dorm" with five rooms.
The fellowship living is based on Christian values - but being a Christian believer is not necessary to live here. We cultivate the fellowship through common dinners and evening gatherings.
Welcome to get in touch with us by email, and to apply for a room: more information below!
Rooms & common areas
All five rooms are different in shape and size, from 13-21 sqm, including bathroom. Three of the rooms have there own bathroom, and two share. Below you find some photos of the rooms.
Besides the room, lodgers have access to common indoor areas in terms of a kitchen and a large living room, about 80 sqm together, and a spacious laundry. Outside everyone can enjoy the garden, with lawn, trees and a patio.
House actvities
Most week-days we have common dinners. We take turns to cook, so once a week one of us is responsible for dinner: shopping, cooking, setting the table and doing dishes. The rest of the evenings, you can come to a prepared meal.
One evening per week we have "Alpha", a course/discussion group on Christian faith for non-believers, to which people from outside the house also are welcome. Another evening we have discipleship training for those of us who are practicing believers. A couple of evenings per semester we have "guest evenings": everyone in the house invites friends, collegues or neighbours to a social gathering with fika (coffee).
About Dalby
Dalby, part of the municipal of Lund, is located 10 km from Lund city center. It takes 15-20 minutes by bus from Dalby to the center of Lund. The buses run frequently until 11.30 pm, and 1.30 am on week-ends. There is also a direct bus connection with Malmö, that takes 35-45 min, depending on where in Malmö you are going. Dalby is popular for its nature and history: we have Sweden's oldest national park, Dalby Söderskog, and the oldest preserved stone church of all the Nordic countries dating from the 10th century. In the summer young people come to swim in the old stone quarry. The village has four restaurants, a small center with food-store and post office, liquour-store, florists, bakery, pharmacy, gym and library.
Pictures of rooms, and common areas
Contact us for more information.
Voices from former lodgers
"Not
completely sure what to expect when I moved into the big red brick house in
Dalby, a small village only a 10 minute bus ride from Lund, I can in hind sight
say that it has been a marvelous experience. The Kirkhorns family is not just
renting out rooms to students who are looking to find housing, but they invite
us as being part of their Christian way of living as a family. That is unique
in my book. They help us understand what is important in life and share with us
how they live their lives. Through weekly Christian study groups all attendants
are able to develop their belief more deeply. There are other activities as
well. Sometimes we spend time playing games, watching a movie or someone might
bake a cake, which is always appreciated. The idea is for us to take time out
from our studies to spend time together. Of course, sometimes studies take
precedence and not everyone will be able to participate on every occasion. The
housemates enjoy 'fika', one of the first words any foreigner in the house will
have to learn, which is having a chat over a coffee/tea together with a biscuit
or a cinnamon roll. There is also dinnertime to look forward to when one of us
has cooked dinner for the 'big family' and that is always a jolly occasion. I
have enjoyed all my housemates who are funny, smart and responsible students in
their 20s and they become friends you can count on if you need help or advice.
Of course I will miss them, just like the Kirkhorns." (Emma 34, Sweden)
"Living in the Dalby community house has been the best life changing
experience. It was a wonderful enviroment where I met some of my life long best
friends. It is a loving, safe, friendly environment open to all. To live in the
Dalby community house has not only been a fun adventure but one where I was
able to live and experience the wonders of a life with Christ. The Dalby house
holds many of the best memories of my life." (Nicole 20, USA)
"Before
I moved into the house in Dalby, I was a bit worried about the rules about
joining the prayers, meals, cell groups etc. Turned out, that that was what I
appreciated most, cause it helped to build up our community. It was very
interesting, challenging, amazing to live in the house for a semester. This was
the time, where I allowed God to touch my heart, where I found new friends and
learned new ways how to pray, how to talk about my faith and get some
background-knowledge about the bible and what we believe." (Rebecca 24, Austria)
"I have already live here for about half year, and I really like the house and all the people live here. As I am an international student, at first I thought I would feel lonely in that foreign country, while since I live in this house, I totally know that I just worry too much. This is a house that you can get the feeling of family wherever you come from. We also have the bible study once every week, and sometimes we pray together, it is really a wonderful experience!" (Annie 22, China)
"I have lived in Dalby
Fellowship for 3 years now and before I got here, I had never lived away from
home. It was a welcoming atmosphere thanks to the nice people that lived there
at the time and to Tomas and Bente's relaxed openness and genuine interest. It
felt like moving into a new home with a new family. I've got 3 older siblings
so for me (being 16 when I moved in) it was not so different to my previous
home. Most of them were in their 20s, came from different places and had
different backgrounds, which made the many discussions seemingly endless.
During my years in Dalby I've met people who I'll remember for the rest of my
life and hopefully keep in touch with too. I was a bit skeptical of the Alpha
evenings beforehand but afterwards they were nothing but interesting and
invigorating. While I'm on it, I'd like to also put in a word about Lund. It's
an amazing city and at certain spots it feels like taking a time machine to the
middle ages. I will definitely return to this city and also take the opportunity
to revisit Tomas and Bente in their wonderful house. Maybe I'll meet you there?" (Simon 19, Sweden)
"Hi, my name is Michael. I have lived with the Kirkhorn family in the Christian fellowship for about 3 years. I came to Lund to study development studies at the University of Lund. In Dalby I have found a wonderful place to stay. Let me tell you a little bit about the life in the fellowship. As there are eight rooms for lodgers and the family is living in the house too, there always is a lively atmosphere. I often found myself wondering how fast time flies by as I was having a great time with all the friends that I have found in the house. Normally there was one from the fellowship that was preparing dinner for all of us. We all sat together at one large table and were discussing what we had experienced during the day. Sometimes, afterwards there was some kind of presentation about the Christian believe. Here we had space to openly discuss Christianity and also philosophy in general. As everyone in the fellowship had different backgrounds, many coming from very different countries, such as Germany, Norway, USA, Turkey or Chile, there were different ideas and understandings. You can imagine that we soon grew very closely together to a heterogenous group of people. It was great fun to experience the closeness of the others and still have a room for my own. Many times we were doing bicycle tours or visits to pubs together. In summary, the Christian fellowship in Dalby is a place where all kinds of people can find community and friendship. Due to the Christian and very open nature of the fellowship you are free to explore yourself and the others around you. Plus, if you like nature, Dalby is a very fine place to stay :) " (Michael, Germany)