Adventist Review—The official Adventist Church magazine that brings inspiration and news to the worldwide Adventist family. It began in 1849 and was called the Second Advent Review and Sabbath Herald. Many people still call it the Review and Herald. You can order a subscription through your local Adventist Book Center (ABC).

Adventist-Laymen's Services and Industries (ASI) —An association for Adventist laypersons who own and operate their own businesses and/or ministries. There are local chapters in each union, and once a year ASI members hold a national convention.

AU and LLU —The letters stand for Andrews University and Loma Linda University—the two largest Adventist universities in North America. Both universities offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in many disciplines. Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan) houses the Adventist Theological Seminary. Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, California) specializes in the fields of science and medicine and houses the Adventist schools of medicine and dentistry.

Other colleges and universities in the Adventist school system in North America include: Atlantic Union College (AUC) in South Lancaster, Massachusetts; Columbia Union College(CUC) in Takoma Park, Maryland; Canadian University College (CUC) in College Heights, Alberta, Canada; Oakwood College (OC or Oakwood) in Huntsville, Alabama; Pacific Union College (PUC) in Angwin, California; Southwestern Adventist University (SAU) in Keene, Texas; Southern Adventist University (SAU) in Collegedale, Tennessee; Walla Walla College (WWC or Walla Walla) in Walla Walla, Washington; and Union College (UC) in Lincoln, Nebraska. All are supported by local- and union-level offerings and tuition.

Board of Higher Education—A board composed of representatives of all the colleges and universities in the North American Division (NAD) Adventist school system. This board governs programs, monitors course offerings, and provides guidance to the system as a whole. Its headquarters are in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Breath of Life—is an Adventist television ministry that targets the Black population in North America.

church officer—A church member who is elected by the church to hold a position of leadership in the local church congregation. That person is referred to as holding a church office. The larger the congregation, the more church offices there are to be filled by volunteers.

church ministries—This is the group that coordinates many of the functions in the local church, such as witnessing, Bible study, nurturing members, and youth and children’s activities. There are church ministries leaders at all levels of the church organization.

colporteur—A person who sells Adventist books for adults and children door-to-door. They are also called literature evangelists (LEs). Many people have become Adventists because of contacts made by these faithful literature evangelists.

communion—A ceremony fashioned after the Last Supper in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:1–33). This is usually coupled with the "ordinance of humility" or the foot-washing service. Most Adventist churches celebrate communion near the 13th week of each quarter—about every three months.

conference—Each church is a part of a local conference made up of churches in a particular state or geographical area. The conferences support local churches by providing them with pastors and support for the various church ministries, including education.

constituency meeting—Conference leadership positions are elected offices. Conferences hold constituency meetings at specified times (according to their individual constitutions) to elect conference officers and do church business. Delegates from the church membership are chosen to attend and cast their votes at these meetings.

Dorcas Society —Named after the biblical Dorcas who made clothing for the poor, this society—traditionally composed of women—was organized to collect clothing, food, and money to be distributed to community families in need. From the early beginnings of the local church Dorcas Society, this Adventist ministry has expanded its humanitarian services to include food pantries, medical clinics, drug and alcohol abuse and prevention assistance, tutoring and mentoring programs, disaster relief assistance, and many other programs. Its official name is now Adventist Community Services (ACS).

Doxology—This is a hymn found on page 695 in the Adventist Hymnal. It is traditionally sung at the beginning of a church service right after the invocation (opening prayer) or after the offering is collected.

GC—The usual abbreviation for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the highest organizational level of the Adventist Church. Offices are located at 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, Maryland. This organization directs the work of the world church.

gluten—Made from washed wheat flour, this high-protein substance is often a basic in vegetarian diets. Like gluten, TVP or textured vegetable protein is made from soybeans and is the base for many vegetarian products. Maybe you’ve heard of Baco-bits? They’re made from soybeans.

Home Study International—The worldwide school that maintains high scholastic standards and utilizes the services of qualified professionals in the teaching of all levels of correspondence education courses. This correspondence school began in 1909 and has served as a complement to Adventist education ever since. A yearly bulletin is published with a listing of courses with a unique Adventist emphasis for people of all ages—kindergarten through college.

