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| orientation = [[Adventism|Adventist]]
| orientation = [[Adventism|Adventist]]
| polity = [[Government of the Seventh-day Adventist Church|Modified presbyterian polity]]
| polity = [[Government of the Seventh-day Adventist Church|Modified presbyterian polity]]
| founder = [[Joseph Bates (Adventist)|Joseph Bates]], [[James Springer White|James White]], [[Ellen G. White]], [[John Nevins Andrews|J. N. Andrews]]
| leader_title = President
| leader_title = President
| leader_name = Mark Johnson
| leader_name = Paul Llewellyn
| founded_date = May 21, 1863
| founded_place = [[Battle Creek, Michigan|Battle Creek]], [[Michigan]]
| separated_from =
| separated_from =
| branched_from = [[Millerites]]
| branched_from = [[Millerites]]
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| primary_schools =
| primary_schools =
| secondary_schools =
| secondary_schools =
| tertiary =
| tertiary =Burman University
| worker training institutions=
| worker training institutions=
| hospitals =
| hospitals =
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| orphanages and children's homes =
| orphanages and children's homes =
| publishing houses =
| publishing houses =
| other_names = Adventist church, SDA (informal), SDACC
| other_names = Adventist church, SDA (informal), SDACC, Canadian Union
| footnotes =
| footnotes =
}}
}}
{{Seventh-day Adventism}}
{{Seventh-day Adventism}}


The '''Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada''' ('''SDACC''') is organized as a constituent entity of the [[North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists]] (SDA).
The '''Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada''' ('''SDACC''') is a constituent entity of the [[North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists]] (SDA). Its territory consists of all [[Canada]] and the French possessions of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] (population of c. 38.8 million). As of 2022, the SDACC consisted of seven local conferences, 388 churches, and 74,191 members.<ref name=":0" />


==History==
The Adventist presence in Canada dates back to the early and mid-1800s and the [[Adventism|Millerite movement]]. [[William Miller (preacher)|William Miller]], [[Joshua Himes]], and [[Josiah Litch]] all helped build the Millerite cause on Canadian soil.
=== Early history ===

The [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] became an organized Canadian entity in the late 1870s starting in Quebec. By the first decade of the 1900s, the church had its roots down all across the continent. Today, all of Canada and the French possessions of St. Pierre and Miquelon comprise the official territory of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada.

Its administrative units are the British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba-Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and Maritime Conferences and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newfoundland and Labrador. The 2018 Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook lists 388 churches and a membership of 71,376.<ref>[http://www.adventistyearbook.org/default.aspx?&page=ViewAdmField&Section=General&AdmFieldID=SCIC Adventist Yearbook] Retrieved March 11, 2019</ref>

Adventist enterprises include worship services in local congregations, annual regional "camp meetings", children's summer camps, a world session every five years, the publishing of tracts and journals, broadcast media, evangelistic meetings, and the operation of schools, medical facilities, and humanitarian enterprises.

==Early history==
; Millerites in Canada
; Millerites in Canada


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| page = 167
| page = 167
| language =
| language =
| url = https://books.google.com/?id=mEtnVyK0aZAC&pg=PA167&dq=%22The+first+Millerite+camp+meeting+held+in+North+America+was+held+in+Hatley%22#v=onepage&q=%22The%20first%20Millerite%20camp%20meeting%20held%20in%20North%20America%20was%20held%20in%20Hatley%22&f=false
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=mEtnVyK0aZAC&q=%22The+first+Millerite+camp+meeting+held+in+North+America+was+held+in+Hatley%22&pg=PA167
| isbn = 0-7735-0669-1
| isbn = 0-7735-0669-1
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
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After the [[Great Disappointment|disappointment]] of October 22, 1844, Millerites developed into several divergent groups. The [[Seventh-day Sabbatarianism|Sabbatarian]] group led by the Whites, Joseph Bates and others sought out the scattered Millerites and presented their Sabbath understanding to them. In the early 1850s [[Joseph Bates (Adventist)|Joseph Bates]] and [[Hiram Edson]] traveled along the northern shore of [[Lake Ontario]] trudging through knee-deep snow seeking out the Millerites. Thirty years later, the Adventist presence in Canada was still in its nascent stage. The first Seventh-day Adventist church in Canada was at [[Stukely-Sud, Quebec|South Stukely]], Quebec. It organized on September 30, 1877,<ref>{{harvnb|Willis|2000|p=18}}</ref> with 16 members.<ref>{{harvnb|Monteith|Graham|1983|p=29}}</ref>
After the [[Great Disappointment|disappointment]] of October 22, 1844, Millerites developed into several divergent groups. The [[Seventh-day Sabbatarianism|Sabbatarian]] group led by the Whites, Joseph Bates and others sought out the scattered Millerites and presented their Sabbath understanding to them. In the early 1850s [[Joseph Bates (Adventist)|Joseph Bates]] and [[Hiram Edson]] traveled along the northern shore of [[Lake Ontario]] trudging through knee-deep snow seeking out the Millerites. Thirty years later, the Adventist presence in Canada was still in its nascent stage. The first Seventh-day Adventist church in Canada was at [[Stukely-Sud, Quebec|South Stukely]], Quebec. It organized on September 30, 1877,<ref>{{harvnb|Willis|2000|p=18}}</ref> with 16 members.<ref>{{harvnb|Monteith|Graham|1983|p=29}}</ref>


=== Organizational history ===
The Canada Conference, made up of members from both Ontario and Quebec provinces operated in the early 1880s. By the 1890s, North American Adventists were organized into Districts. District 1 included this Canada Conference as well as the mission fields of the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland.<ref>A. T. Robinson. General Conference Session Bulletin. March 8, 1891. http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Periodicals/GCSessionBulletins/GCB1891-02.pdf</ref>


==The Canadian Union Conference, 1901==
==== Canadian Union Conference ====
In 1901, the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]] created mid-level administrative units called union conferences that assumed oversight of the local conferences from the [[General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists|General Conference]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://spectrummagazine.org/news/what-might-have-been-and-what-actually-was-1901-general-conference-session/ |title=What Might Have Been and What Actually Was at the 1901 General Conference Session|access-date=6 August 2024 |date=2 July 2015 |publisher=Spectrum }}</ref>


One result was the Eastern Union Conference consisting of local conferences in eastern United States and Canada. At its first meeting later that year, the delegates voted to create, effective 1 January 1902, a Canadian Union Conference consisting of only the provinces of [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]], the [[The Maritimes|Maritimes]] and the territory of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Daniells |first=A. G. |date=December 24, 1901 |title=Eastern Union Conference |url=http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19011224-V78-52__B.pdf#view=fit |journal=Review and Herald |location=Battle Creek, Michigan |publisher=Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association |volume=78 |issue=52 |pages=11, 12 |access-date=July 10, 2011}} Daniells mentions that the co-founder of the SDA Church, [[Ellen G. White]], was present at this gathering in Massachusetts. He also mentions that the name of the union conference was changed to the Atlantic Union Conference.</ref><ref name="union">{{Cite journal |last1=Daniells |first1=A. G. |last2=Ford |first2=I. A. |date=December 17, 1901 |title=Organization of the Canadian Union Conference |url=http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19011217-V78-51__B.pdf#view=fit |journal=Review and Herald |location=Battle Creek, Michigan |publisher=Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association |volume=78 |issue=51 |pages=12, 13 |access-date=July 10, 2011}}</ref> The new union conference continued to be known as the Canadian Union Conference until 1914 even after the Western Canadian Union Conference emerged in 1907.
In 1901 the Seventh-day Adventist Church introduced new mid-level administrative units called "Union Conferences" that took over much of the oversight of the local conferences from the General Conference Committee. On the East coast of the United States, the Eastern Union Conference was created. The first session of this union conference took place between November 27 and December 5, 1901, at [[South Lancaster, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Daniells
| first = A. G.
| title = Eastern Union Conference
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 78
| issue = 52
| pages = 11, 12
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, Michigan
| date = December 24, 1901
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19011224-V78-52__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = July 10, 2011 }} Daniells mentions that the co-founder of the SDA Church, [[Ellen G. White]], was present at this gathering in Massachusetts. He also mentions that the name of the union conference was changed to the Atlantic Union Conference.</ref>


Meanwhile, Adventist entities in western Canada came under the jurisdiction of union conferences located in western [[United States]]. For example, in 1902, the Pacific Union Conference recommended that Adventist churches in [[British Columbia]] be organized into their own local conference within the Pacific Union.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Alonzo T. |date=April 1, 1902 |title=The Pacific Union Conference |url=http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19020401-V79-13__B.pdf#view=fit |journal=Review and Herald |location=Battle Creek, MI |publisher=Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association |volume=79 |issue=13 |page=10 |access-date=2011-12-17}}</ref>
During this end-of-year session, a number of meetings were held with members of the General Conference Committee along with representatives from Canada, to organize a Canadian Union Conference. It was voted to proceed with the organization of a Canadian Union Conference. A constitution was established. Even though the new entity was called "The Canadian Union Conference", the territory included was only that of Eastern Canada, i.e. Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and Newfoundland. Work was to go into effect on January 1, 1902 if two thirds of the Canadian churches agreed.<ref name = "union">{{Cite journal
| last = Daniells
| first = A. G.
| last2 = Ford
| first2 = I. A.
| title = Organization of the Canadian Union Conference
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 78
| issue = 51
| pages = 12, 13
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, Michigan
| date = December 17, 1901
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19011217-V78-51__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = July 10, 2011}}</ref>


==== Western Canadian Union Conference ====
Early Adventist work in the western part of Canada first came under Union organizations located in the western United States.
In 1907, president of the General Conference, [[A. G. Daniells]], visited the western Canadian provinces and urged Adventists there to establish a "western Canadian Union Conference."<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = McVagh
| first = C. F.
| title = Western Canadian Union Conference
| journal = General Conference Bulletin, Thirty-Ninth Session
| volume = 8
| issue = 12
| pages = 18, 19
| publisher = The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = Mountain View, CA
| date = April 15, 1918
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/doc_info.asp?DocID=1270
| access-date = 2011-12-18}}
</ref> Later that year, it became a reality.


