The town of Schluchsee in the southern Black Forest was again the site for our annual Feast of Tabernacles. Read more…»»

This morning's security at the Cologne-Bonn airport for my flight to Prague was a bit contradictory, at least to me. Read more…»»

An article by Mario Seiglie published in the Gute Nachrichten magazine has been reprinted in a German science book. Read more…»»

35 people from 4 congregations in 2 countries met on Pentecost weekend at a youth hostel in Herogen, Germany near the Dutch-German border. Read more…»»

This evening I met some friends for our church’s traditional "Night to be much observed." Read more…»»

The United Church of God-Germany started its next round of "Kingdom of God" seminars yesterday in Munich and Stuttgart. Read more…»»

During the last three weeks, United Church of God–Germany held three Kingdom of God Bible Seminars: in Dormagen (near Cologne), Mörfelden (near Frankfurt) and Hamburg. Read more…»»

228 people from 11 countries gathered to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles in the beautiful village of Schluchsee, Germany, in the heart of the Black Forest. Read more…»»

Today we had a special all-day service in Plauen. Read more…»»

Following today’s service in Arnhem (Netherlands) we had a picnic at a rural estate. Read more…»»

This time it looks like we have an interesting quote from a prospective printer for printing our magazine and booklets. Read more…»»

Once again, this isn’t about a new arrival on the planet. Instead, it is about our "New Covenant" booklet, which isn’t going to be a booklet. Read more…»»

After a couple of tests earlier this month, today was our first regular UCG-Germany interactive Bible study via the internet. Read more…»»

Today was the third annual combined winter service for the Darmstadt and Stuttgart congregations. Read more…»»

As I left for a church service in Arnhem (Netherlands) this morning, I could tell it might be slippery in places. Read more…»»

No, this isn’t about a new arrival on the planet. Instead, it is about our "Fundamental Beliefs" booklet. Read more…»»

After today’s church service in Dormagen we had a potluck dinner and a film evening. Read more…»»

We are updating the statistics in lesson 1 of our Bible correspondence course. Read more…»»

Having been involved to one degree or another in church youth work for over 35 years now, sometimes you look back on the efforts made to reach young people and wonder whether they have had any lasting effect. For example, take this summer camp photo from 1974 in Germany. Today we would call the camp a "pre-teen" camp since most of the young people in attendance at this 1974 activity were not yet teenagers, like the three girls in the photo. This camp was one of the first organized in Germany for our young people, and it in retrospect it was probably a bit strict. The first item on the daily agenda – before breakfast! – was a vigorous round of calisthenics. However, the children did not seem to mind and they had a lot of fun. In later years the camps became more sophisticated with various activities. By the way, you might be wondering who the girl highlighted in the red box is. She is proof that youth work does work! Read more…»»

Happy birthday Alfred!

At church services today we honored my friend Alfred, who just had his 90th birthday recently. Read more…»»

This year’s Feast of Tabernacles sermon video is a joint presentation by United Church of God Council of Elders chairman Melvin Rhodes and UCG President Dennis Luker. Read more…»»

One of the challenges we have at our Schluchsee Feast of Tabernacles site is to provide a quality simultaneous translation for our German-language members and foreign visitors. Read more…»»

Today was our travel day to Schluchsee in the southern Black Forest for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles. Read more…»»

Jesmina Allaoua and I met with the man who translated the United Church of God "Middle East" booklet into Arabic to thank him for his work. Read more…»»

My "office" is where I work, which can be at home, on a train or at church activities, like today’s 13 km walk along the shore of Starnberg lake near Munich. Read more…»»

Today’s activity for the European youth attending the "Dutch Down" was 50 km (33 mile) bike ride. Read more…»»

I went to Italy yesterday to encourage my friend Carmelo Anastasi and would up being encouraged by him! Read more…»»

Our group of eight youth departed today from Düsseldorf for the United Church of God British Isles summer camp near Manchester, but not without some Swiss pride being questioned at the security checkpoint. Read more…»»

This Pentecost weekend means a few more stops on my journey in serving the members in the German-language region. Read more…»»

No, Mrs. Paulowitz, we both may have shrunk, but you have shrunk more than I have! Read more…»»

For the first time in 15 years the church of God conducted church services again in Zwickau, in eastern Germany. Read more…»»

UCG member Norbert Haase, who works for the German Red Cross, arrived in Haiti 48 hours after the January 12 earthquake there. Read more…»»

"That’s nothing new," you might think. But I am talking about a new booklet titled "The Middle East in Bible Prophecy." Read more…»»

