It all began in April of 1995 when Loury and Nina Forsey and Jerry Colleran shared a dream of creating a Seventh-day Adventist presence in Lindsay, Ontario. Sister Enid Davis, who was canvassing the Lindsay area for ADRA, joined them at the rented Christian Reformed Church for Sabbath mornings. Cindy Laird-Wesley joined them soon afterward, and they became the nucleus of Seventh-day Adventist believers in Lindsay.
The small group faced many challenges but never lost its vision. The group grew as other Adventists moved into the area. When Rijna Wilms was baptized, it was a time of great rejoicing for the members because she was their first baptism, reinforcing their belief in their dream for Lindsay.
For a short period of time, the group met in the board-room at the 9-10 Motel, but fortunately, a more suitable accommodation was found in the chapel at Victoria Manor, a nursing home.
The group has been led by Pastors Ron Teranski, Glen DeSilva, Fitzroy Maitland, James Anderson, Daniel Cucuteanu, and is presently being led by Pr. Gerry Pasikatan.
Sabbath, May 26, 2007 was a very happy occasion for members of the Lindsay group. On that day, they became the “Lindsay Seventh-day Adventist Company” when a service of celebration and declaration was held in the chapel at Victoria Manor, their place of worship. They were joined by the Administration of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Pastor Derrick Nichols, president, Pastor Antonio Bueno, executive secretary, and Brother Ulysses Guarin, treasurer.
The organizational service on May 26 was a time of praise and thanksgiving. A number of visitors joined the regular worshippers in their celebration. They were inspired as they heard Pastor Nichols preach about the love of God and His call for the church to share the Gospel. They were blessed through the singing of Ervin Tanasoaia, a vocal quartet, and Jacqui Alleyne from Peterborough.
The above article was written by Betty Laird and printed in the August 2007 Ontario Highlights. Updating and editing by Wayne Ashton. Ontario Highlights is published quarterly by the Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
God designed the Sabbath for two main reasons: to commemorate creation and as a sign of our salvation. “For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:11). “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12).
The Hebrew word sabbath literally means “to cease.” Just as God rested from His creation work, we are to rest from our day-to-day occupations and refocus on what’s really important. It’s a day to push the reset button. Taking a Sabbath rest is an act of faith; it’s a reminder that no matter what we do, God is in control. When we cease from pursuing our material goals for one day each week, we’re saying, “God, I trust You to maintain control while I spend this day focusing on You. I trust You to provide for my needs seven days a week even if I only work for six of them. Regardless of how much money I could earn today, or how much remains on my to-do list from last week, today I’m going to rest my mind and body and bask in Your presence.”
So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. So on that day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. He blessed it because on that day he rested from all the work he had done.
Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. Do all your work in six days. But the seventh day is a sabbath to honor the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your towns. In six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them. But he rested on the seventh day. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Above quotes taken from New International Readers Version
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