==== Eastern Canadian Union Conference ====
Early in 1902, at the organizational meeting for the Pacific Union Conference, it was recommended that the believers in British Columbia be organized into their own separate conference within the Pacific Union.<ref>{{Cite journal
In 1914, the church organization in eastern Canada finally became identified with its territorial limits as the Eastern Canadian Union Conference. At the beginning of the next year it hosted a visit by [[William C. White|W. C. White]], son of [[Ellen G. White|Ellen White]], who urged immediate expansion of church outreach within its regions.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Jones
| first = Alonzo T.
| title = The Pacific Union Conference
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 79
| issue = 13
| page = 10
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, MI
| date = April 1, 1902
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19020401-V79-13__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-17}}</ref>

==Two Union Conferences==

===(Eastern) Canadian Union Conference===

The work of the church in Ontario and the eastern provinces retained the name of the Canadian Union Conference when the Western provinces were organized under a separate name.

On New Year's Day, 1915, W. C. White, the son of Ellen G. White, visited at the Eastern Canada headquarters in Oshawa, Ontario. He stayed for several days. He spoke four times, three of which were at Buena Vista Academy (now Kingsway College). During his visit, he gave counsel to the leaders regarding how to extend Adventism in Eastern Canada. He urged them to start church work in new places immediately because "the last days are closing in upon us." He said that ministers should be sent into new areas and that the lay people should take care of the existing churches. He also cited recent counsels from his mother calling on families to enter new areas as self-supporting missionaries.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Campbell
| last = Campbell
| first = M. N.
| first = M. N.
Line 139: Line 99:
| date = January 12, 1915
| date = January 12, 1915
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19150112-V15-02__C.pdf#view=fit
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19150112-V15-02__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-06}}</ref>
| access-date = 2011-12-06}}</ref>

===Western Canadian Union Conference===

In 1907 [[A. G. Daniells]], President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, visited the western Canadian provinces and announced the need to organize these provinces into a "western Canadian Union Conference". "This will give them courage, good cheer, and strength," he wrote. He further noted that, "for a time it will need assistance from the States, but now is the time to give it. Let us remember western Canada in our prayers and gifts."<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = McVagh
| first = C. F.
| title = Western Canadian Union Conference
| journal = General Conference Bulletin, Thirty-Ninth Session
| volume = 8
| issue = 12
| pages = 18, 19
| publisher = The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = Mountain View, CA
| date = April 15, 1918
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/doc_info.asp?DocID=1270
| accessdate = 2011-12-18}}
</ref>

===Canadian Union Conference===


==== Canadian Union Conference / Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada ====
The [[Great Depression in Canada|Great Depression]] affected the church as well as society at large. Several steps were taken to manage the church's finances during this time.<ref name = "Man-Sask">{{Cite journal
To address the impact of the [[Great Depression in Canada|Great Depression]] on the financial position of the church in [[Canada]],<ref name="Man-Sask">{{Cite journal
| last = Reiner
| last = Reiner
| first = D.E.
| first = D.E.
Line 172: Line 114:
| date = June 14, 1932
| date = June 14, 1932
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/WCT/WCT19320614-V22-24__C.pdf#view=fit
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/WCT/WCT19320614-V22-24__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-18}}</ref> The 1931 General Conference's annual council recommended that the two Canadian union conferences be merged into one for all of Canada and Newfoundland. Delegates representing these two organizations met on May 24, 1932 in Winnipeg and decided to merge the two unions. The president of the General Conference, C. H. Watson, and the president of the North American division, J. L. McEIhaney, were present.<ref>{{Cite journal
| access-date = 2011-12-18}}</ref> the General Conference Annual Council (1931) recommended that the two Canadian union conferences be merged to serve all of Canada and Newfoundland. In 1932, delegates representing east and west voted to establish one union conference.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Campbell
| last = Campbell
| first = M.N.
| first = M.N.
Line 184: Line 126:
| date = June 14, 1932
| date = June 14, 1932
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/WCT/WCT19320614-V22-24__C.pdf#view=fit
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/WCT/WCT19320614-V22-24__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 18 December 2011}}</ref> At this same session it was recommended that the Manitoba and Saskatchewan conferences be merged into one and that the Ontario and St. Lawrence conferences also be merged. Winnipeg became the location for this newly formed Canada-wide conference.<ref name = "Man-Sask"/>
| access-date = 18 December 2011}}</ref> They also recommended merging the [[Manitoba]] and [[Saskatchewan]] conferences and the Ontario and St. Lawrence conferences. Headquarters of the new union conference were in [[Winnipeg]].<ref name="Man-Sask" />


The unincorporated union conference and its corresponding legal association were combined in 1986 to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada, a non-profit religious corporation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=SDA Church in Canada |url=https://www.adventistyearbook.org/entity?EntityID=14799 |access-date=29 August 2023 |website=Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook: 2023}}</ref>
==Sunday closing legislation==


== Social and political engagement ==
Early in January 1906, the [[Freedom of Religion in Canada, Adventist History#The Lord's Day Alliance Actively Seeks to Enforce|Lord's Day Alliance (LDA)]] met with [[Wilfrid Laurier|Canadian Prime Minister Laurier]] and his minister of Justice. They asked that a Sunday-observance bill be enacted during the next session of parliament. As the cabinet of the government discussed the issue, the LDA solicited petition signatures favoring the proposed bill.<ref name ="Laurier">{{Cite journal
The SDACC has been engaged in social and political activities throughout its history.

=== Social engagement ===
Like Adventists everywhere and throughout their history, individuals and entities of the SDACC have been engaged in promoting healthful living and operating healthcare facilities. These efforts have included the former Branson Hospital (Toronto), facilities for seniors in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Since 1990, the SDACC, in association with about thirty faith communities, has been a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.<ref>[http://foodgrainsbank.ca/about-us/member-churches-agencies/ Foodgrains Bank, member church and agencies]</ref><ref>[http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19900301-V59-03__C.pdf#view=fit The Canadian Union Messenger, March 1990, p. 4]</ref>

=== Political engagement ===
In 1906, Adventists in Canada opposed the efforts of the [[Freedom of Religion in Canada, Adventist History#The Lord's Day Alliance Actively Seeks to Enforce|Lord's Day Alliance]] and others in promoting a Sunday-observance bill in parliament. In the process, Adventist leaders met with Prime Minister [[Wilfrid Laurier|Wilfred Laurier]] and his Minister of Justice.<ref name="Laurier">{{Cite journal
| last = Thurston
| last = Thurston
| first = W. H.
| first = W. H.
Line 200: Line 151:
| date = February 8, 1906
| date = February 8, 1906
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19060208-V83-06__B.pdf#view=fit
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19060208-V83-06__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-20}}</ref>
| access-date = 2011-12-20}}</ref>


In related areas of interest, Canadian Adventists, who were sometimes arrested for working on Sunday, supported the efforts of [[John G. Diefenbaker]] and others in advocating for a [[Canadian Bill of Rights]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Michael |first=Darren L. |date=21 January 1959 |title=Canadian Bill of Rights Brief |journal=Canadian Union Messenger |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=1}}</ref>
W. H. Thurston wrote to Laurier asking for a meeting. In his letter he explains that the proposed Sunday legislation attempts to legislate in God's domain rather than as civil matters. He quotes Matthew 22:21, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." On this basis the Seventh-day Adventist Church opposed the bill.<ref name ="Laurier"/>

The interview with Laurier and his minister of Justice took place January 18, 1906. Thurston, along with H. E. Rickard, A. O. Burrill, and Eugene Leland appeared before Laurier and his minister of Justice in Ottawa. They explained their principles on the issue and gave a brief history of Adventism and its worldwide work. Each of the group presented statements addressing the proposed bill.

According to Thurston, "this meeting was reported to all the papers of the associated press, and the whole matter is before the public...." He continued, "We believe this effort will spread the knowledge of the truth and help to enlighten the people of Canada as nothing else would. Our own people are taking a more active part in the work than in the past, and we hope for a great awakening in this field from now on, and that the message may go with rapidity to all the people of Canada.<ref name ="Laurier"/>

==The role of door-to-door book sellers==

The distribution of Seventh-day Adventist publications helped build the denomination in Canada. Most often, the colporteur, or book-sellers, led the way.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Campbell
| first = R. G.
| title = Heroes for God in Canada
| journal = Australasian Record
| volume = 51
| issue = 29
| page = 3
| publisher = Signs Publishing Co.
| location = Warburton, Victoria, Australia
| date = July 21, 1047
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/AAR/AAR19470721-V51-29__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-09}}
</ref>

==Regional camp meetings==

The Canadian conferences of the church organized regional camp meetings as the United States conferences had been doing since the late 1860s. These camp meetings provided unity and fresh ideas for the church at large.

Campmeetings are still run annually in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia for the general membership amd interested visitors. Ethnic group or language campmeetings are also offered.

==Relation to other Christian churches==

===The Canadian Foodgrains Bank===

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been a member church of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank since 1990.<ref>[http://foodgrainsbank.ca/about-us/member-churches-agencies/ Foodgrains Bank, member church and agencies]</ref><ref>[http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19900301-V59-03__C.pdf#view=fit The Canadian Union Messenger, March 1990, p. 4]</ref> In this capacity, they associate with about thirty denominations.

