ENGLAND—Twelve students and alumni from the Philadelphia Church of God’s regional office in Edstone joined Herbert W. Armstrong College president Stephen Flurry and his family on February 13 for a visit to the small pcg congregation that meets in Péronne, France, just outside of Paris.

Once a month, French and Belgian pcg brethren meet in France for Sabbath services. The majority of the members speak only French, so Parisian Corinne Sylvitus translates the recorded English messages live into French.

After listening to a recorded Bible study from Church headquarters in Edmond, Oklahoma, the French and Belgian brethren and Edstone visitors shared a live service: student worker Kiall Lorenz led hymns, staff member Christopher Eames delivered a sermonette, and Mr. Flurry delivered a sermon. Afterward, the group shared snacks of traditional Parisian cuisine.

“For services, we couldn’t really communicate,” student worker Lauren Eames said, “so most of the time we were just gesturing and laughing at each other ….”

Armstrong College’s home campus in Edmond was out of session for Presidents’ Day on Monday, so the Edstone group took the opportunity to tour the City of Lights on Sunday before returning to England on Monday.

Four students took the opportunity to begin the morning with a run along the banks of the River Seine, and the whole group traveled to the Eiffel Tower to meet Parisian member Vincent Lesy, who guided their tour for the day. The group opted for the stairs instead of the elevator and tracked 704 total steps climbed. The group also traveled the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe and visited Montmarte, a historic district at the highest point in the city and former home of Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and many other artists.

Some members of the group had their portraits sketched by street artists, and 12 of them were coaxed into dancing an “oxo reel” on the cobblestone streets by a group of folk musicians.

Student worker Jessica Dalton said the dancing was her favorite part of the trip, calling the experience “millennial” as she watched members of the crowd clap for the impromptu dancers.

After watching the sun set over the skyline, the travelers dined with Lesy. With his limited English vocabulary, and the group’s limited French, student worker Emmanuel Michels was kept busy translating. Lesy shared his experience as one of about 500 people who were members of the Worldwide Church of God in Paris.

Leaving the city, the caravan drove past dozens of refugee families on the streets. Editorial student worker Samuel Livingston said seeing the migrants’ belongings and the clutter and litter on the streets “brought home the news.” He continued, saying, “It’s one thing to read about it, but it’s another to drive past and see how it affects the lives of real people, both the migrants and the Europeans.”

The international trip was one of several made by the Edstone Armstrong College family, which has also visited Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Malta and Wales.