About Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
The History of the Ottawa Adventist Church
The Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is located in the nation’s capital, saw its beginning in 1892, through the evangelistic work of Evangelists R.S. Owen and R.A Underwood. In 1894, J.B. Goodrich held other evangelistic meetings and in 1898 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists sent J. Coeurdelis, Professor A.J. Bristol, and a sanitarium nurse to Ottawa. An Adventist church was first officially organized in Ottawa when Elder F.D. Starr, newly elected as President of the Ontario Conference, visited with believers in the capital. Five persons were baptized, Elder Starr later wrote “and the company takes fresh courage to advance and hold up light.”
For a while, the light seemed to flicker as the Ottawa church fell on hard times, dwindling at one point to a handful of members. It was reorganized, however, on January 7, 1906, and Elder O.F. Butcher became the pastor until August 1907. From about 1913, the church functioned under the leadership of W.J. Hurdon, under whose leadership many souls were won. It was under his leadership also that work on the first Adventist church building in Ottawa began.
In 1919, the young and vibrant H.M.S Richards Sr., who was fresh out of college, arrived in Ottawa to be the church’s new pastor. The new pastor kept the fire burning through the work of evangelism in spite of the sub-zero weather conditions. He, along with Elder Wilfred Belleau, later pitched a tent and began meeting at a corner lot half a mile from the centre of town. The lot was cluttered with billboards, but Pastor Richards and Elder Belleau used this to their advantage by advertising that the meetings would take place “behind the billboards.” The meetings resulted in many baptisms and the church experienced a new infusion of hope and enthusiasm.
The church was again revitalized in the 1970’s through the “It Is Written” Revelation Seminars held at the historic Chateau Laurier hotel, and conducted by the illustrious George E. Vandemann and the formidable George Knowles.
In 1974, a new church building was constructed at the current location, 2200 Benjamin Avenue. Prior to this, the church was located on Spencer Street, having previously moved from Fifth Avenue where the first building that housed the Ottawa Church was located.
The ministry of the Ottawa Adventist Church has seen the birth of numerous other congregations such as The Ottawa East Church, The Orleans Church, The Nepean Church, The Ottawa Spanish Church, and The Ottawa French Church. The Church at Benjamin Avenue continues to grow and enlarged its facilities in 2005 so as to accommodate its growing membership and its ministry to the community - “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).
Our Pastor
Senior Pastor
Born and raised in the Caribbean island of Barbados, Robert Greaves became a member of the Welchmann Hall Seventh-day Adventist Church in the parish of St. Thomas at the age of 19. It was there he met and married his wife and life partner, Ernell. The Greaves immigrated to Canada to further his studies in Civil Engineering Technology in 1989. Together, they attended the Newmarket and Barrie Seventh-day Adventist Churches. Robert characterises this time in his life as a journey from “faith to failure and back” as it was during this time that he struggled spiritually. However, with the guiding patience of his wife, in 2006 he recommitted his life to Christ through the preaching ministry of Pastor-Evangelist Bill Santos and has not looked back since. He surrendered to his call to ministry after wrestling with the urge for three years. Finally, in 2009 he gave in. This led to his resignation from Magna International – Canada’s Automotive Giant in 2010 where he worked for sixteen years in senior technical capacities in product assembly supervision and quality control management. It was a good professional exposure to have contributed to the design and manufacture of numerous vehicle platforms for Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Corporation, but nothing beats the experience of serving God through serving others.
Pastor Robert Greaves is a graduate of the Ministerial Program at Canadian University College, now Burman University located in Lacombe, Alberta. In May 2019, he completed his Masters in Theology Studies Degree at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. He looks forward to beginning his Doctor of Ministry Degree in the area of Christian Leadership. His focus will be training others to see their day-to-day professional work as a ministry calling from God, and a means through which God bestows his providential care to humanity.