My first assignment after returning to Germany was a funeral in Berlin. Read more…»»

The funeral for pioneer East German Church of God member Heinz Pistorius was held today in Zwickau, Germany. Read more…»»

World News & Prophecy editor Melvin Rhodes is visiting Bonn. Read more…»»

Today’s afternoon service provided a chance to see where all our Feast guests call home. Read more…»»

Just in time for the opening service this evening, 200 copies of the new German hymnal arrived via courier today at the Schluchsee Feast site. Read more…»»

Our new German hymnal was delivered today. Read more…»»

We got word today that the delivery of our new German hymnal will be delayed until next week. Read more…»»

We delivered the final edits to our printer today for the new German hymnal, completing a 20 month project. Read more…»»

Today was a special occasion in Prague, as Zdenka Dankova was baptized. Read more…»»

No, the date of the entry is not wrong. It was a Bible study about the Sabbath, not on the Sabbath. Read more…»»

40 UCG-Germany members met this evening for the first day of a four day activity in a youth hostel near Hachenburg about 60 miles west of Frankfurt. Read more…»»

Last Great Day 2008

On the final day of the fall festival season 2008 we had two services in Schluchsee. Read more…»»

Feast of Tabernacles 2008, Day 7

Today services began at 2 p.m., following yesterday’s dance evening. Read more…»»

The only member of the United Church of God in Armenia is again keeping the Feast with us in Schluchsee. Read more…»»

One of our challenges at the Schluchsee Feast site is providing a quality simultaneous translation. Read more…»»

We had a bit of a surprise when we woke up this morning. Read more…»»

Today at the Schluchsee Feast site we viewed this year’s festival video. Read more…»»

Today at the Schluchsee Feast site I had lunch with our special guests from Latvia. Read more…»»

Today we had our main worship service on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles in the afternoon. Read more…»»

Today was the day for setting up the hall in Schluchsee where we will have the Feast of Tabernacles 2008. Read more…»»

I booked my train ticket for yesterday’s overnight trip to Biel, Switzerland on July 10th and thought I had planned pretty far in advance. All that for nothing because of a demonstration in Cologne! Read more…»»

This is getting to be a habit! Read more…»»

As a result of an unusual development I was interviewed today as guest on a radio talk show of the German national shortwave station "Deutsche Welle". Read more…»»

Will UCG literature also be available in Arabic, with the potential to reach hundreds of millions of additional people? Read more…»»

It apparently took some time to verify the votes, but Kayleen Hannaway, who attends the Salem, Oregon UCG congregation, has been declared the winner of the Zinch "Sweet Diggity Dawg" scholarship competition, netting her a $20,000 scholarship for her studies at Vanderbilt University. Read more…»»

Today I was visiting our members Rainer and Margit in Dresden. They have had a photocopy shop for over 25 years, dating back to German Democratic Republic (East Germany) days. Read more…»»

I speak regularly in the Netherlands, so it was time for a guest from the Netherlands to visit our Dormagen congregation. Read more…»»

With the European Union removing intra-European borders, it was about time for a visit to a Church of God congegation only 45 minutes from Germany. Read more…»»

Advertizing a free magazine in Europe is a challenge. Print media are expensive. Why not use your own car? Read more…»»

Sermons at our Schluchsee feast site are given in English or German, and the message is then translated into the other language. Read more…»»

This year Mnazakan Poghossjan is again our special guest at the Feast of Tabernacles in Schluchsee. Read more…»»

At our Schluchsee feast site every year we have a crew that arrives a day early to get the hall ready. Read more…»»

On my drive from Bonn to Schluchsee I stopped by to see Elisabeth and Alois Drosdek. They won’t be able to attend the Feast with us this year. Read more…»»

The result of an unexpected email last week was an unusual but positive funeral for all involved. Read more…»»

Today Kurt Schmitz conducted the funeral of Karl-Heinz Pasch, the husband of one of our members in the Dormagen congregation. Read more…»»

Yesterday we had another international meeting of sorts, this time in Belgium – a wedding! Read more…»»

This year we again had a combined service for the Feast of Trumpets in Venlo, the Netherlands. Read more…»»

Today’s trip took me from Wattwil to Biel and then to Moutier before my drive back to Bonn. Read more…»»

I attended Sabbath services today in Winterthur, Switzerland, where we had 27 in attendance. Read more…»»

The old movie title is an appropriate description for my "job" late Sabbath afternoon at the conclusion of our children’s summer camp. Read more…»»

This year’s summer camp in the UK got off to a good start. Read more…»»