===The United Church of Canada===
In the early twentieth century the [[United Church of Canada]] was founded. The Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational Churches of Canada united with a common creed and system of government. The process began in 1904.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Smith
| first = L. A.
| title = Church union in Canada
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 83
| issue = 6
| page = 5
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Washington, D.C.
| date = February 8, 1906
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19060208-V83-06__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-20}}
</ref> and reached completion in 1925.<ref name = "Signs">{{Cite journal
| last = Fraser
| first = A.M.
| title = Church union in Canada
| journal = Signs of the Time, World Events in the Light of Prophecy
| volume = 40
| issue = 30
| page = 4
| publisher = Signs Publishing Company
| location = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| date = July 27, 1925
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/STAUS/STAUS19250727-V40-30__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2011-12-20}}
</ref> Adventists noted the new union's ambivalence regarding infant baptism. They agreed with the Baptist church's stand not to join the union because of the issue of baptism. To Adventists, the concept of church union was important but it was only to be entered into on the basis of agreed concepts of biblical truth.<ref name = "Signs"/>

==Relation to labour unions==

Carlyle B. Haynes led in the denominations war commission and after the war was given the task of managing problems that arose regarding membership in labour unions.<ref>http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/AAR/AAR19540222-V58-08__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=16 As individual cases of difficulty arose in
various parts of the United States and
Canada, negotiations have been carried on
with hundreds of local unions, most of
which have agreed to our suggestions regarding withdrawal of our church members from all membership in labour unions
on certain conditions. At the present time
one thousand five hundred local labour
unions in the United States and Canada
have entered into agreement with us.
What we have agreed to includes complete
separation from labour union membership.</ref> <!-- this citation needs to be standardized -->

==Healthcare==

Seventh-day Adventist interest in healthcare began in the 1860s. It gained momentum under the leadership of [[John Harvey Kellogg]] in [[Battle Creek, Michigan]]. Kellogg's sanitarium inspired outreach centres in various countries. In Canada, centres were begun in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Knowlton, Quebec; Peterborough, Ontario. Later, an Adventist healthcare facility was built in Toronto; [[Branson Hospital]]. Branson lasted for several decades until it closed in the late 1980s.

The current Adventist healthcare facilities are seniors' homes located near St. John, NB; Toronto, Ontario; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Alberta and near Victoria, BC

===Health promotion, NEWSTART===

Through the Loma Linda University Public Health department, studies have been conducted on Seventh-day Adventists comparing them to the general population. The results show that the principles of healthful living, if followed, can lengthen a person's life by 11 years.{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}} In 1978 a guest at the Weimar Institute in Northern California made an acronym of the principles of Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Temperance (Self-discipline), Air, Rest, and Trust in God.<ref>{{cite web
| title = What is NEWSTART?
| publisher = Weimar Institute
| url = http://newstart.com/what-is-newstart/the-history-of-weimar/
| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610001743/http://newstart.com/what-is-newstart/the-history-of-weimar/
|archivedate=10 June 2014
| accessdate = 2014-05-13}}</ref> A group of institutions across the United States advocated these health principles.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Davis
| first = Thomas A.
| title = Operation NEWSTART
| work = Your Life and Health
| publisher = Review and Herald Publishing Association
| date = May 1982|page=10
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/LH/LH19820501-V97-05__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2014-05-13}}</ref>

==Freedom of religion==
{{main|Freedom of Religion in Canada, Adventist History}}
From the late 1800s Seventh-day Adventists have advocated the separation of church and state. Their interest in freedom of religion arose out of federal legislation in the United States which endorsed Sunday rest. In Canada, laws prohibiting labour on Sunday resulted in several cases where Adventists were arrested for working on Sunday.

After the second world war, Canadian interest in human rights grew into a prominent political movement. [[John G. Diefenbaker]] advocated a [[Canadian Bill of Rights]]. He had provided legal representation for Adventists organizations on the prairies. Adventists considered him a friend. Lawyer Darren L. Michaels led the Canadian SDA Church to add their voice to those advocating the passage of a Canadian Bill of Rights.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19590121-V28-02__C/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=1 Michael, Darren L. Canadian Bill of Rights Brief. Canadian Union Messenger, January 21, 1959, Volume 28 Issue 2, p. 1]</ref> Michaels reported the issues involved to Adventist via their church paper, the Canadian Union Messenger.


==Membership statistics==
==Membership statistics==

[[File:Membership by Decade.JPG|800px|Canadian Seventh-day Adventist Membership by Decades]]
[[File:Membership by Decade.JPG|800px|Canadian Seventh-day Adventist Membership by Decades]]
<!-- Canadian SDA Membership reported for:


==Leadership: presidents of the SDACC and its predecessors==
* 1901. 885
===Canadian Union Conference===
* 1911. 1951
* 1921. 5072
* 1931. 6631
* 1941. 9275
* 1951. 11675
* 1961. 14969
* 1971. 19307
* 1981. 31398
* 1991. 40047
* 2001. 49632
* 2011. 61468
-->

==The Presidents==

<!-- This should go in a chart or columns. Try to find a format already in use -->

===The Canadian Union===

(For a brief time, the Eastern Canadian church continued to be called the Canadian Union while in West, the Western Canadian Union had been established.)

====W. H. Thurston, 1901–1909====

[[W. H. Thurston]], born November 14, 1855, at Kingston, Wisconsin. He entered his first ministerial work there around 1890. He served as a Wisconsin Tract Society district director and then helped two more experienced preachers with tent evangelism.

In 1894, he and his wife sailed to Brazil along with [[F. W. Westphal]] and his wife, who were going to Argentina. The Thurstons were one of the firsts Adventists to work in Brazil. At the 1901 General Conference W. H. Thurston related stories of the work in Brazil. After the 1901 General Conference, he was asked to serve as head of the newly formed Canadian Union Conference covering, Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime provinces.

Administrative highlights include:
*the dedication of Knowlton Sanitarium (1903) in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Thurston's home became Knowlton.
*Oversight and promotion of the Farmington/Williamsdale school in the Nova Scotia.
*Encouraging church members to sell "Christ's Object Lessons" and other published material.
*Moving the Canadian Union Conference headquarters and the Canadian Publishing Association from Montreal to Toronto. This included an offer to the local conferences to take over their book business except for the decision where to locate agents.
*Arranging for the new school, Lornedale Academy, to take over the publishing of the Messenger.
*Preparing to address Parliament's pending Lord's Day Act.

After seven years as President of the Canadian Union Conference, Thurston went to Wisconsin to serve as the president of that conference.

He died August 25, 1924 at College Place, Washington. His son, Claude, taught chemistry at Walla Walla College.

====William Guthrie, 1909–1912====

[[William Guthrie (Adventist)|William Guthrie]], born April 9, 1867, joined the Adventist church in 1886. After training at Battle Creek College, he worked in the Iowa Conference starting in 1894. In 1902 he worked in Canada; first in the Maritimes then as president of the Quebec Conference and then, after Thurston, he served as the president of the Canadian Union Conference from 1909 to 1912.

Guthrie oversaw the moving of Ontario's boarding academy from Lorne Park to East of Oshawa.

After his Canadian service, Guthrie served as president of the East Michigan Conference (1912-1916) and then as the head of the West Michigan Conference (1916-1918) after which he served as President of the Lake Union Conference for ten years (1918-1928). After moving to California and taking a break for health reasons, he served as a minister in Southern California for 13 years.

William Guthrie died January 22, 1952 at the Paradise Valley Sanitarium where his son worked as manager.

====M. N. Campbell, 1912–1917====

In 1921, [[M. N. Campbell]] became president of the British Union Conference,<ref>N. S. During "Work in the Lower Mendi District." TASNED, November 1938</ref>

===Eastern Canadian Union===

====M. N. Campbell, 1914-1917====

====[[Albert Victor Olson|A. V. Olson]], 1917–1920====
: - In 1907, Olson was a licentiate in St. Paul, Minnesota.<ref>1907 SDA Yearbook</ref>
: - [[Montreal]], [[Canada]] (1912-1914). In 1913, tent efforts were conducted in Montreal. Olson ran the English campaign and J. Vuilleumier ran the French one.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19130702-V13-26__B.pdf#view=fit M. N. Campbell. ''Quebec Campmeeting.'' Canadian Union Messenger, July 2, 1913, p. 1]</ref>
[[File:Eastern Canadian Leadership, 1915.JPG|thumb|A. V. Olson, President, Quebec Conference, 1915, Front Row, Second from the Right]]

: - In 1914 he was elected president of the Quebec Conference.

: - In 1915, Olson was the president of the Quebec Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Campbell
| first = M. N.
| title = The Quebec Campmeeting
| journal = Eastern Canadian Messenger
| volume = 15
| issue = 26
| page = 2
| publisher = Eastern Canadian Union of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = Oshawa, Ontario
| date = July 6, 1915
| language =
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/ECM/ECM19150706-V15-26__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2014-07-26}}</ref>
: - in 1929, reported 1300 baptisms in Romania.<ref>[http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/TASNED/TASNED19291101-V01-05__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=1 L. H. Christian (1929). The Columbus Council]</ref>
: - in 1916 president of the Ontario Conference.

: - From 1917 to 1920 he was president of the Eastern Canadian Union;

: - in 1941, Elder A. V. Olson, president of the Southern European Division, recently wrote as follows :

::"Last autumn I spent a couple of months in the Balkans. Things are not rosy in these countries, but I was happy to find our people of good courage in the Lord. The work is growing in Jugoslavia. ... The dismemberment of Rumania deprived that Union of thousands of its members, and it worked havoc with our organization.<ref>http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/TASNED/TASNED19410301-V12-02__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=8</ref>
: - 1966, authored, ''Through Crisis to Victory''; a history of the church from 1888 to 1901 where Olson asserts that the 1888 message was accepted by the church.<ref>http://documents.adventistarchives.org/Books/TCV1966.pdf</ref>

====F. W. Stray, 1920–1923====

[[Frederick William Stray]] was born on May 10, 1874 in New York City.<ref name = "obit" >Canadian Union Messenger, October 2, 1946, p.11</ref> On his twenty-first birthday he married Lottie Walker. Eight years later, Mr. and Mrs. Stray joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a result of [[H. C. Hartwell]]'s work. A few months later, Stray sold his business and began church work as a colporteur. On August 22, 1905, their daughter Caroline was born. She later married [[Frank Crump]].<ref>Review and Herald, Dec. 31, 1959, p. 26</ref> Pastor Fred Crump, one of the sons of Frank and Caroline, also worked for the church in Canada. Before coming to Canada, Stray served as presidents of the Northern New England Conference, the Southern New England Conference and the Kansas Conference.<ref name = "obit" />

After serving as president of the Eastern Canadian Union, Stray became president of the Maritime conference. In 1932, the year the Eastern and Western Unions were merged, Stray suffered from a heart attack. He retired from active church work in Nova Scotia.

