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Adventist Heritage Month promises to be an inspiring celebration filled with events throughout October that honour and reflect on the rich heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific.

With a strong focus on youth engagement, the programs aim to educate young people about the Adventist Church’s history while inspiring them to actively shape its future.

“Our church was founded on young people, and the future of our church depends on young people engaging in our story,” Adventist Heritage director David Jones said.

A significant highlight of Adventist Heritage Month is the 175th anniversary of literature evangelism (LE) in the region. Stories will be shared celebrating the history and impact of LEs in the South Pacific. The release of the feature film The Hopeful, which offers a poignant look at the early days of the Adventist Church, is another key feature of the month.

Also on the schedule is this year’s Ellen White Symposium, featuring in-depth discussions on important societal topics, including “Ellen White, Anti-Slavery, and Early Black Adventism” and “Shall We Be Silent? The Social and Political Engagement of Ellen White and Early Adventism.” These discussions will provide valuable insights into how Adventist Church co-founder Ellen White confronted the challenges of her time.

Community engagement is encouraged throughout the month, with events like the Heritage Day picnic on October 12, designed to bring people together. Daily worship readings will be shared on social media and through podcasts, offering a continuous thread of spiritual reflection and community connection.

The month is rounded out with several other key events, including the third edition of The Great Appointment and a Sabbath Singalong with Sandra Entermann.

“This is going to be an amazing month, and everyone is invited,” Jones said. “Excitingly, this year, many departments of the church are coming together to share and celebrate our story.

“As US abolitionist Wendell Phillips once said,” Jones added, “ ‘the heritage of the past is the seed that brings forth the harvest of the future.’ This October, the Adventist community is called to come together to honour our past, celebrate our present, and inspire our future. Mark your calendars, get involved, and be part of this exciting and meaningful journey through Adventist heritage.”

About Adventist Heritage

In the Adventist Church’s South Pacific Division (SPD), Adventist Heritage is responsible for the Adventist Heritage Centre. The center takes care of maintaining the church’s archives and statistics in the region, keeping a collection of artefacts and historical items, and managing Sunnyside, the house where Adventist Church co-founder Ellen G. White resided while in Australia.

While the Adventist Heritage Centre Research Room and the Ellen White Research Centre are located side by side in Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia, with access via Avondale College Library, they are distinctly different. The Adventist Heritage Centre has been established to process the history of the Adventist Church in the SPD. The Ellen G. White Research Centre was specifically set up to house and facilitate research relating to Ellen. G White.