Pastor Greaves’ ministerial service includes pastoral internship in Alberta, Youth Pastor as well as Community Services and Evangelism Lead at Willowdale Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Assistant Pastor at Apple Creek Seventh-day Adventist Church. With years of ministry to Canada’s first nations people, ministry to those imprisoned, spearheading and preaching in evangelistic campaigns, engagement in Community Services activities such as health expos and soup kitchens, ministry to the autistic, and countless Bible studies, Robert has led many into a life saving and satisfying relationship with Jesus Christ. Robert believes that if Christ is lifted up in all that we do, He will draw all humanity towards Him (John 12:32). His favorite hymn is “Live Out Thy Life Within Me” and his favourite Bible texts are Philippians 3:8 and 4:13.
Robert looks forward to serving the residents of the City of Ottawa and trusts that all will find the church family and community at the Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church the place to be.
Robert and Ernell have two children - Ambra a school teacher, and Kayla who is pursuing her undergraduate degree in Wellness Management.
Our Services
We have an open invitation for you to join us for worship at 2200 Benjamin Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario. Our scheduled services are as follows:
| Service | Day | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sabbath School |
Saturday | 10:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. | |
| Divine Worship | Saturday |
|
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| Adventist Youth (AY) | Saturday | 1 Hour Before Sunset | |
|
Prayer Meeting Vespers |
Wednesday 3rd Friday of the month |
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. |
|
| Prayer & Praise | Sunday Tuesday |
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. |
Watch our Services
The church’s divine worship services are streamed live on Sabbath mornings at 11:00 a.m. Live and rebroadcast worship services can be viewed from the Media page.
Our Mission
The mission of the Ottawa Seventh-day Adventist Church is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the Ottawa region through the Christ-centered lifestyle of our members and active outreach to our community. This we propose to accomplish by the grace of God in the following ways:
- By strengthening our connection and relationship with God (SEEK);
- By nurturing the growth, development, and renewal of our members (SERVE); and,
- By engaging our members in serving the wider community (SHARE).
Our Beliefs
As a Christian church, Seventh-day Adventists are a faith community rooted in the beliefs described by the Holy Scriptures. Adventists describe these beliefs in the following ways:
- God wants you to know Him
- Scripture directs how we live
- Jesus never changes
- What God wants for you
- God loves you
- God's love is about you. Personally.
Seventh-day Adventist beliefs are meant to permeate your whole life. Growing out of scriptures that paint a compelling portrait of God, you are invited to explore, experience and know the One who desires to make us whole. Read more.
Your Adventist Neighbor: FAQ
What to expect from your Seventh-day Adventist neighbor? A few answers to frequently asked questions.
It's 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and your neighbors have just come out of their front door dressed as though they're going to a symphony concert. But two of them are carrying Bibles! Chances are your neighbors are Seventh-day Adventists on their way to Sabbath morning worship services at their church. That means you're in for a very special relationship, a friendship marked by kindness, openness, and honesty--one that could well enrich your life.
You will find your Adventist friends committed to some very specific beliefs about God and about God's relationships with people. They will be genuinely concerned about the needs of others and interested in bettering your community. If you observe them at their workplace, within their families, and at their church, they will be busily involved in many activities.
Watch your neighbors closely, and you'll probably notice (at least) the following:
- Their love for God supersedes everything else in their lives
- They worship on Saturday instead of Friday or Sunday
- No beer cans or wine bottles dot their trash
- They value their health
- They appear upbeat and friendly
- They work hard to make the community look great
- They want to hear what makes you and your family happy
You will soon discover that your neighbors genuinely like you and accept you as you are. They share their friendship across the back fence, in the marketplace, and at the bus stop. You'll see smiles that come from a depth of peace--in the midst of chaos. That's right, "chaos." Your Adventist neighbors are just like you. They experience the same stresses and disasters that strike everyone else in the neighborhood. Yet you'll notice a difference in how they respond to the challenges. They have a deep inner peace that allows them to look the enemy in the eye and smile. They are looking far beyond today's troubles to the certainties of the future. Because they already know the outcome, they are comfortable with final victory!
Peace, strong inner contentment, is a personal trait of committed Seventh-day Adventists. Many Allied pilots saw that peace in the lives of the Adventist Fiji Islanders who rescued them from the jungles during World War II. Residents of Florida, Iran, the Philippines, Somalia, and thousands of other places have seen that peace. It showed up in the lives of Adventist aid workers who helped them "dig out and start over" after earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, floods and other disasters.