Stray, apart from pastoral and administrative work, wrote essays explaining various aspects of faith. Some of them: May 30, 1946, Thoughts on Hebrews; 1945, Alpha and Omega. An anti-evolution piece where the Sabbath, in time, is the Alpha and the second coming of Jesus is the Omega;

1946, June 14, Stray died in St. John, New Brunswick.<ref name = "obit" />

====Charles F. McVagh, 1923–1928====

[[Charles Fred McVagh]] was born in Leeds County, Ontario, Canada, February 9, 1869. He died February 13, 1945 in Pinecastle, Florida. He was seventy-six.

In 1888 he married Ella M. Cook at Eldred, Pennsylvania. In 1891 they joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was ordained in 1900. He worked for the church for 45 years.

His work included oversight of the work in the southern United States, Northern Regional Conference, both the Eastern and Western Canadian Unions. He also served as the first editor of the Canadian "Signs of the Times" Magazine. He served as president of six local Conferences in the United States, among which were East Pennsylvania. Michigan, West Pennsylvania, and Iowa.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Hackman
| first = E. F.
| title = Obituaries, McVagh
| journal = Canadian Union Messenger
| volume = 13
| issue = 21
| page = 11
| publisher = Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = Oshawa, Ontario
| date = April 18, 1945
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19450418-V13-21__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2015-01-01}}</ref>

In 1920, McVagh left the presidency of the Northern Union to come to Canada as the editor of the Canadian Watchman Magazine. In 1923, he became president of the Eastern Canadian Union Conference and continued on with his work as editor. This saved the organization the expense of one position in a time when finances were strained.<ref>Eastern Canadian Messenger. November 27, 1923.</ref>

In 1925, Mr. and Mrs. McVagh's daughter Ilah underwent an operation at Washington Sanitarium. She suffered from a disease in her mastoid. She died of a heart attack while on the operating table. Ilah was in her last year of training to be a nurse.<ref>Eastern Canadian Union Messenger. September 22, 1925, p. 7</ref>

====W. C. Moffett, 1928–1932====

[[Walter C. Moffett]] was born on February 17, 1879 in [[Townsend, Delaware]]. He began denominational
service in 1897, at eighteen years of age, as a colporteur in what was then the Atlantic Conference, which comprised Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. He pastored in Ohio (1905-1907), Pennsylvania, and New York state.

He served as Educational Superintendent for Ohio conference (1911), New Jersey Conference (1914).

For 25 years he served as president in a variety of conferences: Virginia (1915-1918), New Jersey (1919-, Maine (1922), Massachusetts which merged into the Southern New England Conference (1923-1928), West Virginia (1933-1934), Chesapeake (1921, 1935-1940, pastored 1941-1946), West Pennsylvania (1947-1950), and the Eastern Canadian Union Conference (1928-1932). While serving in Canada, he was also the editor of the Canadian Union Watchman.

He helped at the [[Review and Herald Publishing Association]] in the circulation department. He was the dean of theology at Washington Missionary College which is now [[Washington Adventist University]].

W. C. Moffett died March 24, 1976 in [[Hagerstown, Maryland]]. He was 97.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = In Brief
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 153
| issue = 15
| page = 24
| publisher = Review and Herald Publishing Association
| location = Washington, D.C.
| date = April 8, 1976
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19760408-V153-15__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2015-01-23}}</ref>


* W. H. Thurston, 1901–1909
===Western Canadian Union===
* William Guthrie, 1909–1912
* M. N. Campbell, 1912–1914


=== Western Canadian Union Conrference ===
*E. L. Stewart, 1907-1909
*E. L. Stewart, 1907-1909
*H. S. Shaw, 1910-1916
*H. S. Shaw, 1910-1916
Line 469: Line 172:
*S. A. Ruskjer, 1925-1932
*S. A. Ruskjer, 1925-1932


(after Eastern and Western Union Conferences were merged)
=== Eastern Canadian Union Conference ===


* M. N. Campbell, 1914-1917
* A. V. Olson, 1917–1920
* F. W. Stray, 1920–1923
* Charles F. McVagh, 1923–1928
* W. C. Moffett, 1928–1932

===Seventh-day Adventist Church of Canada===
The Eastern and Western Canadian Union Conferences merged in 1932 to form the Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, an unincorporated religious association. In 1986, The union conference and its corresponding legal association were combined to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada, a non-profit religious corporation.<ref name=":0" />
*M. N. Campbell, 1932–1936
*M. N. Campbell, 1932–1936
*W. B. Ochs, 1936–1943
*W. B. Ochs, 1936–1943
*H. L. Rudy, 1943–1950
*H. L. Rudy, 1943–1950
*W. A. Nelson, 1950–1962
*W. A. Nelson, 1950–1962
*James W. Bothe, 1962–1973
*J. William Bothe, 1962–1973
*L. L. Reile, 1973–1981
*L. L. Reile, 1973–1981
*James W. Wilson, 1981–1989
*James W. Wilson, 1981–1989
*Douglas D. Devnich, 1989–1993
*Douglas D. Devnich, 1989–1993
*Orville Parchment, 1994–2001
*Orville Parchment, 1994–2001
*Daniel R. Jackson, 2002–2010 Jackson moved on to the Presidency of the North American Division, a position he continues to hold in 2019.
*Daniel R. Jackson, 2002–2010
*Mark A. Johnson, 2010–2022
*Paul Llewellyn, 2022–present


==Related national organizations==
===Mark A. Johnson, 2010-===

:Graduate from Union College. Johnson's first assignment was in St. Louis, Missouri. He served in Ontario and Alberta. From Alberta, he was elected to serve as President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada which office he currently (2019) holds.

==Related National organizations==


*Canadian Adventist Messenger
*Canadian Adventist Messenger
*[[Adventist Development and Relief Agency|Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)]]
*[[Adventist Development and Relief Agency|Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)]]
*[[Canadian University College]]
*[[Burman University]]
*[[Kingsway College]]
*[[Kingsway College]]
*[[VOAR (AM)|VOAR - Voice of Adventist Radio]]
*[[VOAR (AM)|VOAR - Voice of Adventist Radio]]
Line 496: Line 205:
*[[It Is Written|It Is Written Canada]]
*[[It Is Written|It Is Written Canada]]
*[[Voice of Prophecy]]
*[[Voice of Prophecy]]
<!--
1982, Feyerabend becomes new Associate Speaker for It Is Written <ref>{{Cite journal
| title = Feyerabend New Associate Speaker for It Is Written
| journal = Canadian Union Messenger
| volume = 51
| issue = 16
| page = 5
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada, Maracle Press Ltd.
| location = Oshawa, Ontario
| date = September 16, 1982
| url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19820916-V51-16__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = July 16, 2011}}</ref>

1995, Henry Feyerabend becomes speaker for It Is Written Canada.
-->


==Local conferences==
==Local conferences==


The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada comprises seven smaller subdivisions of "local conferences".
The SDACC includes seven subdivisions ("local conferences").<ref name=":0" />


=== Alberta Conference ===
===Newfoundland and Labrador===
The Alberta Conference, organized in 1906, with sixty-eight churches and 12,338 members serves a population of c. 4.5 million in the Province of [[Alberta]] and part of the [[Northwest Territories]]. Under the leadership of President Jeff Pots, the conference operates four schools ([[Chinook Winds Adventist Academy]], Coralwood Academy, Mamawi Atosketan Native School, and Prairie Adventist Christian eSchool) and Foothills Seventh-day Adventist Camp (used for camp meetings and youth camps).
Comprising churches in the province, also built radio station VOAC in 1933 and changed its name to [[VOAR (AM)|VOAR]] in 1938. The station broadcasts in a Christian format across Newfoundland, and other parts of Canada via repeaters.
<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Webb
| first = Jeffrey A.
| title = The voice of Newfoundland: a social history of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, 1939-1949
| publisher = University of Toronto Press
| year = 2008
| location = Toronto, Ontario
| pages = 20–23
| url = https://books.google.com/?id=vm4FWGCwjF8C&pg=PA23&dq=newfoundland,+adventist,+history#v=onepage&q&f=false
| isbn = 978-0-8020-9820-7}}</ref>
<!-- Similar to the CBC and BBC, the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland was a public broadcaster that was at the centre of a cultural and political change from 1939 to 1949, during which Newfoundland faced wartime challenges and engaged in a constitutional debate about whether to become integrated into Canada. The Voice of Newfoundland studies these changes by taking a close look at the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland's radio programming and the responses of their listeners. Making excellent use of program recordings, scripts, and letters from listeners, as well as government and corporate archives, Jeff A. Webb examines several innovative programs that responded to the challenges of the Great Depression and Second World War. Webb explores the roles that radio played in society and culture during a vibrant and pivotal time in Newfoundland's history, and demonstrates how the broadcaster's decision to air political debates was pivotal in Newfoundlanders's decision to join Canada and to become part of North American consumer society.An engaging study rich in details of some of twentieth-century Newfoundland's most fascinating figures, The Voice of Newfoundland is a remarkable history of its politics and culture and an important analysis of the influence of the media and the participation of listeners. -->


=== British Columbia Conference ===
===Maritimes===
The British Columbia Conference, organized in 1906, with eighty-one churches and 10,793 members serves a population of c. 5.4 million in the Province of [[British Columbia]], the [[Yukon|Yukon Territory]], and part of the [[Northwest Territories]]. Under the leadership of President <ref>Brad Thorp</ref> Brad Thorp, the conference operates six schools ([[Cariboo Adventist Academy]], Deer Lake Seventh-day Adventist School, [[Fraser Valley Adventist Academy]], [[Okanagan Christian School]], Peace Christian School, and West Coast Adventist Christian School), Camp Hope (used for camp meetings), and Mountain View Summer Camp (used for youth camps).


=== Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference ===
At the 1895 annual meeting of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference it was voted that H. J. Farman, of New England, G. E. Langdon, of Nebraska, go to the Maritime Provinces to work.<ref>{{Cite journal
The Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference, organized in 1903, with thirty-five churches and 4,074 members serves a population of c. 2.6 million in the Provinces of [[Manitoba]] and [[Saskatchewan]] and the [[Nunavut|Nunavut Territory]]. Under the leadership of President Charles Ed Aguilar II, the conference operates Camp Whitesand (used for camp meetings and youth camps).
| title = General Conference
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 72
| issue = 10
| page = 11
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, MI
| date = March 5, 1895
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH18950305-V72-10__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2013-09-10}}
</ref> After his arrival, G. E. Langdon reported on evangelistic activity with D. A. Corkham, R. C. Porter, and R. S. Webber.


=== Maritime Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Inc. ===
The Maritime Conference organized in 1902 and covers local congregations and schools in PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.<ref name = "LandCan" />
The Maritime Conference Conference, organized in 1902, with twenty-seven churches and 1,795 members serves a population of c. 2 million in the Provinces of [[New Brunswick]], [[Nova Scotia]], and [[Prince Edward Island]]. Under the leadership of President David Miller, the conference operates one school (Sandy Lake Academy) and Camp Pugwash (used for camp meetings and youth camps).


=== Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newfoundland and Labrador ===
===Quebec===
The SDA Church in Newfoundland and Labrador, organized in 1895, with eight churches and 503 members serves a population of c. 0.5 million in the Province of [[Newfoundland and Labrador]]. Under the leadership of President Ken Corkum, the conference operates a radio station ([[Lighthouse FM]] [<nowiki/>[[VOAR-FM]] 96.7]<ref>{{cite book |last=Webb |first=Jeffrey A. |url=https://archive.org/details/voiceofnewfoundl00webb |title=The voice of Newfoundland: a social history of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, 1939-1949 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8020-9820-7 |location=Toronto, Ontario |pages=[https://archive.org/details/voiceofnewfoundl00webb/page/20 20]–23 |quote=newfoundland, adventist, history. |url-access=registration}}</ref>) and Woody Acres Camp (used for camp meetings and youth camps).
{{Infobox settlement
|name = South Stukely
|pushpin_map = Canada Southern Quebec
|pushpin_label_position = top
|pushpin_map_caption = Location of first SDA congregation in Canada<br/>(South-eastern Quebec.)
|coordinates = {{coord|45|19|N|72|25|W|region:CA-QC|display=inline,title}}
|coor_pinpoint =
}}
As mentioned above, Millerite Adventists lived in the Eastern Townships north of Vermont. Then, as the Sabbatarian Adventists visited these people, some joined in the observing of the Seventh-day Sabbath. The first Canadian Seventh-day Adventist church and school started in this area.


=== Ontario Conference ===
The 1855 conversion of two french-speaking brothers led the way to pioneering work among the people of Quebec. Daniel Bourdeau and his older brother and Baptist preacher, Augustin, first heard the Seventh-day Adventist message from their brother-in-law, W. L. Saxby. They lived in Northern Vermont just south of the Quebec border. As part of their preparation for public meetings, they prepared two French tracts, one on the biblical Sabbath and the other on the prophecies of Daniel. By the winter of 1858-1859 the Bourdeau brothers preached in the border towns of northern Vermont and in villages in Southern Quebec.<ref name="Above">{{Cite journal
The Ontario Conference, organized in 1899, with 133 churches and 35,517 members serves a population of c. 15 million in the Province of [[Ontario]]. Under the leadership of President Mansfield Edwards, the conference operates one school ([[Crawford Adventist Academy]]) and Camp Frenda (used for youth camps).
|last = Fortin
|first = Denis
|title = Above and Beyond: Adventistism (sic) in Quebec, One hundred and fifty years of work among the French population
|journal = Adventist Review, Online Edition
|year = 2005
|url = http://www.adventistreview.org/2005-1517/story1.html
|accessdate = 2013-09-28
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120208015856/http://www.adventistreview.org/2005-1517/story1.html
|archivedate = 2012-02-08
|df =
}}
</ref>


=== Quebec Conference ===
During the 1860s, the Bourdeau brothers wanted to reach the French speaking people with their message, but most of their work focused on the English people living in towns along the border between Vermont and Quebec.
The Quebec Conference, organized in 1880, with forty-two churches and 9,171 members serves a population of c. 8.7 million in the Province of [[Quebec]] and the French possessions of [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]]. Under the leadership of President Ngoy Kyala, the conference operates one media facility (Il Est Ecrit [<nowiki/>[[It Is Written]]]).

In 1869, the Vermont Conference had oversight for the work in Quebec. They voted to "pledge our prayers and hearty cooperation in the work of Foreign Missions [i.e., among the French], and that we will aid by our means, as may be necessary, to carry forward this important branch of the great work in which we are engaged."<ref name = "Above"/>

The leaders of the newly organized denomination (1863) living in Battle Creek, Michigan, did not consider work among the French in Quebec a high priority. And, the Vermont Conference had limited`financial resources. They couldn't afford to support both brothers in ministry. Thus, Daniel Bourdeau worked in California from 1868 to 1870. Then he went to work among French immigrants in Illinois and Wisconsin until about 1873.<ref name = "Above"/>

[[image:Knowlton San, PQ, 1903.jpg|thumb|left|Knowlton Sanitarium, [[Brome Lake, Quebec|Knowlton, PQ]] 1903-1909]]
In 1875, Rodney Owen and his father-in-law, Daniel Bourdeau, conducted public meetings in [[West Bolton, Quebec|West Bolton]]. Twelve people became Seventh-day Adventists. The next year, 1876, they repeated their lectures in South Stukely. Seven more joined the Church. Later that year, another series was conducted in [[Waterloo, Quebec|Waterloo]]. And, in 1877, they did another series of meetings in [[Brome Lake, Quebec|Fulford]]. On September 30, 1877 the South Stukely church was organized. It is the oldest congregation in Canada today. It is about an hour from Montreal, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Ramharacksingh Knott
| first = Esther F.
| title = Stukely Church: Oldest congregation in Canada
| publisher = Adventist Heritage Ministry
| year = 2013
| url = http://www.adventistheritage.org/article/55/resources/pioneer-stories/stukely-church-oldest-congregation-in-canada
| accessdate = 2013-09-30}}
</ref>

Seventh-day Adventist organized conference work in Canada began in 1880<ref name = "LandCan" >Land, p. 54</ref> at an organizational meeting in Magog, Quebec. James White, President of the General Conference, presided over the proceeding.<ref>In October, 1880, George Butler would assume the Presidency and by next summer, James White died.</ref> His wife and church visionary, Ellen White, also attended along with former General Conference President and President-soon-to-be-again, George Butler. Augustin and Daniel Bourdeau attended, as well. This newly established "Seventh-day Adventist Conference of the Province of Quebec," included the churches of [[Stukely-Sud, Quebec|South Stukely]], [[Coaticook, Quebec|Barford]], and [[Westbury, Quebec|Westbury]] and two small groups, known as companies, in [[Sutton, Quebec|Sutton]] and [[Brome, Quebec|Brome]]. The officers of the conference were: A. C. Bourdeau, President; D. T. Bourdeau, Secretary; and Andrew Blake, Treasurer.<ref name = "Ochs">{{Cite journal
| last = Ochs
| first = W. B.
| title = President's Report, Second Quadrennial Session
| journal = The Canadian Union Messenger
| volume = X
| issue = 20
| page = 1
| publisher = Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = College Heights, Alberta
| date = March 25, 1942
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19420325-V10-20__C.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = 2013-09-30}}</ref>

At the 1881 General Conference it was voted that the province of Ontario, which had been under the supervision of the Michigan Conference should be united with the Quebec Conference under the name of the Conference of Canada.<ref>{{Cite journal
| title = Fifteenth Meeting of the 1881 General Conference Session, Dec. 18, 1881
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 59
| issue = 1
| page = 11
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, MI
| date = Jan 3, 1882
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH18820103-V59-01__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = Oct 1, 2013}}
</ref> The next year the Canada Conference meeting at Magog, Quebec affirmed the General Conference recommendation. "Resolved, That we indorse (sic) the recommendation of the late General Conference, concerning the annexation of the Province of Ontario to this Conference, and hereby invite Bro. D. T. Bourdeau to labor in the Canada Conference, in harmony with said recommendation."<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Bourdeau
| first = A.C.
| title = Canada Conference
| journal = Review and Herald
| volume = 59
| issue = 41
| page = 12
| publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association
| location = Battle Creek, MI
| date = October 17, 1882
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH18821017-V59-41__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = Oct 2, 2013}}
</ref>

===Ontario===

One of the earliest sabbatarian Adventists to travel Canada West was George W. Holt. In the 1840s and 50s George Holt held a prominent place as a traveling preacher. He was "widely known and dearly loved." In 1850, he visited Canada West making stops at [[Delaware, Ontario|Delaware]] and [[Ameliasburgh, Ontario|Ameliasburgh]].<ref>http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CH/CH1949__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=224 Captains of the Host, p. 224</ref>

