Under the theme “Passing On the Testimony to the Next Generation,” the Museum of Adventism in Haiti marked more than 120 years of Adventist presence with two special programs and conferences, culminating in the inauguration of the 120th Memorial Church on the Adventist University of Haiti (UNAH) campus August 15-16.
Museum director Jean Carmy Félixon shared how on August 15, 1905, exactly 120 years before, “a group of brothers and sisters gathered and decided to take an official stand on the Sabbath. They signed a document, and that act marked the official existence of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Haiti. From 1905 to 2025 it’s been 120 years of proclaiming the three angels’ messages and 120 years of serving the community,” he said. “The founders of this faith community had no idea how far it would spread.”
According to Gélin Samuel, secretary of the North Haiti Mission and one of the leaders who attended the celebration, the 1905 message inspired “a lifestyle, a spirit of mission to fulfill, and an ultimate hope.” He added, “One hundred twenty years later we are here to reflect, meditate, and evaluate.”
UNAH president Sénèque Edmond focused his remarks on the Adventist Church’s mission, stressing the importance of looking and reflecting in the experience of the pioneers. “When we look back, we apprehend our sense of belonging to this church,” he said. “When we do it, we’ll be ready to look forward, because that sense of belonging will push us toward mission.”
For Edmond, the site of Fournier—where the first Adventist community in Haiti gathered—is crucial in the life of the Adventist Church in the country. “Adventism in Fournier is rooted in a deep conviction of the Bible’s message,” he emphasized. “That conviction led to the foundation of the church in Haiti.”
In Haiti the Adventist Church was born under the leadership of Methodist preacher Michel Nord Isaac on August 15, 1905, after receiving a package of missionary books sent to the port of Cap-Haitien, in the northern part of the country.
In a brief presentation on the history of Adventism in Haiti, Edgard Étienne, vice president of academic affairs and dean of theology at UNAH, pointed out that mission was at the heart of the church’s founding in 1905. “That’s why we must celebrate the Adventist Church’s mission in Haiti every August 15. Our mission began on August 15,” Étienne said.
Citing church statistics, he recalled that in 1907 the Adventist Church had 60 members out of a population of 900,000. Today, the Adventist Church has more than 500,000 members in a population of around 11 million.
“Our greatest hope is to see the Adventist Church cross the gates of heavenly Canaan after these 120 years,” he said.
Alongside the museum leaders, Pierre Caporal, secretary of the Inter-American Division and former president of the Haitian Union Mission, paid tribute virtually to the families of the pioneers.
At the same time, leaders launched the newly established 120th Memorial Adventist Church on the UNAH campus in Gonaïves. The congregation will continue meeting on campus while its permanent building is constructed. As part of the ceremony, four people were baptized.
According to organizers, this university-based congregation is the newest Adventist church in Haiti. “Just like 120 years ago, a church was planted to commemorate what God has done and to highlight the importance of making the mission a priority,” they said.
The original version of this story was posted on the Inter-American Division news site.
