I hope you all had a profitable and inspiring Feast of Tabernacles! All of the reports that I have received have been very positive and encouraging.

 Let me share with you the uplifting and enjoyable visits that LeeAnn and I had with so many wonderful brethren in England, Germany and France for the Feast, and in Italy after the Feast. We were in England for Atonement and the first Holy Day of the Feast. John Schroeder picked us up at the airport very early Friday morning (it was an overnight flight) and took us to his home, not far from Bricket Wood, where the campus used to be. His wife, Jan, fixed tea for us, and we had a wonderful visit with two long-time friends. John and I graduated the same year (1963) from Ambassador College in Pasadena. John and Jan gave us a tour of the church office, and then we had dinner together before Atonement began that evening. I gave the sermon in the London congregation on Atonement, and we connected there with Frank Jarvis, the pastor, and his wife, Dorothy.

From London, LeeAnn and I traveled southwest by train to Winchester, where the Feast was held. About 90 brethren were there from various countries. They were warm and friendly and sang exceptionally well during the song service. There was joy, peace and unity. Frank Jarvis, festival coordinator, requested that I give both the opening night sermon and the next afternoon sermon because of leaving the next day for Germany. I must mention the enjoyable meal and fellowship we had with Gerhard and Diane Marx and the Jarvises, at the end of the first Holy Day. We much appreciated their warm hospitality.

LeeAnn and I flew on to Germany after the first Holy Day and were there for about two and a half days. Paul Kieffer met us at the airport and drove us to the delightful Feast site in Schluchsee. About 230 brethren from many countries were there. The spirit and attitude was very positive and truly inspiring. I gave the sermon on the weekly Sabbath, and Paul spoke on Sunday. He gave an excellent message using PowerPoint, showing how man is destroying the earth because of greed and how God will destroy those who destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18, last part). He showed how Christ, with us assisting Him, will restore the earth to health and beauty during the thousand years. It was a unique and well-prepared message. LeeAnn and I had an enjoyable meal with Paul and Monica and thanked them for their long-time faithful service in Germany, the Netherlands and other areas of Europe. We also had wonderful fellowship with many of the other brethren while there. We were physically tired but spiritually energized by our visit to Germany.

From Germany we flew to France for the last two days of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day. There were just under 80 in attendance from various countries, and the spirit of joy and happiness, especially for the French brethren, was truly inspiring. We were able to reconnect with our faithful elder in France, Mr. Bernard Audoin, and his wife, Colette. We had met them years earlier at a Feast in France and had been communicating recently via e-mail with the help of his two daughters, Annette Bernal and Maryse Pebworth. Maryse is married to Tim Pebworth, one of our elders in the San Jose, California, congregation. Tim and Maryse have been instrumental in helping to preserve the United Church of God in France during our recent crisis. During the Feast in France, Tim was chosen by their national Council to be their new president. He replaces Mr. Audoin, who has served faithfully and will be 80 years old on his next birthday. Tim, of course, understands and speaks French and will be able to serve as president from the U.S. because of modern means of communication. His wife, Maryse, will also help make this possible by working closely with her family and the other French brethren.

After the Eighth Day, LeeAnn and I flew to Rome, Italy, where Carmelo Anastasi picked us up at the airport and drove us to the Feast site in Sabaudia. About 30 brethren stayed after the Feast to keep the weekly Sabbath together, and we were able to have a wonderful visit with many of the Italian brethren that we have known for many years. LeeAnn and I were the first ones to visit the Italian brethren who wanted to be with United in 1995. We have had a special relationship with them ever since. We feel a strong bond of love and friendship with Carmelo and his wife, Antonella, and with our other elder and wife there, Angelo Di Vita and Ann Maria.

After the weekly Sabbath with the brethren in Italy, we drove with Carmelo and Antonella to their home and the church office in Bergamo, which is in the far north of Italy. Along the way Carmelo gave us a tour of Florence, Pisa and other interesting places that we had never had time to see on previous visits to Italy. LeeAnn and I had an interesting experience in that we were able to climb to the top of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was quite a climb but, because of our regular exercise and walking, we made it just fine. When we got to Bergamo and visited the church office, we were very impressed.

It isn’t very large, but it’s beautiful and brightly lit and very well organized. Carmelo walked me through many of the things they are doing to build the Church and work in Italy. That is not an easy task with the power and influence of the Catholic Church everywhere. Please pray for Carmelo, the national council and all the brethren in Italy that God will guide and bless them in their efforts to serve Him and do His work.

I will bring this to a close by saying that our visit to these four areas was incredibly encouraging and inspiring for LeeAnn and me. We came back very tired physically but very energized spiritually and emotionally. We hope we were able to encourage the brethren we were with as much as they encouraged us. Thanks to all of you who are reading this report for your love, faithfulness and service to our Great God and to His wonderful people around the world.