Ingathering—Originally called Harvest Ingathering, it is a time (usually between Thanksgiving and Christmas) dedicated to visiting friends and community members in order to witness and to ask their support for the various service projects sponsored by the Adventist Church in the local community and around the world. Monetary goals are suggested for individual members and churches. A man by the name of Jasper Wayne began this project early in Adventist history. The contemporary name is Ingathering: Hope for Humanity.

Investment—Entering into partnership with God to raise funds for missions. A special offering (separate from tithe and regular offerings) that many church members give to the Sabbath school for world missions. Usually, some sort of project has been engaged in to provide this investment for the Lord. For example, you could dedicate a part of your garden to the Lord, or you could invest some money in a business project and dedicate the proceeds to your special "Investment" fund.

layperson—This is what you are. Anyone not employed by the church organization is considered a layperson. The word comes from the early church concept of members laying aside their regular work and taking up service for God. You will hear this term a lot in the church. For example, someone might say, "The work of God will be finished by the faithful work of laypeople."

Loma Linda and Worthington Foods —Many Adventists are vegetarians, and this has spawned health-food industries. Loma Linda Foods, originally owned by the Adventist Church, and Worthington Foods, originally privately owned by Adventist laypeople, have pioneered in offering meat analogs to the general public. Soy-based foods that supplement one’s diet, such as Wham (ham taste-a-like) and Linketts (hot dog-like links) are traditional foods in the "health-food" industry. Recently, both Loma Linda and Worthington Foods were bought out by the Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan. You can purchase these vegetarian products through your local ABC or local supermarket under the Worthington, Loma Linda, Natural Touch, and Morningstar Farms labels.

Loma Linda labels—Traditionally, Loma Linda and Worthington Foods gave one penny for missions for every can label you took to Sabbath school. Collecting Loma Linda labels was and still is an Investment project. Both Loma Linda and Worthington Foods companies are now owned by Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan. Kellogg Company gives 5¢ to Adventist world missions for every universal product code (UPC) you cut from the following brands of products: Worthington, La Loma, Natural Touch, and Morningstar Farms. The Cedar Lake Foods company gives 2¢ for each label you turn into your church Investment leader. To see what one Lake Union church is doing for Investment, go to: www.pmcinvestment.freeservers.com.

MESSAGE magazine—An Adventist evangelistic outreach magazine with a Black ethnic emphasis. The magazine is biblical, inspirational, and specializes in presenting contemporary issues within the context of Adventist beliefs.

missionary band—is a traditional term used for mission outreach activities usually taking place on Sabbath afternoons. These included "sunshine bands" that visited shut-ins, "singing bands" that sang in hospitals and nursing homes, "jail bands" that visited prisons, and "literature bands" that passed out literature. The term is seldom heard in contemporary Adventism, although members continue to participate in these same missionary activities.

Mission Spotlight —A media report of mission activities in the world field. Usually shown quarterly to church members during Sabbath school services.

missionary period—Traditionally in Adventism the period of time between the Sabbath school and worship periods. These 10 minutes are given to the church personal ministries (or lay activities) leader—the person responsible for organizing and training members for ministry. During this time, the personal ministries leader may share personal or corporate testimonies, show a video about effective witnessing, etc.

Missionary Volunteer Society (MV) —This used to be the name of the church’s youth organization and is still used in many places overseas. It has been replaced with the more modern term Adventist Youth (AY).

Morning Watch—A program of daily personal devotions consisting of the reading and/or memorizing of a Bible text along with personal prayer. The observance of the Morning Watch dates from the early development of the MV department in 1907. A Morning Watch calendar was published with a text for each day of the year. The first Morning Watch devotional book containing a page of inspirational thought for each text was prepared in 1945. Now we have yearly devotional books published for all ages—adults, youth, and children.

North American Division (NAD)—The organization especially responsible for mission and church work throughout the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. The NAD is made up of nine union conferences.

