Resource Seeks to Help Other People Learn About Seventh-day Adventists

What do Seventh-day Adventists believe — and how do they believe? What are their values and principles, and how do they care about the community in which they operate? Are Adventists only present in one country or in other parts of the world? These may be questions asked by people who come into contact with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and who know little or nothing about the denomination, including government officials, church officials, personalities, public figures, or even media professionals.

It is to answer these and other questions, and to present who, in fact, Seventh-day Adventists are, that the South American Division (SAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has published the magazine Esperança Viva (Living Hope), which is now in its fourth edition. With renewed visuals and texts, it features modern graphic design with real images of the activities and practices of Adventist Church members in eight South American countries from Argentina to Ecuador.

The magazine highlights the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist Church; its organizational structure, which runs from the local church to its world headquarters; and the meaning of each element in the church’s logo. It also emphasizes the church’s mission to communicate the everlasting gospel of God’s love to all people through three pathways: its preaching ministry, its teaching ministry, and its health and outreach ministry.

“In addition to the activities we do on behalf of people, such as our social assistance initiatives or our educational and health institutions, we want other people to get acquainted with our beliefs, because they are the ones that testify of our identity and our mission as a church,” SAD communication director Jorge Rampogna said.

The magazine’s content emphasizes projects and ministries that are directly relevant to the target audience, presenting major areas such as mission, community service, family, health, communication, and religious freedom. All content will be integrated with a new institutional website under development, which will also present updated data about the denomination, including number of students, schools, and initiatives.

The magazine can also be a reference for new members or those interested in learning about the Adventist Church, its structure, values, and mission, Rampogna said. “We want to share with people what Christ, our hope, has done for each one of us, so people can know our values and love for others,” he said. “Doing this through this resource has the potential to further expand the reach of our message, so people may know that our mission is to serve and save.”

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.