About San Francisco Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church
The first Chinese Adventist Church was founded in San Francisco and the founders were Joseph Keh (郭育坤) and his family, and the family of Mrs. Wong Hee Yeung (黃起煬夫人). Mr. Keh’s father was Pastor Keh Nga Pit (郭子穎), our pioneer worker in Fujian province. Mrs. Keh, nee Mary Ang (洪惠卿), was second daughter of Pastor Ang Tsi Kit (洪子杰) who was our pioneer worker in Shantou (汕頭). Mrs. Wong Hee Yeung was the neighbor of Mrs. E. H. Wilbur (鄔爾布夫人), who and her husband were our pioneer workers in South China. Later, Mrs. S. A. Nagel (那基理夫人), who with her husband had worked in the Hakka Mission and Shantou Mission, continued Bible study with Mrs. Wong Hee Yeung and her three sons. Mrs. Wong Hee Yeung was the first Chinese Adventist baptized in North America. Later on, Pastor E. G. Annofsky (顔樂士), who once worked in South China, came to offer more bible study sessions in San Francisco; J. E. Christensen (高哲儒) and John Oss (史約翰) also came to help with the evangelistic work among Chinese; and Joseph Hwang Ru Yu (黃如愚), a church elder, arrived from China, to join the group. Led by Mrs. Wong Hee Yeung, they bought a huge house on Hyde Street (海德街) and converted it into a meeting place. The first Chinese Adventist church in North America was then founded in 1950, with Leong Wai Chow (梁惠舟) as its first pastor.
In 1959 Wallace Chan Woo Shang (陳湖生) conducted a series of highly successful evangelistic meetings in San Francisco. During the mid-1960s, after founding the Los Angeles Chinese SDA Church, he was invited back to San Francisco. As its pastor, he conducted more highly successful evangelistic meetings. The growth in membership made it necessary to have a larger church building. When a permanent church building was being constructed, Hwang Ru Yu and Walter Chin (陳秀軒), both church elders, coordinated the project. At that time, Jerry Chang Chung Wai (張仲偉) was the pastor, and Dr. Chan Shun (陳俊) was very generous to pay paying for half of the construction cost. The new church building at 7777 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94121 was dedicated in July 1978.
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.