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There are, of course, some very significant similarities! Salvation, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus stands at the center of our hope. The Scriptures are also very important to us and are our guide for all we believe.  However, over the centuries, there have been some important differences between people who follow our Savior.  Sometimes these differences led to new congregations and denominations.

The major differences between Seventh-day Adventists and other churches are what we call here the 4 "S's". The Sabbath, which we believe is on the seventh day, and that God asking us to remember it is significant. The Second Coming, which we believe Jesus talked about during his ministry here the first time and which we believe will happen soon, since most prophecies mentioned in the Bible have already occurred. The State of the Dead, which is important to us because the snake started this whole thing off on earth by lying about the fact that you will never die if you eat of the tree in the Garden of Eden. And we think he is still up to a bit of mischief in this area. And finally, the Sanctuary, which needs a bit more study than the others, but presents the most beautiful and complete view of the gospel available in the scriptures. The Old Testament Sanctuary, as outlined by Moses, shows in so much detail not only what Jesus did for us, but what he is still doing for us.

We go over these 4 (or 6) areas regularly here at the SLO Adventist church, so if you want more information, then please contact us.

If we narrow it down to one thing it would be this, Helping You See God. But in practical terms, it is three things, Bible, Relationships and Prayer. We believe that these are three essential ingredients for a growing Christian, and for a growing Christian community. We encourage one another to be consistently in the word of God and using it alone for our reasons for doing and believing what we do. We are skeptical of man's laws and interpretations (including our own)! Then, we believe that we are called to help and support one another, and that this is too often done at the superficial level. We want to grow in our relationships with others and with God. And finally, prayer is such a big deal and often underused in our lives. So it is our hope we become more and more a praying people, communicating with a God who loves and cares for us.

Primarily because we think it is a big deal to God. It really is not about being different or right or whatever. The Sabbath was given before sin came into the world (see the creation story at the beginning of Genesis) and was then given in the 10 commandments as something to remember (See Exodus 20). Jesus kept the Sabbath, the disciples and the apostle Paul did too. We also believe the Bible tells us that we will keep it in heaven as well. Add the fact that we are generally skeptical of man-made rules and interpretations - we don't think that the change to Sunday was God ordained, or even a suggested thing. As with everything, don't just listen to us, take a look for yourselves.

We believe that true worship comes from a genuine response to the incredible gift Jesus has given us and to the fact that God is so great and loves us so much. So we give back to God by coming together and ascribing the best characteristics we can think of to God. We don't think that it matters who sings, what kind of instrument is played or when the songs sung were written etc, but that our motives and heart truly direct what we do and how we do it. We are no saints, but we do take this seriously. So if you join us, we'll pray, sing, and listen to a preacher preach. Our worship service is about Bible, Relationships and Prayer.

For those of you who care, our service is more contemporary than some, and less so than others, as opposed to more traditional than some and less so than others. Makes sense? I didn't think so - so come and find out!

Yes, the law (God's law) is important to us. We think that Jesus died because the law is important. And none of us, not even one, can keep the law in our current state here on earth. So if it is important enough for Jesus to die for, then yes! it is important enough for us to live for (by following Jesus).

However, we are not legalists - a legalist is someone who believes their good works will somehow save them, i.e. if God is grading on the curve then maybe I'll stand a chance! There is a common view in this world that if you're good you will go to heaven, and if you're bad you will go to hell. This is legalism, and is not taught in any way in the Bible. We believe instead that Jesus died to save us from our sins, because we stood no chance of saving ourselves.

Jesus does not just save us from something (our past), but into something also (our future). In other words, because of the work of Jesus, we do not have to stay sinners. We can truly be redeemed and saved into something. In heaven, we will not need to be continually saved because we will continually be falling short. Rather, we will live the kind of life that we were designed to live in the first place. Heaven will be a place where love will rule, life will be cherished and the law which guides all of this will be in place still.

For more information on this, or to find out how we come to these conclusions from scripture, please do get in touch with us.

We don't like to take advantage of inquisitive minds, so we do not usually baptize on the spot but rather enjoy studying and sharing our view of God and His way of life. If there is some harmony and desire to be part of a people committed to sharing this complete view of God and His plan for us and this world, then anyone is welcome to join. If you have not been given the chance to accept Jesus as your Savior and that is your desire, then we will baptize any person who wishes to publicly give their life to Jesus.

Getting involved in any public organization can be a tricky business and often depends on the individual as much as the organization. However, we do believe that being involved in ministry in some way is the best way to be connected to the body of believers and live out your calling and meaning for life. So if we can, we would really like to help you with that.

You want to hang out with people who believe in Jesus, and who accept what He has done for us as a way to be saved. We cannot do it by ourselves. You also want this church family to be students of the Bible who diligently seek God and His character and ways. And then without fear and embarrassment, follow God's lead - not mans. This is our life, your life, we are talking about, and it is important not to be making stuff up as we go along, but rather be seeking real truth.

You probably will not find a group that believes everything you do, but you can find a church that will search with you.

We don't really know, and to be honest, have not spent a great deal of time trying to figure it out! But if you have an answer let us, and the world, know!

Well, just the one actually, but you have to understand that while they do the changing, there will be 11 who've signed up for prayer support (though only two are actually praying), seven to form a committee to look into the needs, a bunch singing about it, 58 sitting in the pews hearing about it and one or two complaining that they did not get to change it.

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Church is no perfect place, and this one certainly isn't. But what we do here is really, really important to us. Perhaps the most important thing we do though is help a world full of pain. We are a drop in the bucket, but if you follow Jesus and believe what He says, then there is great value in helping our neighbor. So, if we can help you, then get in touch with us.