Battle Creek, Michigan, United States…[IAD Staff]
Upon the conclusion of the 58th Seventh-day Adventist Church business session held in St. Louis, Missouri, Spirit of Prophecy coordinators from the Inter-American Division headed to the birthplace of the Adventist message for a four-day tour from July 10-13.
The History Heritage Tour, which takes place in Battle Creek, Michigan, was organized to inspire and enrich, as it takes place on the very spot pioneers of the Adventist Church stood, prayed and labored, according to Pastor Leon B. Wellington, vice president and Spirit of Prophecy coordinator for the church in Inter-America.
James Nix, director of the Ellen G. White Estate located at the Adventist World Church Headquarters in Maryland, led the tour. Among the historic sites visited were Monterey Cemetery, site of Joseph Bates burial, Allegan River, where Edson White built and launched his boat “Morning Star” to work among the slave population in the southern United States and Otsego Adventist Church, where Dudley Canright held membership before his removal.
The tour also included a visit to Kelloggs Cereal City and the Battle Creek Sanitarium, now the Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center. The tour concluded at the Oak Hill Cemetery, where many well-known Adventist pioneers are buried, including James and Ellen White.
“It was indeed a memorable occasion for all who attended,” said Pastor Wellington. “It was more than historic, some would say life-changing, as one lives rich, Adventist church history.”
The tour was so inspiring, says Wellington, that some coordinators are already arranging subsequent tours which will be open to members and workers within their respective Union territories.
For more information on Spirit of Prophecy tours for Inter-America call 305.403.4700. For online resources on Ellen G. White writings, go to www.whiteestate.org