In 1851, Joseph Bates and Hiram Edson, hiked the length of [[Canada West]] from the St. Lawrence River to Toronto. They sought out fellow Millerites in order to teach them about the Sabbath. In a letter written from Toronto on New Year's Day, 1852, Bates describes their journey through knee deep snow. They made stops at Mariposa, Skewgog Lakes and Reach. Over twenty people decided to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Bates
| first = Joseph
| title = Letters: from Bro. Bates
| journal = The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald
| volume = 2
| issue = 10
| page = 8
| location = Saratoga Springs, New York
| date = January 13, 1852
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH18520113-V02-10__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = Oct 1, 2013}}
</ref>

In 1890, the Ontario Conference organized.<ref name = "LandCan" />

In 1904, the fourth annual Indian camp-meeting was held on the Six Nation Reserve, near Brantford, Ont. It began on the evening of Oct. 7 and continued until the evening of the 16th.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last = Smith
| first = A. G. Smith
| title = Indian Camp-Meeting
| journal = Canadian Union Messenger
| volume = 4
| issue = 5
| pages = 5
| publisher = Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| location = Toronto, ON
| date = October 1, 1904
| url = http://docs.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19041001-V04-05__B.pdf#view=fit
| accessdate = June 1, 2014}}</ref>

===Manitoba-Saskatchewan===

The Manitoba Conference organized in 1903.<ref name = "LandCan"/>

The Saskatchewan Conference organized in 1912.<ref name = "LandCan"/>
The two conferences merged later.
<!--
Battleford Academy

The story of Mary Neufeld and women in ministry.

Mary graduated from Battleford Academy in 1925. She was in charge of the Conference's Sabbath School work and would preach in the churches.

https://books.google.com/books?id=tJqDo447Sl8C&pg=PA79&dq=Saskatchewan+adventist+history&hl=en&ei=1wIdTsPnMYTb0QHajJX9Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

Woman's Place Seventh Day Adventist Women in Church and Society
Rosa Taylor Banks
Review and Herald Pub Assoc, 1992 - Religion

Sunnyside Adventist Care Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan <ref>{{Cite web
| title = Facilities: Long Term Care
| work = Your Health
| publisher = Saskatoon Health Region
| date = 2002–2011
| url = http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/facilities_long_term_care.htm
| accessdate = July 12, 2012}}</ref>

-->

===Alberta===

Adventists first came to Alberta in 1895. They were [[colporteur]]s Thomas Astleford and George W. Sowler. Sowler was the field agent for Manitoba and the Northwest, which included Alberta.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH18970810-V74-32__B.pdf#view=fit Review and Herald, August 10, p. 14]</ref> Astleford and Sowler both sold "Bible Readings".<ref>[http://sdapillars.org/1888_bible_readings_for_the_home_circle.php Bible Readings for the Home Circle 1888]</ref> Astleford left [[Winnipeg]] and went to [[Edmonton]]. Sowler stopped off at [[Calgary]] and started work there. Sowler sold about two hundred copies of Bible Readings in Calgary. He also sold books to the ranchers from Calgary to [[Fort Macleod]] from the [[Bow River]] to the foothills. He worked in Edmonton and [[Fort Saskatchewan]] and the mountain towns as far as [[Revelstoke, British Columbia|Revelstoke]]. Eastward, he worked along the main line of the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]] to [[Port Arthur, Ontario|Port Arthur]].<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/WCT/WCT19181204-V08-23__C.pdf#view=fit Western Canadian Tidings. Pioneer Colporteurs in Western Canada. Vol. 8 Calgary, Alberta, December 4, 1918 No. 23 p. 5]</ref>

Thomas Astleford began in the Edmonton. He then sold books in the towns along the railroad to the south. His work led to the first converts in the province; Gustave Litke of Leduc and Dr. Menzel and his family, of [[Stony Plain, Alberta|Stony Plain]]. Litke shared his new faith with his German friends. In response to their request, H. J. Dirksen was sent from Manitoba. Dirksen led in the organizing of a church at [[Leduc, Alberta|Leduc]] on May 14, 1898, the first SDA church in the Northwest Territories.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM19661019-V35-22__C.pdf#view=fit Sudds, D. R. Colporteurs Were First in Alberta. Canadian Union Messenger, October 19, 1966, p. 11]</ref>

Up until 1903, the work of the Adventist church in Alberta was administered as part of the Manitoba Mission. Beginning in 1901, the Adventist Church reorganized itself to include union conferences. The Northern Union Conference, established in 1902, managed the work of the Adventist church in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/YB/YB1907__B.pdf#view=fit Yearbook of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination, 1907, p. 47]</ref> In 1906, the Alberta Mission was organized into the Alberta Conference.<ref name = "LandCan"/> The newly organized Alberta Conference consisted of about 180 members.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/ASR/ASR1906__B.pdf#view=fit Statistical Report of Seventh-day Adventist Conferences, Missions, and Institutions For the Year Ending December 31, 1906, p. 2]</ref> A year later, the Western Canadian Union Conference was formed. It comprised the conferences of British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Mission.<ref>[http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/YB/YB1908__B.pdf#view=fit Yearbook of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination, 1908, p. 88]</ref> (See the map) [[Image:1907 Canada Seventh-day Adventist Map.jpg|thumb]]
<!--
The Hobema Reserve.
To meet the needs of the
Hobema Reserve, the Alberta
Conference recently (1983) employed
Basil VanDieman, who, while
teaching public school, had
been ministering to a small
native church on the Six Nations
Reserve in Ontario, Canada.
But in this time of economic
challenge when most confer-
ences are forced to reduce their
working forces, denominational
salaries for full-time native
workers will be very limited.
<ref>Ministering to North America's natives: the last frontier by A. Leroy Moore. http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/RH/RH19830630-V160-26__B/index.djvu?djvuopts&page=20</ref>
-->

===British Columbia===

The British Columbia conference organized in 1902 and also covers the Yukon (Whitehorse church) and part of the Northwest Territories.<ref name = "LandCan"/>

*[[Cariboo Adventist Academy]], [[Williams Lake, British Columbia|Williams Lake]]
*[[Okanagan Adventist Academy]], [[Kelowna]]
*[[Fraser Valley Adventist Academy]], Aldergrove
*[[Deer Lake School]], [[Burnaby]]
*[[Peace Christian School]]. [[Chetwynd, British Columbia|Chetwynd]]
*[[Church in the Valley]], [[Langley, British Columbia (city)|Langley]]
<!--

==The Church's Relationship to Government==

Society status as a denomination

Education
:Ontario and private schools other than Roman Catholic
:Newfoundland, parochial schools and constitutional change
:Status of private schools across Canada

Freedom of Religion
:Sunday Closing Legislation
:Sabbath Observance and Employment
:Labour Unions

Health Care
:Branson Hospital
:Lindsay treatment rooms and Sadie Baker
:Knowlton Hospital

Adventists and the Courts

==Canadian Adventist Messenger==

The official journal of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada is the Canadian Adventist Messenger. The first edition of the Messenger
-->

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
*[[Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in the People's Republic of China]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colombia]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cuba]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in India]]
*[[Italian Union of Seventh-day Adventist Christian Churches]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Ghana]]
*[[New Zealand Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria]]
*[[Adventism in Norway]]
*[[Romanian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sweden]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church in Thailand]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventist Church of Tonga]]
*[[Seventh-day Adventists in Turks and Caicos Islands]]


==Endnotes==
==Endnotes==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
* [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
* [[North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists]]
* [[North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists]]
* [[It Is Written]]
* [[It Is Written]]
* [[Pacific Press Publishing Association]]


==References==
==References==
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*{{Cite book | last = Fortin | first = Denis | title = Adventism in Quebec: the dynamics of rural church growth, 1830-1910 | publisher = Andrews University Press | year = 2004 | location = Berrien Springs, Michigan | pages = 202 | url = http://www.andrews.edu/universitypress/catalog.php?key=177 | isbn = 978-1-883925-46-8}}
*{{Cite book | last = Fortin | first = Denis | title = Adventism in Quebec: the dynamics of rural church growth, 1830-1910 | publisher = Andrews University Press | year = 2004 | location = Berrien Springs, Michigan | pages = 202 | url = http://www.andrews.edu/universitypress/catalog.php?key=177 | isbn = 978-1-883925-46-8}}
*{{Cite book | last = Land | first = Gary | title = Historical dictionary of Seventh-Day Adventists | publisher = Scarecrow Press | year = 2005 | location = Lanham, Maryland | pages = 53, 54 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fFYFLksIywcC | isbn = 0-8108-5345-0 }}
*{{Cite book | last = Land | first = Gary | title = Historical dictionary of Seventh-Day Adventists | publisher = Scarecrow Press | year = 2005 | location = Lanham, Maryland | pages = 53, 54 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fFYFLksIywcC | isbn = 0-8108-5345-0 }}
*Little, J. I. (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=TD-KAzjUITAC&pg=PA177&dq=j.+i.+little,+%22chapter+five%22&hl=en&ei=NdYMTr20KIOtsALizOXlBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=j.%20i.%20little%2C%20%22chapter%20five%22&f=false Millennial Invasion: Millerism in the Eastern Townships of Lower Canada.] In R. Connors & A. C. Gow (Eds.), ''Anglo-American millennialism, from Milton to the Millerites'' (pp.&nbsp;177–204). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. {{ISSN|0081-8607}}; {{ISBN|90-04-13821-8}}
*Little, J. I. (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=TD-KAzjUITAC&dq=j.+i.+little%2C+%22chapter+five%22&pg=PA177 Millennial Invasion: Millerism in the Eastern Townships of Lower Canada.] In R. Connors & A. C. Gow (Eds.), ''Anglo-American millennialism, from Milton to the Millerites'' (pp.&nbsp;177–204). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. {{ISSN|0081-8607}}; {{ISBN|90-04-13821-8}}
*{{Cite book | last = Monteith | first = J. Ernest | last2 = Graham | first2 = Malcolm |title = The Lord is my Shepherd: The History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada | publisher = Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Parkland Colour Press | year = 1983 | location = College Heights, Alberta, Canada | pages = 266 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JWTkAAAAMAAJ|ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book | last1 = Monteith | first1 = J. Ernest | last2 = Graham | first2 = Malcolm |title = The Lord is my Shepherd: The History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada | publisher = Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Parkland Colour Press | year = 1983 | location = College Heights, Alberta, Canada | pages = 266 | isbn = 9781410434111 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JWTkAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{Cite web | title = National Defence and the Canadian Forces: Religions in Canada - Seventh-day Adventist Church | url = http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/pub/rc/rel/sdac-easj-eng.asp | accessdate = June 30, 2011}}
*{{Cite web | title = National Defence and the Canadian Forces: Religions in Canada - Seventh-day Adventist Church | url = http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/pub/rc/rel/sdac-easj-eng.asp | access-date = June 30, 2011}}
*{{Cite book | last = Wellcome | first = Isaac Cummings | title = History of the second advent message and mission, doctrine and people (Google eBook) | publisher = Advent Christian Publication Society | year = 1874 | location = Boston | pages = 707 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RqzVAAAAMAAJ}}
*{{Cite book | last = Wellcome | first = Isaac Cummings | title = History of the second advent message and mission, doctrine and people (Google eBook) | publisher = Advent Christian Publication Society | year = 1874 | location = Boston | pages = 707 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RqzVAAAAMAAJ}}