Your Neighborhood
Your neighborhood will see this peace in the lives of your Adventist friends, even when the well runs dry, a tree falls on the house, or the car is stolen from the parking lot. No, this peace is not a cavalier, "Oh, whatever!" attitude. It is the intense peace that comes from knowing God and that whatever happens here in this world is as "nothing" when compared to the joys of living forever in heaven with God.
Sadness? Yes, that's an Adventist emotion, but they believe God's love comforts the sorrowing.
Pain? Yes, Adventists experience pain. Their healthy lifestyle does allow them to live longer than others--as studies done on Adventists in the United States have shown. But Adventists still break limbs, contract cancer, fall off their bikes, and lose loved ones. Yet pain, even at its worst, is always accompanied by the healing love of God.
Anger? Yes. Even anger shows up in the lives of Adventists. Remember, they're normal people trying to live with God on a chaotic earth! But God is good enough to bring the calming power of His love into each angry situation. Even there the result is peace.
Praise, an intense eagerness to thank God for all He is doing in our lives, is another visible trait of Seventh-day Adventists. If you stop by your neighbors' home at breakfast time, you'll probably find someone praying and reading a thought for the day from a book or the Bible while the others eat their meal. Evenings often include a time of thankfulness to God for a good day, Bible reading, and prayer. Many Friday and Wednesday nights your neighbors will participate in Bible study classes, public lectures on religion, or special activities for youth and children at their church.
Saturday Mornings
Saturday morning the whole family will join other church members for Sabbath School and a corporate worship service. Don't be surprised if your neighbors invite you to join them at one or more of these activities.
Sabbath school is like Sunday school. It is a one-hour time praising God through music, prayers, mission stories, and small group Bible study. During the time there are separate classes for children grouped according to their ages and for adults with varied interests and understanding of the Bible. Music and fellowship are central to each Sabbath school program. You will find Sabbath school to be a "good time" with each other and with God.
The corporate worship service, or "church," is a more formal time of worship and praise. During this hour you will hear a practical, Bible-based sermon designed to help you see God more clearly and to provide you with strength to live as a Christian during the week. Church also includes worship music, public and personal prayers, and an opportunity to give tithe (10 percent of one's income) and thank offerings to God. During the prayer time, worship leaders will give you an opportunity to share your personal needs or requests so these can be included in the congregational prayer.
Seventh-day Adventist worship styles differ greatly. Some congregations conduct public worship very formally, often singing hymns and anthems accompanied by a pipe organ and piano. Worship in some other congregations is much more laid-back and features praise music led by guitars or even a small band. Still others reflect the cultural heritage of the congregation and may feature exuberant expressions of praise. Ask your neighbors to describe how their congregation worships so you'll know what to expect when you accept their invitation to join them. Whatever the worship style, all Adventist congregations are worshiping the same eternal God who gives us cause for praise!
Purpose
Purpose, a deep commitment to accomplishing specific goals, is also a personal trait of Seventh-day Adventists. We are not here just to get up, go to work, and come home. We have accepted the challenge of Christ and so function as ambassadors of the Creator. Our purpose is to represent God so clearly that you will find His love irresistible!
You'll see that purpose when your Adventist friend talks about his son who is going abroad as a student missionary to help build a church. You'll see it on the many evenings your neighbors go to church rather than stay home and watch TV. You'll see it in their visible commitment to healthful living, to protecting life, to caring for the earth, and to building friendships with their neighbors. Adventists are a purposeful group of people, busy following a lifelong mission. That mission comes from the words of Jesus Christ Himself. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20 NIV).
Adventists believe that Jesus Christ is coming soon to take all of His followers home to an eternal heaven. Because Jesus has asked His followers to "go and teach," Adventists purposefully share the good news of Christ with everyone they can find--especially their neighbors!
Peace, praise, and purpose. All of these result in a unique power for living, an internal energy that comes from having yielded to Christ. You will see this as a power that flows from God through your Adventist neighbor to you. That is our greatest hope as Adventists.
We also hope that you will see in us the power, purpose, and peace that God offers to each human being. Even more, we hope you will find these to be so attractive that you will choose to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Won't you join us in this lifetime adventure called Christianity?