About Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
History of the Rochester NH Seventh-day Adventist Church:
The Rochester Seventh-day Adventist Church had its beginning in 1914 when people who had accepted the Adventist faith, got together in their homes. In the early twenties, the membership grew to a point where they rented the Unitarian Church for $50 a year, complete with heat. The Conference first recognized them as an Adventist Mission, but in 1924 they were accredited as a regular Adventist Church.
Charter members included Owen and Nettie Tuttle of Barrington and later Rochester, Herman and Elizabeth Fowle of New Durham, Minerva Jenkins of Berwick Maine, Ella Young of Strafford, the Abbot family of Barrington and in 1929, the Chapmans joined from Barrington.
In 1949, a committee was formed for the purpose of purchasing a lot in Rochester to build a Church. One was found at its present location in Rochester on Cushing Blvd. (previously named Nutter Blvd. - street name was changed due to city redistricting). The Church was the first building on the street. Herman Fowle and Archy Emerson paid for the lots.
Fred Clark, then of Farmington, was appointed to head up the construction of the Church. The Church building was finished , debt free in November 1952. Most of the construction of the Church was done by Church members.
The logs and lumber were furnished by members of the Church. Elmer Thompson donated the spruce logs for the rafters which were 26 feet long. Charles Clay of Berwick Maine donated the logs that were sold to purchase the various components to complete the structure. Malcolm Knowles furnished the logs that were to be sawn into boards for the Church building.
In November 1952, special dedications were held. Edward E. Lenheim, Atlantic Union Conference President spoke at the 11am service, and the afternoon session featured Roscoe W. Moore, Northern New England Conference President. At that time, A.W. Perrine was the Pastor of the Church.
Since that time, we have seen two satellite Churches evolve out of Rochester; the Portsmouth and the Laconia Churches.
