Southern Asia Division of Seventh-day Adventists
Encyclopedia
The Southern Asia Division (SUD) of Seventh-day Adventists is headquartered at Hosur
, Tamil Nadu
, India
. It heads the activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
es and its affiliated bodies in India, Nepal
and Bhutan
.
The current division leadership was elected at General Conference Session
held on 2010 in Atlanta,Georgia on 2010. John Rathinaraj was re-elected to serve as its President. On 2010, the Southern Asia Division of Seventh Day Adventists celebrated its 100 years of organized work as Division.
The affiliated bodies include educational institutions and medical institutions located all over India.
It is part of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
, whose headquarters are located in Maryland
, United States
.
work. At first, converts were of European heritage. There were some among the Indian population. One of them, A. C. Mookerjee. He was the grandson of William Carey's
first convert.
In 1900 the mission director, D. A. Robinson, died from smallpox. William A. Spicer, at thirty-five years old, became the director. He was editor of the Oriental Watchman, the first Adventist periodical to be published in a completely non-Christian land. His leadership of the field was brief. In 1901, while attending the General Conference, Spicer was appointed as the secretary of the Foreign Mission Board located in the United States. John L. Shaw
took over the leadership of the India field. Shaw came from the principalship of the church's South African school at Cape Town. With a few brief absences, he remained in India for twenty-three years.
The first of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission Quarterlies focused on the need for evangelism in India's major cities.Many people of India, still under British rule, spoke English. The 1912 Quarterly included a thrice repeated appeal from Shaw. He emphasized the need for missionaries who could preach in English.
In 1912, five Adventist missions formed the organization of the India field: North India, West India, South India, Bengal and Burma. (See the map to the right.)
Hosur
Hosur is a town and a municipality in Krishnagiri district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.The name of the town is from Kannada language which means 'New settlement/town' . It is a taluk of Krishnagiri district. It is located about 40 kilometres south-east of Bangalore and 38 kilometres from...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It heads the activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
es and its affiliated bodies in India, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
.
The current division leadership was elected at General Conference Session
General Conference Session
The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The first session was held on May 20, 1863 with 20 delegates in attendance, and it is now held quinquennially ....
held on 2010 in Atlanta,Georgia on 2010. John Rathinaraj was re-elected to serve as its President. On 2010, the Southern Asia Division of Seventh Day Adventists celebrated its 100 years of organized work as Division.
The affiliated bodies include educational institutions and medical institutions located all over India.
It is part of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...
, whose headquarters are located in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Adventist presence in India began in the early 1890s. Progress was slow. By 1904, there were about 130 Adventists there. The church began with book sales and pamphlet distribution. Early endeavors also included medical work, schools, care of orphans, and zenanaZenana
Zenana , refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim family in the Middle East and South Asia reserved for the women of the household. The Zenana are the inner apartments of a house in which the women of the family live...
work. At first, converts were of European heritage. There were some among the Indian population. One of them, A. C. Mookerjee. He was the grandson of William Carey's
William Carey
William Carey was an English Baptist missionary and a Reformed Baptist minister, known as the "father of modern missions." Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society...
first convert.
In 1900 the mission director, D. A. Robinson, died from smallpox. William A. Spicer, at thirty-five years old, became the director. He was editor of the Oriental Watchman, the first Adventist periodical to be published in a completely non-Christian land. His leadership of the field was brief. In 1901, while attending the General Conference, Spicer was appointed as the secretary of the Foreign Mission Board located in the United States. John L. Shaw
John Luis Shaw
John Luis Shaw was a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, educator, and treasurer. He graduated from the scientific course at Battle Creek College in 1893 and became dean of men at Union College. In 1897 he became principal of Claremont Union College in South Africa...
took over the leadership of the India field. Shaw came from the principalship of the church's South African school at Cape Town. With a few brief absences, he remained in India for twenty-three years.
The first of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission Quarterlies focused on the need for evangelism in India's major cities.Many people of India, still under British rule, spoke English. The 1912 Quarterly included a thrice repeated appeal from Shaw. He emphasized the need for missionaries who could preach in English.
In 1912, five Adventist missions formed the organization of the India field: North India, West India, South India, Bengal and Burma. (See the map to the right.)
External links
- Southern Asia Division of Adventists official website
- Southern Asia Division of Adventists SDA Worldwide Site
- Seventh-day Adventist Worldwide Church official Site