Peter Eddington and Clay Thornton traveled to Trier today to see an exhibition on Constantine the Great. Read more…»»

Today the UCG film crew visited the city of Aachen, which was once Charlemagne’s capital. Read more…»»

The German parliament, the Bundestag, was the main item on today’s itinerary for Peter Eddington and Clay Thornton. Read more…»»

Peter Eddington and Clay Thornton arrived in Berlin today on the first stop of a five day trip to Germany. Read more…»»

The attendance at today’s Bible Study in Berlin doubled with some visitors from the Dormagen congregation. Read more…»»

When Paul and Merlen Cebrian came to Germany for a visit, little did they realize that Paul would be a guest speaker on the Feast of Pentecost. Read more…»»

Today I visited Mrs. Gertrud Paulowitz, who lives in Düsseldorf in a neighborhood near where the original WCG office was established in 1962. Read more…»»

My trip from Berlin to Hamburg went well. Meanwhile we had a guest at services in Dormagen. Read more…»»

With sunny weather the spring festival got off to a good start in the Netherlands and Germany. Read more…»»

This past weekend in Dormagen reminded me of a church social in Düsseldorf more than 32 years ago. Read more…»»

The six week old grandson of Elisabeth and Wilfried Hellmig died one week ago today of sudden infant death syndrome. Read more…»»

The Dutch city of Venlo, just on the Dutch side of the border with Germany, was the location for yesterday’s combined service on the Feast of Trumpets. Read more…»»

On Sunday following services in Stuttgart, our congregation visited a nearby Celtic museum. Read more…»»

Last weekend I visited Switzerland for church services, traveling to Winterthur and Biel. Read more…»»

A two-day trip to Dresden provided an opportunity to visit with old friends Heinz and Käthe Pistorius. Read more…»»

Some hard work and sacrifice has "born fruit" for UCG-Holland member Rolf de Jong. Read more…»»

There was sad news from Indianapolis today about a recent visitor to Germany, Grace (Hopkins) Rothenbacher. Read more…»»

My five day trip to Switzerland for the start of the spring feast was a pleasant adventure. Read more…»»

When I met Gertrud Paulowitz in Düsseldorf some years ago, little did I know that I would be her pastor when she turned 85! Read more…»»

Occasionally we have a visitor in Germany who "is volunteered" to speak to one of our congregations. If the person doesn’t speak German, it’s no problem. We can handle another tongue – if it is English! Read more…»»

A special occasion makes it possible for the two members living farthest north and south in the German-language region to have dinner together. Read more…»»

After my last post I couldn’t write another post about food or eating – at least not in the headline or this introduction. Read more…»»

UCOG board member John Burquist visited the UCG-Germany office in Niederkassel, Germany and saw first hand how funds provided by UCOG are being used. Not bad for a fellow who just had his 85th birthday! Read more…»»

It’s not often that you meet a family that is an exact counterpart of sorts to your own. I met one over 30 years ago in Sprockhövel, Germany. Read more…»»

At our annual international young adults activity this weekend we were pleased to have three guests from Italy. One of them, Marco Tanzi from Parma, proved to be a really good trooper. Read more…»»

"And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it," is what the apostle Paul tells us. Yesterday I visited a member who was suffering. You could tell it every now and then, but only this morning did I realize how much she must have been suffering. Read more…»»

I had my easy Sabbath today. I spoke in the Netherlands in the morning and in Germany in the afternoon. It was "easy" because I did not have to make an overnight trip. Read more…»»

We send our "Gute Nachrichten" to 18 European countries. This week we added another country to the list, and it didn’t even exist 15 years ago. But then again, maybe we didn’t add a new country after all! Read more…»»

Since the CIA is an intelligence gathering institution, that seems like asking "Is Queen Elizabeth British?" or "Is baseball America’s summer pastime?". The CIA doesn’t just spy, though – it also researches public information. Maybe mine, too? Read more…»»

Germany is really "out of Africa" – it lost its colonies there following World War I. Otherwise I might be writing from Togo or Southwest Africa (today’s Namibia) or traveling from Europe to Africa and racking up lots of frequent flier miles.

Some Africans still seem to have a special interest in Germany, though. Or maybe their sense of geography isn’t so good. We usually notice that a couple of times a month.
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A "Gute Nachrichten" subscriber in Volkmarsen, a town north of Frankfurt not far from Kassel, wrote to cancel his subscription. He explained why in a terse note: "War, fighting, strife, arguing? I can get that via television! Don’t send me your Good News any more, or else I’ll send it back at your expense." It seems this fellow is not very cost-conscious!
Read more…»»