Adventist Aviation Celebrates 60 Years of Reaching Remote Communities

The Adventist Aviation Association (AAA) of the North New South Wales Conference (NNSW) in Australia recently celebrated 60 years of reaching remote communities through aviation in that region of the South Pacific. To mark the occasion, Avondale Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cooranbong, New South Wales hosted a special celebratory ceremony on November 1 and 2.

Former and current ministry members, including pilots, missionaries, and supporters, attended the event, which opened with a Friday-evening vespers. On Saturday (Sabbath), the event featured a special morning service, a potluck lunch, a performance by the Avondale Brass Band, an afternoon program looking back at the history of Adventist Aviation, and an evening gathering.

According to the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, the history of Seventh-day Adventist aviation in the South Pacific Division “is one of challenge and success.” It states, “Aircraft and aviators have made a remarkable contribution to the fulfillment of the mission of the [Adventist] Church, primarily in Melanesia and Australia.”

Speaking at the Sabbath School program, Jonathon Hunt-Mason, South Queensland Conference AAA president, presented an overview of the aviation ministry’s work in Queensland. South Pacific Division president Glenn Townend presented the main message, sharing his personal experiences with Adventist Aviation Services (AAS) in Papua New Guinea and reflecting on the power of aviation to reach isolated communities.

NNSW AAA president John Kosmeier explained the significance of the anniversary. “This milestone is significant because we can look back and see what God wanted, and it was done. And today we have churches raised up as a result of AAA.”

He noted key locations where AAA has advanced ministry in NNSW, including Brewarrina, Moree, Narrabri, Coonabarabran, Coonamble, and Bourke.

For Keith and Danuta Stockwell, two pastors who planted the Brewarrina church, the work of AAA was essential for the growth of the outback-based church plant. “AAA was a huge help and support to us out west. They were like the ‘Golden Gate Bridge’ between the west and the coast,” Danuta said.

Keith Stockwell explained that AAA offered support, from transporting church members from the coast who assisted with Sabbath programs to transporting food to feed the community members attending church. “That was a big relief for us because being a church plant and being limited with Adventists out there to be able to help with a church plant, that became very vital for the ministry in the west.”

“We do this for the work of God,” Kosmeier said. “And that is the real purpose of Adventist Aviation: to go into isolated areas, where we win souls for Christ and connect them to His family, getting ready for Jesus to come.”

The original version of this story was posted on Adventist Record.