The Primary Activities of The Seventh-day Adventists
Adventists are busy, active, involved Christians. This activity takes many forms chief among them the following:
WORSHIP Most congregations begin their Sabbath (Saturday) services at 9:30 a.m. with Sabbath School (similar to the Sunday Schools of other denominations). Sabbath School members engage in group Bible study, outreach, and worship of God through music. [View the order of a typical Worship Service]
At about 11:00 a.m., the worship hour begins. The order of service is similar to that in most other protestant churches and culminates with the preaching of the Word.
Most Adventist churches also hold a midweek prayer meeting (often on Wednesday evening), and many hold other meetings for youth, for children, and for those who wish to do community service work.
EVANGELISM Winning others to Jesus Christ and His truth is the single greatest desire and effort of Seventh-day Adventists. Through public presentations, Prophecy Seminars, personal Bible studies, literature distribution, radio and television broadcasts, and other avenues, we reach out to our neighbors and friends to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
EDUCATION Adventist believe firmly in the clear advantages of Christian education. We operate over 5,000 elementary and secondary schools worldwide and over 90 colleges and universities. In an age when so much of public education seems to be adopting the philosophy of secular humanism, we believe that it is vital to provide students with an education that upholds the spiritual dimension. [Link to Colleges & Universities in North America].
HEALTH AND MEDICAL Because we Adventists are interested in the whole person body included we place great emphasis on health. Over 350 Adventist hospitals and clinic are scattered around the globe. The Adventist Church offers stop-smoking and weight-loss classes, vegetarian cooking schools, and stress-reduction programs to the general public. Our medical school, hospital, and research center at Loma Linda University in southern California are at the forefront of research and innovation in health and medicine.
DISASTER AND FAMINE RELIEF Through the efforts of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), our church is able to respond quickly to disasters anywhere in the world with food, clothing, and medical supplies. In addition, ADRA carries on a continuous program of famine relief in drought-stricken areas of the world.
COMMUNITY SERVICES Many local Seventh-day Adventists churches operate Community Service Centers, staffed with church volunteers who assist the needy and homeless in their communities. Most of these centers keep in stock clothing, bedding, and a limited supply of canned food for those most in need.
PUBLISHING With over 50 publishing houses around the world. Seventh-day Adventists are totally committed to sharing God's good news with the world through the printed page. Each year, scores of periodicals, hundreds of books, and thousands of small tracts are published and sold or given away worldwide. In the United States, the church operates two large publishing houses Pacific Press near Boise, Idaho, in the West, and the Review and Herald Publishing Association at Hagerstown, Maryland, in the East. Two outstanding periodicals produced by these publishing houses is Signs of the Times, and the Adventist Review.
COMMUNICATION Adventists were among the first to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to both radio and television. The Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast began in 1930 with H. M. S. Richards as its founding speaker/director. That responsibility was carried forward for many years by his son, H. M. S. Richards, Jr. Today Pastor Lonnie Melashanko takes the lead behind the daily and weekend broadcasts.
"Faith For Today," the oldest denominationally sponsored religious broadcast on television, first aired in 1960, with William A. Fagal as speaker/director. Dan Matthews, who succeeded him has led out in the development of Faith for Todays popular Christian Lifestyle Magazine. Dan Matthews is joined by Clifton Davis and Tami McGrew hosting this program.
The It Is Written telecast, with George E. Vandeman as speaker/director, began in 1955 and applies Bible counsel to contemporary issues and human needs. This tradition is continued by the current speaker, Mark Finely.
Reaching out to the black population of North America is our national television broadcast, Breath of Life. The new director of La Voz de Esperanza, Frank Gonzalez, leads this Spanish speaking gospel program. Pastor Doug Batchelor is the speaker of the Amazing Facts television program.
All of these broadcasts share the campus of the Adventist Media Center in Thousand Oaks, California.