National Service Organization (NSO)—An organization that cares for the Adventists in military service through communication, retreats, and support of conscientious convictions regarding military service.

Pathfinders/Adventurers—A boy/girl scout-like troop of youth organized by the church to engage pre-teens in outreach, witnessing, leadership, nature activities, crafts, and camping exercises. Regular course work is available in their meetings, and honors (badges) can be earned through study and participation. Pathfinder clubs come together for camporees, where they camp out in tents and enjoy special programming and fellowship.

regional conferences—Regional conferences are self-governing conferences with Black leadership at every level. Organized in the 1940s, regional conferences facilitated the development of Black church leaders and greatly expanded outreach initiatives among the Black population in the United States.

responsive Scripture readings—A facet of worship where the congregation and the worship leaders read Scripture together. The hymnal has selections for worship in the back of the book. This section is often used as a means of responsive reading for worship.

school subsidy—Adventist education is provided for by two funding methods: tuition charges and subsidy. Each local church uses part of their church budget to support the local church school and academy (high school). Members are encouraged to give money beyond their tithe to care for this substantial subsidy.

SDA—This is a common abbreviation for the name Seventh-day Adventist traditionally used by church members. Non-SDA, then, obviously means someone who is not a Seventh-day Adventist. The church leadership in North America has requested that we not use the abbreviation "SDA." It has no meaning outside of Adventism, and its use often results in confusing Adventists with other churches, such as the Mormons (LDS).The preferred abbreviation for Seventh-day Adventist is Adventist.

self-supporting institution—These are ministries organized and run by Adventist laypeople in contrast to ministries financially supported by church tithes and offerings. The modern term replacing "self-supporting" is "supporting ministry."

Spirit of Prophecy—This phrase refers to the books written by Ellen G. White that are available at the local Adventist Book Center (ABC). Early in the Adventist Church they were bound in red leather and thus are still referred to as the "red books." They are also sometimes referred to as "the pen of inspiration."

special offerings—The church asks for regular offerings that are in addition to the local church budget and tithe. These offerings vary each week. Usually the church will announce the special focus on giving for the Sabbath. These offerings and the dates they will be taken are listed in the Lake Union Herald announcement section under Lake Union.

Thirteenth Sabbath offering—The last Sabbath of each quarter (one-fourth or three months of the year) has been designated as the Thirteenth Sabbath. Sabbath schools take a special mission offering on that Sabbath. A certain portion of this offering has been designated to benefit special projects in a selected world division. This portion was, for many years, called the overflow offering, but is now known as the special projects offering. Each division receives its turn to receive the funds according to a schedule voted by the General Conference (GC). Millions of dollars have been set aside through the Thirteenth Sabbath special projects offering to fund special missionary projects throughout the world. You will find a list of the Thirteenth Sabbath offering projects for each quarter on the back of your Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, formerly known as the Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly (or quarterly).

union conference—Unions are the next level of church organization above the conferences. Unions are made up of several conferences. There are nine unions in the North American Division (NAD). We belong to the Lake Union Conference which is made up of the Illinois, Indiana, Lake Region, Michigan, and Wisconsin conferences.

vespers—A special program designed to recognize either the beginning or ending of Sabbath. A vespers program is usually scheduled close to sundown and may include personal testimonies, Bible readings, meditations, hymn singing, etc. Sundown worship is another term used for vespers.

Voice of Prophecy (VOP)—An Adventist daily and weekly network radio broadcast heard throughout North America with branch or affiliated programs in many countries around the world. The VOP also operates a Bible correspondence school.

workers—This term is used to designate the group of people who are official Adventist Church employees. You may have heard the terms "workers’ meeting" or "workers’ retreat." These terms refer to special conferences or training sessions that a certain category of church "workers" (such as pastors) are required to attend.

This Adventist vocabulary list was adapted in part from Welcome to the Family, an out-of-print book published jointly by Home Study international and the North American Division, and used with permission. The list was prepared and expanded by Ann Fisher, Lake Union Herald managing editor.