ENGLAND—Thirty-three Philadelphia Church of God members traveled from five countries to observe Pentecost in Konstanz, Germany, on June 16. Five staff members and three Herbert W. Armstrong College students from the college’s campus at Edstone Hall took a 13-hour trip to join European members for the weekend.

This was the second time in PCG history that a full Sabbath service was held in the German language. The venue for the weekend was a traditional building set just below a castle, overlooking forests and fields of wheat and barley. Member Josué Michels led hymns; Edstone deacon Emmanuel Michels gave the sermonette; member Rebecca Michels sang special music, and a German translation of a recorded sermon was played. After the service, the group conversed over a buffet-style meal. As the sun began to set, some members drove 15 minutes down the mountain to take a stroll alongside Lake Constance, with a small Swiss town visible across the water.

On Pentecost, Regional Director Wayne Turgeon gave an offertory message and sermon. That afternoon, students and staff traveled to visit an isolated member, Monika Danieli. On their way back to Edstone Hall, the group visited another isolated member living in northeastern France, Lina Bellavia. The two members expressed gratitude and said that the spiritual boost from the visits would last for many months to come.

Student Wyatt Naillon said, “It was great to meet many of the European brethren, and despite a language barrier, we were still able to have great fellowship. It was awesome to be able to build a new perspective through them.”

German member Daniela Danieli commented that this year’s Pentecost was “almost a small Feast of Tabernacles” with “the sermons and teachings, the encounters and fellowship with the brothers and sisters and Mr. and Mrs. Turgeon. It was fulfilling and invigorating. Spiritually, an absolute enrichment.”