Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church is a congregation of a thousand Christian believers that gathers every Saturday morning to praise and worship God in spirit and truth. Our worship seeks to creatively pursue contemporary Christian ideals while communicating the timeless message of the Good News of the Gospel passed down to us through the ages from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our expanding ministries in nurture, worship, fellowship, outreach and stewardship reflect our mission to grow disciples for Jesus at every stage of the Christian journey, from childhood and youth through all stages of adult life. But even as we live in Christ's kingdom of Grace, we look forward to His Second Coming and our entrance into His kingdom of Glory. In the following sections, we invite you to explore our relationship to the larger community of faith as well as our uniqueness within it.

Our Commonality in the Body of Christ
As a Christian denomination, Seventh-day Adventism traces its roots to Jesus Christ. It is part of a rich Christian, Protestant and Evangelical tradition that includes Methodists and Baptists, among others, as our close denominational cousins. Several key leaders of the early Advent movement, including Ellen G. White, came from the Methodist tradition. Also, our acceptance of the seventh-day Sabbath was directly inspired by a Seventh-day Baptist named Rachel Oaks. Thus, we affirm our relationship with other Christian churches as part of the larger body of Christ.

Our Uniqueness in the Body of Christ
In the early 1840's, a movement of believers from various Protestant churches led by William Miller began to focus on the soon return of Christ. Their study of the Bible led them to conclude that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844. In preparation for that ultimate event, believers gave away everything they had, including houses, farms and other possessions. We can only imagine the depth of their embarrassment and despair as they returned homeless to their communities at the end of that fateful day. The "Great Disappointment," as it later came to be called, split the movement into three theological streams. Two eventually fizzled, but one built on the original hope and promise of Christ's soon return to eventually become the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. This focus on the Second Coming of Christ, along with the Sabbath truth, later became the basis for the name "Seventh-day Adventist." However, our denomination's contribution to the larger community has not only been theological, but in other areas as well.

Adventist medical institutions are well-known throughout the world not only for the excellence of their care but for their commitment to total health, including wellness and disease prevention. Hinsdale Hospital and La Grange Memorial Hospital are just two excellent examples of that in our local community.

Additionally, the Adventist denomination promotes education at all levels, from elementary and high schools such as our own Hinsdale Adventist Academy, to universities such as Andrews University in Michigan and medical training institutions like Loma Linda University and Medical Center in California.

Finally, the publishing arm of the church ministers through storefronts such as our local Adventist Book Center, located in the Illinois Conference building, which not only sells books and music but also vegetarian health foods. All of these institutions are available to the general public as the Adventist contribution to the world community.

In partnership with these institutions, Hinsdale Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to serve our community as a spiritual center where people of all ages, races and creeds can come to find healing and hope in Jesus Christ.