“Have you ever found yourself asking who is God? What is God’s will for my life? Why does God allow suffering? Are you looking for answers but don’t know how to study the Bible?”

These are the introductory words on the homepage of the new website of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia. The site, which seeks to support the work of the Adventist Church across the country and beyond, was officially launched on February 1, church leaders said.

Adventist.org.au is a complete overhaul of the old website, with emphasis on search engine optimisation (SEO) and visual design elements to attract members of the public to learn more about the Adventist Church.

Users can sign up for Bible study resources, find their nearest church building, and keep up to date with the latest news and events.

On its homepage, the site also includes a message from Australian Union Conference (AUC) president Terry Johnson. He says to guests of the site: “Have you woken up with your mental state drained emotionally and you’re absolutely physically exhausted rather than energized for the adventures of the new day? Jesus never did!” He adds, “[Jesus] would start every day with the living Word of God in prayerful communion with His Father and always had the spiritual strength to meet the challenges He was to face.”

Johnson’s message ends with an invitation. “Make it a practice to start your morning with a daily devotional and Bible study. You’ll find that you have the mental strength to meet the needs of the day, and your physical tiredness will dissipate.”

Church leaders celebrated the development. “We are very excited about the launch of our new website,” AUC media and Ministerial Association secretary Murray Hunter said. “The creators have been diligently working on the site over the past months to ensure that end users have a great experience.”

Benefits of the New Website

Hunter listed the benefits of the new website, including, “To inform the general public of our Adventist mission, values and fundamental beliefs; and showcase ministry initiatives that are happening in our churches, schools, aged care facilities, and allied entities across the country.”

The AUC extended a special “thank you” to Scott Heitmann, Luke Farrugia, and their team for the design and development of the website.

According to Hunter, the new website will also provide access to resources and information that will help further the work of the church in Australia and “facilitate the ease of access to sites that make up what is deemed our Australian Adventist church digital and physical network.”

He added, “We hope our new site is a blessing to all who engage with it, and we pray that it becomes an effective and efficient tool to assist in delivering the good news about Jesus to people from all walks of life across our union [territory].”

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