The spacious dining room provided a pleasant  environment for the group meals

The group had an outdoor interactive Bible  study on Sabbath morning.

Members from Dormagen joined the group  on the Sabbath for church services.

Sabbath dinner provided a chance to chat!

25 people attended the 3rd annual international young adults activity hosted by UCOG and the Vereinte Kirche Gottes ["United Church of God-Germany"]. Young adults from Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United States met from July 7 to 10 in Mechernich, located in the scenic Eifel region between Cologne and the Belgian border. The venue for the activity was a former elementary school converted to a hostel-style activity center with spacious dining and meeting rooms, basketball and volleyball courts and an indoor game room.

Following a suggestion made last year, an extra day was added to the weekend to provide more opportunity for social activities and fellowship. The young adults arrived Thursday via the Cologne-Bonn and Düsseldorf airports and at the Mechernich train station. After dinner the group enjoyed a sing-a-long around a campfire.

A hearty breakfast was the first item on Friday's agenda. Then the young adults hiked an hour to the small village of Satzvey to visit the town castle, which dates back to the 14th century and is one of the best preserved castles of its era in the region. After the hike back to camp and lunch, a brief rainshower provided an opportunity for indoor activities like card games, ping pong and "table soccer". In the evening, everyone was divided up into into five groups for an interactive Bible study. After lengthy individual group discussion, each of the five groups reported its summary of what it means to be "in the world, but not of the world".

On Sabbath morning, another interactive Bible study followed a leisurely brunch. This time the break-out groups discussed the question "How are the challenges faced by the church in Europe different from those faced in the United States?". Once again, each group summarized its findings for everyone. Interestingly, the various groups reached several similar conclusions. Among them were the following:

• Europe is generally less religious than the United States. Therefore, the challenge is to prove whether there is a God at all, rather than which church is the right one.

• Language is a barrier in Europe that does not exist in the same way in the United States.

• Church members in Europe are generally far fewer in number and more isolated. As a result, there are fewer opportunities for worship services and fellowship with people of the same faith. A higher level of commitment may be required, since it is likely that a person will not be in the church in Europe for social reasons.

• Since church members in Europe are generally far fewer in number and more isolated, the effect of church splits and the various "competing" groups make it more difficult.

• Having less people available also means that the challenge of having laborers for the harvest is greater.

• The bulk of the church's literature is produced in the English language in the United States and may project an "American" image internationally. This material is a valuable resource, but the church in Europe has the challenge of not appearing to be an "American" church, especially when it comes to statements in our literature that may be perceived as being political or supportive of the position taken by the American government.

• Given the church's prophetic understanding, being closer to the "source" of certain prophetic fulfillment in Europe requires a different approach than one that may be possible from a greater distance.

• Being a greater distance from the Home Office means that people may not be as aware of what is going on at the Home Office or in the church in the United States. However, being a distance from the Home Office may also have advantages.

Following a light lunch, members of the Dormagen congregation in Germany joined the group for church services in the afternoon. Special music was provided by Elizabeth Cannon and Mary Ann Miller from the United States, who are currently studying in Europe. In his sermon, UCOG President Paul Kieffer discussed the practical application of loving your neighbor as yourself, a topic requested by the young adults. After services everyone enjoyed coffee and cake provided by the visiting Dormagen members, and in the evening young adults and visiting brethren combined efforts for a barbecue meal on the large outdoor grill. Various sausages and salads were on the menu. After sunset the young adults enjoyed a round of story telling and singing around a campfire.

On Sunday the group traveled to nearby Cologne, which was a Roman outpost on the Rhine river 2000 years ago. A few young adults climbed several hundred steps to reach a viewing platform on one of the Cologne cathedral's two main towers. After some sightseeing it was time for everyone to head in various directions for the trip home.

The weekend was a welcome opportunity for young adults of the same faith to fellowship and encourage one another. Hannah Ellams from England, Jesmina Allaoua from Germany (who coordinated the activity) and UCOG President Paul Kieffer discussed the possibility of pooling efforts to host a summer camp for young adults in the future.