ENGLAND—Seventy-three members of the Philadelphia Church of God gathered at Edstone Hall on January 16 for services, Spokesman Club, and other events that coincided with the 30th anniversary of educator and theologian Herbert W. Armstrong’s death.

Sabbath services were held at the Church’s United Kingdom regional office, with members connected online from Cyprus, the Netherlands, France, Malta, Ireland, England, Austria and Scotland.

In his sermon, Evangelist Stephen Flurry admonished the congregation to remember its history through a thorough restudy of the Pastor General Gerald Flurry’s book Malachi’s Message. The Church’s founding book examines the work of Mr. Armstrong and the prophecies in the Bible concerning the Church under a modern type of the Prophet Elijah and what would happen after his death.

“I loved how the focus on Malachi’s Message and the history with Herbert W. Armstrong, from the beginning, were both tied together,” Mr. Stephen Flurry said. His wife, Amy, added that “it was the right sermon for the day and the right club theme for the day.”

Earlier that morning, Herbert W. Armstrong College students and alumni watched a video recording of Mr. Gerald Flurry’s speech from the 2015 Herbert W. Armstrong College reunion in Oklahoma City.

Student worker Jessica Dalton (’17) said that watching the video, in which the chancellor shared some of his personal history with Ambassador College, “started off the day with the theme of remembering your roots.”

Following services, the congregation shared a potluck dinner. Even the meal itself tied in with the familial theme of the day, student worker Justin Wainwright (’17) said. Members were asked to bring their favorite dish, with a description of why it topped their list, many describing their family heritage with the food.

That night, Armstrong Club members, ladies and children attended a mid-season congregational club.

President Samuel Livingston (’16) began the club by formally introducing the theme of the evening: Remember Your Roots.

Following Livingston’s opening remarks, hands launched into the air like popcorn to answer questions from topics master Christopher Eames. Topics included asking for attendees’ personal history with Mr. Armstrong or a favorite story from his Autobiography. Among the many answers to Eames’s question “What question would you like to ask Mr. Armstrong in the World Tomorrow?” 12-year-old Willow Powell shared that she would like to ask Mr. Armstrong “what his favorite animal is.”

Five speakers focused on personal, family, Church and world history. Club director Brad Macdonald concluded the event by passing all the speeches. He disclaimed, however, that it wasn’t just to pretend to the ladies in attendance that he was a merciful director, but rather because of the genuine high quality of the speeches and improvements of the speakers.

To wrap up the day, Edstone’s living room was transformed into a dance floor.

“The dance was going well until [the Flurry’s daughter] Vienna and I were doing the ‘knights, mounts and cavaliers’ dance,” Wainwright said. “We were in the middle of a ‘death drop’ when [dance coordinator] Jessie Hester called, ‘Mounts!’ I tried to throw Vienna on my back, but she ended up on the ground.” After a few seconds of laughing on the floor, Vienna was back on her feet.

“The dance seemed like we were at AC at headquarters,” Mr. Stephen Flurry said, “just quick and fun, then tear everything down.”

Though the dance and presence of families made the evening a little different from the usual Armstrong Club ladies’ night, Mr. Stephen Flurry said, “The special visit makes Edstone more family-oriented.”