ENGLAND—Ninety-five brethren from the United Kingdom and Europe gathered together at Edstone Hall for a fellowship-filled Winter Weekend at the end of December. Many who live farther away from the regional office were able to stay with local members or in hotels for the weekend, including 11 visitors from the Netherlands.

The event officially began on Friday December 29, with a Bible study by Regional Director Brad Macdonald. The next day, members met for Sabbath services, which included a sermon by Evangelist Stephen Flurry. Services were preceded by a hymn sing in which college students and teenagers from the congregation practiced song-leading and piano accompaniment.

Member Edwin Trebels, who organized the weekend’s events, said that seeing “some of the very young ones lead hymns was particularly enjoyable.”

Saturday evening, a special guest session of Spokesman’s Club was held with the majority of the congregation in attendance. As well as standard Club activities, brethren also shared a liqueur-tasting session. Four presentations by Club members interspersed between the speeches, explained the origins of each liqueur, tasting techniques, and food matches.

“The men did an exceptional job, and really gave the congregation a window into the exciting developments and growth that we have been experiencing in the weekly Spokesman’s Club,” said Club president Christopher Eames. “It was also great to see how much the ladies contributed to the special Club, particularly the table topics session.”

On Sunday, members gathered at Edstone again for a brunch prepared by the teenagers in the congregation, including pancakes and a breakfast burrito bar. “They also assisted with picking up dishes from the tables and during clean-up and such,” said Trebels, “so they were basically able to ‘host’ the entire activity.”

One of the teens, Savannah, said the brunch was “definitely a highlight.”

After the brunch, brethren visited a nearby sports hall for an afternoon of indoor soccer and basketball.

“It was really fun to spend time with all the different age groups,” said Herbert W. Armstrong College student Jessica Brandon. “Everyone was involved.”

One of the highlights of the weekend was Sunday night’s costume dance, when Edstone was filled with colorful characters including Sherlock Holmes, Red Riding Hood and a few walking abstract concepts such as Raising the Ruins and A Fork in the Road. The award for most creative costume was won by 17-year-old Curtis, who went as a 1970s disco throwback. The best group award went to the Van Halteren family, who came as a striped throng of Waldos. The best overall costume award went to Ian and Debbie Icasiano, who dressed as a panda and a chef.

“I enjoyed seeing how the costumes displayed the personalities of the participants,” Armstrong student Daniel Greene said.

Student Kayla Taylor said, “It’s nice to see people get out of their comfort zones.”

The event finished on Monday, January 1, with a trip to a war memorial park in the nearby city of Coventry commemorating those lost in the First World War. A picnic had been planned, but when rainy conditions intervened, the group relocated to Edstone Hall for lunch and games, before saying goodbye.