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| date = Fall 1997
| date = Fall 1997
| url = http://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/AdventismWorldUpsideDownJETS.htm
| url = http://www.andrews.edu/~fortind/AdventismWorldUpsideDownJETS.htm
| accessdate = 2011-12-01}}
| access-date = 2011-12-01}}
*{{Cite journal | editor-last = Willis
*{{Cite journal | editor-last = Willis
| editor-first =Carolyn
| editor-first =Carolyn
| title = News, SDA Church in Canada, Commemorative Package of Seventh-day Adventist Stamps Available to Members | journal = Canadian Adventist Messenger | volume = 69 | issue = 5,6 | publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada | location = Oshawa, Ontario | date = May–June 2000 | url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM20000601-V69-05,06__C.pdf#view=fit | issn = 0702-5084 | accessdate = June 28, 2011|ref=harv}}
| title = News, SDA Church in Canada, Commemorative Package of Seventh-day Adventist Stamps Available to Members | journal = Canadian Adventist Messenger | volume = 69 | issue = 5,6 | publisher = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada | location = Oshawa, Ontario | date = May–June 2000 | url = http://www.adventistarchives.org/docs/CUM/CUM20000601-V69-05,06__C.pdf#view=fit | issn = 0702-5084 | access-date = June 28, 2011}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
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| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Wbr-CDPyWTUC
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Wbr-CDPyWTUC
| isbn = 0-8163-2086-1 }}
| isbn = 0-8163-2086-1 }}
<!--


Henry Feyerabend, a native of Waldheim, Canada, pioneered a new broadcast, Destiny, in Toronto, which later merged with It Is Written. Feyerabend has conducted evangelistic crusades in many cities of Canada and the United States, as well as in Portugal, Russia, and Brazil, where he preached by uplink to more than 3,000 auditoriums simultaneously. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including commentaries on the books of Daniel, Revelation, and Galatians.

Adventist Book Center Online
http://www.adventistbookcenter.com/Detail.tpl?sku=0816320861

-->
*{{cite book
*{{cite book
| last1 = Bayefsky
| last1 = Bayefsky
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| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dAE5Bmw2qrEC
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dAE5Bmw2qrEC
| isbn = 978-90-04-14980-9
| isbn = 978-90-04-14980-9
}}<!--
}}

This book is an essential tool for those interested in the vital relationship between international human rights law and domestic policy. It explores this subject in the context of public funding for religious education in Canada, an area of controversy for well over a hundred years. This work provides in one volume a unique set of source documents concerning the legal and political history of religious education in a multicultural environment and especially in Ontario, Canada's largest province. It makes available for the first time a complete set of documents concerning the international litigation which has occurred between the Canadian government and its citizens, who have been seriously affected by entrenched religious discrimination. An introductory essay provides an overview of how religious discrimination forms the backbone of Ontario's education system. Having failed to remedy such discrimination in Canadian courts, the UN Human Rights Committee provided a mechanism to address this breach of Canada's international legal obligations. The volume is an expose of the process and the consequences of international human rights litigation before the UN Committee, and will be of special interest to others seeking to take cases of human rights violations forward to the international level. Canadian policy makers and analyst will consider this collection an invaluable resource for future consideration of the public funding of religious education in Canada, still unresolved after 135 years.

-->
*The Unguarded Moment: A Surgeon's Discovery of the Barriers to Prescription of Inexpensive, Effective Healthcare in the Form of Therapeutic Exercise, Vert Mooney, Vantage Press, Inc, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 273 pages
*The Unguarded Moment: A Surgeon's Discovery of the Barriers to Prescription of Inexpensive, Effective Healthcare in the Form of Therapeutic Exercise, Vert Mooney, Vantage Press, Inc, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 273 pages
*{{cite book
*{{cite book
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| isbn = 978-1-57258-280-4
| isbn = 978-1-57258-280-4
}}
}}
<!--

From the green hills of northern Canada, to the dry plains of the Israeli desert, Eva Sampson's life story shows the many ways where God performed miracles, and led her life as she strived to serve Him. As a young shepherdess in northern Canada, to a nurse in California, Eva devoted her life to helping others.How God Has Led is the story of this remarkable woman as she escapes from a hotel fire, the icy water of Alaska, and freezing blizzards. It tells the amazing circumstances as she worked her way through college, and the miraculous opportunities that God worked out for her."Step by step from a shepherd girl to taking care of sick people - people helping people." - Eva Sampson

-->


==External links==
==External links==
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| title = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada
| title = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada
| url = http://www.adventist.ca/en/
| url = http://www.adventist.ca/en/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


Regional Conferences
Regional Conferences
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| title = British Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = British Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.bcadventist.com/
| url = http://www.bcadventist.com/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Alberta Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = Alberta Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.albertasda.org//
| url = http://www.albertasda.org//
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.mansask.org/
| url = http://www.mansask.org/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.adventistontario.org/conference/
| url = http://www.adventistontario.org/conference/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.adventistontario.org/conference/
| url = http://www.adventistontario.org/conference/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Maritime Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| title = Maritime Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
| url = http://www.maritimesda.ca/
| url = http://www.maritimesda.ca/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


*{{Cite web
*{{Cite web
| title = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newfoundland and Labrador
| title = Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newfoundland and Labrador
| url = http://www.nlsdaconference.org/
| url = http://www.nlsdaconference.org/
| accessdate = July 27, 2011}}
| access-date = July 27, 2011}}


National Organizations
National Organizations
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| title = It Is Written Canada
| title = It Is Written Canada
| url = http://www.itiswrittencanada.ca/
| url = http://www.itiswrittencanada.ca/
| accessdate = July 16, 2011}}
| access-date = July 16, 2011}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christian denominations in Canada]]

[[Category:Protestantism in Canada]]
[[Category:History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
[[Category:History of the Seventh-day Adventist Church]]
[[Category:Protestant denominations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Protestant denominations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Protestantism in Canada]]
[[Category:North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists|Canada]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1863]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1863]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:1863 establishments in Canada]]
[[Category:Adventism by country|Canada]]
[[Category:Adventism by country|Canada]]
[[Category:Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America]]

Latest revision as of 02:36, 9 October 2024

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada
SDACC Headquarters in Oshawa, Ontario
ClassificationProtestant
OrientationAdventist
PolityModified presbyterian polity
PresidentPaul Llewellyn
RegionCanada
Branched fromMillerites
Aid organizationAdventist Development and Relief Agency
Tertiary institutionsBurman University
Other name(s)Adventist church, SDA (informal), SDACC, Canadian Union
Part of a series on
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
James and Ellen White
History
Theology
Organization

Divisions

Periodicals
Service
Media ministries
People
Adventism

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada (SDACC) is a constituent entity of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA). Its territory consists of all Canada and the French possessions of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (population of c. 38.8 million). As of 2022, the SDACC consisted of seven local conferences, 388 churches, and 74,191 members.[1]

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]
Millerites in Canada

The Seventh-day Adventist Church developed from the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s. William Miller traveled in response to invitations. This led him to the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Miller, Joshua Himes, and Josiah Litch all visited Canada. Miller's sister lived in the Eastern Townships of Quebec.[2] Josiah Litch lived in that district and led in Millerite activities there. Canada became an integral part of their activities. The interest in Miller's teachings was extensive in the Canadas and the Maritimes.[3] Under the leadership of Josiah Litch, the first Millerite camp meeting took place in Canada, at Hatley, Quebec.[4]

Sabbatarian Adventists

After the disappointment of October 22, 1844, Millerites developed into several divergent groups. The Sabbatarian group led by the Whites, Joseph Bates and others sought out the scattered Millerites and presented their Sabbath understanding to them. In the early 1850s Joseph Bates and Hiram Edson traveled along the northern shore of Lake Ontario trudging through knee-deep snow seeking out the Millerites. Thirty years later, the Adventist presence in Canada was still in its nascent stage. The first Seventh-day Adventist church in Canada was at South Stukely, Quebec. It organized on September 30, 1877,[5] with 16 members.[6]

Organizational history

[edit]

Canadian Union Conference

[edit]

In 1901, the Seventh-day Adventist Church created mid-level administrative units called union conferences that assumed oversight of the local conferences from the General Conference.[7]

One result was the Eastern Union Conference consisting of local conferences in eastern United States and Canada. At its first meeting later that year, the delegates voted to create, effective 1 January 1902, a Canadian Union Conference consisting of only the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and the territory of Newfoundland.[8][9] The new union conference continued to be known as the Canadian Union Conference until 1914 even after the Western Canadian Union Conference emerged in 1907.

