South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists

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The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oceania is formally organised as the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists (SPD), also abbreviated as the South Pacific Division or simply "the Division". It is one of 13 world divisions of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in the organisation of the church. It includes the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the islands of the South Pacific.^[1]

It is made up of two union conferences (Trans-Australian Union Conference, Trans-Tasman Union Conference) and three union missions (Central Pacific Union Mission, Papua New Guinea Union Mission, Western Pacific Union Mission). The headquarters are in Wahroonga, New South Wales, Australia.^[1]

Contents 1 Institutions 2 History 3 President 4 External links 5 References

[edit] Institutions

The South Pacific Adventist Media Centre and the Signs Publishing Company both serve the Division. The official church paper is the Record. It also operates the Sydney Adventist Hospital and the Sanitarium Health Food Company. Numerous schools, retirement homes and other hospitals are also operated by the division. Tertiary educational institutions include Avondale College in Australia, Fulton College in Fiji, and Pacific Adventist University and Sonoma Adventist College in Papua New Guinea.

[edit] History

The first Seventh-day Adventist church in Australia was the Melbourne Seventh-day Adventist Church, which formed on January 10, 1886 with 29 members.^[2]

The South Pacific Division was organized in 1894 as the Australasian Union Conference, and consisted of just Australia and New Zealand. In 1901 the South Pacific islands were added to the structure. In 1905 Singapore and Sumatra were added, with Java and the Philippines added in 1906. New Guinea was added in 1908. In 1910 Singapore and the Philippines were moved to the Asiatic Division, followed by Java and Sumatra in 1911.^[1]

In 1915 the Australasian Union Conference joined the Asiatic Division, but separated again in 1919 as the Australasia Union. In 1922 it was organised as the Australasian Division, although it also retained its former name, Australasian Union Conference.^[1]

In 1949 it became the Australasian Inter-Union Conference, after splitting into two union conferences and two union missions. In 1956 the name was changed to Australasian Division, and in 1958 to Australasian Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.^[1]

In 1953 the Bismarck-Solomons Union Mission split off from the Coral Sea Union Mission, due to rapidly increasing membership. However in 1972 these were recombined as the Papua New Guinea Union Mission. The remaining territories became the Western Pacific Union Mission. Later Tuvalu rejoined the Central Pacific Union.^[1]

In 1985 the Australasian Division became known as the South Pacific Division.^[1]

[edit] President

List of presidents:

Australasian Union Conference:

• 1894 – 1897 W. C. White
• 1897 – 1901 A. G. Daniells
• 1901 – 1905 G. A. Irwin
• 1905 – 1909 O. A. Olsen
• 1909 – 1916 J. E. Fulton
• 1916 – 1922 C. H. Watson
• April–June 1922 C. K. Meyers

Australasian Division:

• 1922 – 1926 J. E. Fulton
• 1926 – 1930 C. H. Watson
• 1930 – 1936 W. G. Turner
• 1936 – 1944 C. H. Watson
• 1944 – 1946 E. B. Rudge
• 1946 – 1948 W. G. Turner
• 1948 – 1951 N. C. Wilson
• 1951 – 1954 F. A. Mote
• 1954 – 1962 F. G. Clifford
• 1962 – 1970 L. C. Naden
• 1970 – 1976 R. R. Frame
• 1976 – 1983 K. S. Parmenter
• 1983 – 1985 W. R. L. Scragg

South Pacific Division:

• 1985 – 1990 W. R. L. Scragg^[1]
• 1990 – 1997(?) Bryan W. Ball^[3]
• 1998 – present Laurie J. Evans^[4]

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook entry
• Map of the SPD

[edit] References

• Gary Krause (1990). "White, Ellen Gould (1827 - 1915)", Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press, 465-466. 
• M. F. Krause, The Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Australia 1885-1900 (M.A. thesis, University of Sydney, 1968)
• Ferch, A. J. (ed.), Symposium on Adventist History in the South Pacific, 1885-1918, Sydney, 1986
• Arthur Patrick, Ellen Gould White and the Australian Women, 1891-1900 (M.Litt. thesis, University of New England, 1984)
• Clapham, Noel et al "Seventh-day Adventists in the South Pacific 1885-1985" Signs Publishing, Warburton, Victoria, Australia, 1985
• General Conference Archives - For official church publications
• "Seventh-day Adventists in the South Pacific: A Review of Sources," Journal of Religious History 14 (June 1987): 307–26.
• Hilary M. Carey (Feburary 2000). "Introduction: Millennium: A View from Australia". Journal of Religious History 24 (1): 1. DOI:10.1111/1467-9809.00097. 
• http://adventist.org.au/about_adventists/history/adventism_in_the_south_pacific/australia