Meanwhile, Adventist entities in western Canada came under the jurisdiction of union conferences located in western United States. For example, in 1902, the Pacific Union Conference recommended that Adventist churches in British Columbia be organized into their own local conference within the Pacific Union.[10]

Western Canadian Union Conference

[edit]

In 1907, president of the General Conference, A. G. Daniells, visited the western Canadian provinces and urged Adventists there to establish a "western Canadian Union Conference."[11] Later that year, it became a reality.

Eastern Canadian Union Conference

[edit]

In 1914, the church organization in eastern Canada finally became identified with its territorial limits as the Eastern Canadian Union Conference. At the beginning of the next year it hosted a visit by W. C. White, son of Ellen White, who urged immediate expansion of church outreach within its regions.[12]

Canadian Union Conference / Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada

[edit]

To address the impact of the Great Depression on the financial position of the church in Canada,[13] the General Conference Annual Council (1931) recommended that the two Canadian union conferences be merged to serve all of Canada and Newfoundland. In 1932, delegates representing east and west voted to establish one union conference.[14] They also recommended merging the Manitoba and Saskatchewan conferences and the Ontario and St. Lawrence conferences. Headquarters of the new union conference were in Winnipeg.[13]

The unincorporated union conference and its corresponding legal association were combined in 1986 to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada, a non-profit religious corporation.[1]

Social and political engagement

[edit]

The SDACC has been engaged in social and political activities throughout its history.

Social engagement

[edit]

Like Adventists everywhere and throughout their history, individuals and entities of the SDACC have been engaged in promoting healthful living and operating healthcare facilities. These efforts have included the former Branson Hospital (Toronto), facilities for seniors in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.

Since 1990, the SDACC, in association with about thirty faith communities, has been a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.[15][16]

Political engagement

[edit]

In 1906, Adventists in Canada opposed the efforts of the Lord's Day Alliance and others in promoting a Sunday-observance bill in parliament. In the process, Adventist leaders met with Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier and his Minister of Justice.[17]

In related areas of interest, Canadian Adventists, who were sometimes arrested for working on Sunday, supported the efforts of John G. Diefenbaker and others in advocating for a Canadian Bill of Rights.[18]

Membership statistics

[edit]

Canadian Seventh-day Adventist Membership by Decades

Leadership: presidents of the SDACC and its predecessors

[edit]

Canadian Union Conference

[edit]
  • W. H. Thurston, 1901–1909
  • William Guthrie, 1909–1912
  • M. N. Campbell, 1912–1914

Western Canadian Union Conrference

[edit]
  • E. L. Stewart, 1907-1909
  • H. S. Shaw, 1910-1916
  • C. F. McVagh, 1916-1919
  • A. C. Gilbert, 1920-1924
  • S. A. Ruskjer, 1925-1932

Eastern Canadian Union Conference

[edit]
  • M. N. Campbell, 1914-1917
  • A. V. Olson, 1917–1920
  • F. W. Stray, 1920–1923
  • Charles F. McVagh, 1923–1928
  • W. C. Moffett, 1928–1932

Seventh-day Adventist Church of Canada

[edit]

The Eastern and Western Canadian Union Conferences merged in 1932 to form the Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, an unincorporated religious association. In 1986, The union conference and its corresponding legal association were combined to form the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Canada, a non-profit religious corporation.[1]

  • M. N. Campbell, 1932–1936
  • W. B. Ochs, 1936–1943
  • H. L. Rudy, 1943–1950
  • W. A. Nelson, 1950–1962
  • J. William Bothe, 1962–1973
  • L. L. Reile, 1973–1981
  • James W. Wilson, 1981–1989
  • Douglas D. Devnich, 1989–1993
  • Orville Parchment, 1994–2001
  • Daniel R. Jackson, 2002–2010
  • Mark A. Johnson, 2010–2022
  • Paul Llewellyn, 2022–present
[edit]

Local conferences

[edit]

The SDACC includes seven subdivisions ("local conferences").[1]

Alberta Conference

[edit]

The Alberta Conference, organized in 1906, with sixty-eight churches and 12,338 members serves a population of c. 4.5 million in the Province of Alberta and part of the Northwest Territories. Under the leadership of President Jeff Pots, the conference operates four schools (Chinook Winds Adventist Academy, Coralwood Academy, Mamawi Atosketan Native School, and Prairie Adventist Christian eSchool) and Foothills Seventh-day Adventist Camp (used for camp meetings and youth camps).

British Columbia Conference

[edit]

The British Columbia Conference, organized in 1906, with eighty-one churches and 10,793 members serves a population of c. 5.4 million in the Province of British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and part of the Northwest Territories. Under the leadership of President [19] Brad Thorp, the conference operates six schools (Cariboo Adventist Academy, Deer Lake Seventh-day Adventist School, Fraser Valley Adventist Academy, Okanagan Christian School, Peace Christian School, and West Coast Adventist Christian School), Camp Hope (used for camp meetings), and Mountain View Summer Camp (used for youth camps).

Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference

[edit]

The Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference, organized in 1903, with thirty-five churches and 4,074 members serves a population of c. 2.6 million in the Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the Nunavut Territory. Under the leadership of President Charles Ed Aguilar II, the conference operates Camp Whitesand (used for camp meetings and youth camps).

Maritime Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Inc.

[edit]

The Maritime Conference Conference, organized in 1902, with twenty-seven churches and 1,795 members serves a population of c. 2 million in the Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Under the leadership of President David Miller, the conference operates one school (Sandy Lake Academy) and Camp Pugwash (used for camp meetings and youth camps).

Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newfoundland and Labrador

[edit]

The SDA Church in Newfoundland and Labrador, organized in 1895, with eight churches and 503 members serves a population of c. 0.5 million in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Under the leadership of President Ken Corkum, the conference operates a radio station (Lighthouse FM [VOAR-FM 96.7][20]) and Woody Acres Camp (used for camp meetings and youth camps).

Ontario Conference

[edit]

The Ontario Conference, organized in 1899, with 133 churches and 35,517 members serves a population of c. 15 million in the Province of Ontario. Under the leadership of President Mansfield Edwards, the conference operates one school (Crawford Adventist Academy) and Camp Frenda (used for youth camps).

Quebec Conference

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The Quebec Conference, organized in 1880, with forty-two churches and 9,171 members serves a population of c. 8.7 million in the Province of Quebec and the French possessions of Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Under the leadership of President Ngoy Kyala, the conference operates one media facility (Il Est Ecrit [It Is Written]).

Endnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d "SDA Church in Canada". Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook: 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  2. ^ Fortin (1997)
  3. ^ Monteith & Graham 1983, p. 12
  4. ^ Westfall, William (1989). Two Worlds: The Protestant Culture of Nineteenth-Century Ontario. Montreal, Que.: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 167. ISBN 0-7735-0669-1.
  5. ^ Willis 2000, p. 18
  6. ^ Monteith & Graham 1983, p. 29
  7. ^ "What Might Have Been and What Actually Was at the 1901 General Conference Session". Spectrum. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ Daniells, A. G. (December 24, 1901). "Eastern Union Conference" (PDF). Review and Herald. 78 (52). Battle Creek, Michigan: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association: 11, 12. Retrieved July 10, 2011. Daniells mentions that the co-founder of the SDA Church, Ellen G. White, was present at this gathering in Massachusetts. He also mentions that the name of the union conference was changed to the Atlantic Union Conference.
  9. ^ Daniells, A. G.; Ford, I. A. (December 17, 1901). "Organization of the Canadian Union Conference" (PDF). Review and Herald. 78 (51). Battle Creek, Michigan: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association: 12, 13. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  10. ^ Jones, Alonzo T. (April 1, 1902). "The Pacific Union Conference" (PDF). Review and Herald. 79 (13). Battle Creek, MI: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association: 10. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
  11. ^ McVagh, C. F. (April 15, 1918). "Western Canadian Union Conference". General Conference Bulletin, Thirty-Ninth Session. 8 (12). Mountain View, CA: The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: 18, 19. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  12. ^ Campbell, M. N. (January 12, 1915). "Elder W. C. White's Visit" (PDF). Eastern Canadian Messenger. 15 (2). Oshawa, ON: (Eastern) Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: 4. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  13. ^ a b Reiner, D.E. (June 14, 1932). "Manitoba & W. Ontario Conference, Uniting of Conferences" (PDF). Western Canadian Tidings. 22 (24). College Heights, AB: The Canadian Junior College Press for the Western Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: 5–7. Retrieved 2011-12-18.
  14. ^ Campbell, M.N. (June 14, 1932). "Canada United!" (PDF). Western Canadian Tidings. 22 (24). College Heights, AB: The Canadian Junior College Press for the Western Canadian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists: 1, 2. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  15. ^ Foodgrains Bank, member church and agencies
  16. ^ The Canadian Union Messenger, March 1990, p. 4
  17. ^ Thurston, W. H. (February 8, 1906). "Meeting the Premier and Minister of Justice of Canada" (PDF). Review and Herald. 83 (6). Washington, D.C.: Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association: 20,21. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  18. ^ Michael, Darren L. (21 January 1959). "Canadian Bill of Rights Brief". Canadian Union Messenger. 28 (2): 1.
  19. ^ Brad Thorp
  20. ^ Webb, Jeffrey A. (2008). The voice of Newfoundland: a social history of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland, 1939-1949. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press. pp. 20–23. ISBN 978-0-8020-9820-7. newfoundland, adventist, history.

See also

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References

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Books
Journals

Further reading

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Regional Conferences

National Organizations

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