Mission & Vision

The Mission

The South Atlantic Conference empowers and encourages its members to know Jesus and invite others to experience the joy of salvation.

The Vision

To provide Christ-centered leadership to a spirit-filled membership for God-ordained discipleship.

Our History

On December 4, 1945, at 10:00 a.m., the General Conference and Southern Union Conference met at the Berean SDA Church on Ashby Street to organize a black conference. Elder A. F. Hackman, president of the Southern Union Conference, presided over 398 delegates and 19 delegates-at-large. The delegates came from the Colored Departments of Carolina, Florida, and Georgia Cumberland conferences.

As the first step in organizing the new colored conference, it was voted that the former colored departments of the Carolina, Florida, and Georgia-Cumberland conferences, together with delegates-at-large, constitute the delegates of the conference organization. The total number of delegates present from churches was found to be 398 with 19 delegates-at-large.

It was voted that the name of the new conference be the South Atlantic Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Elder H. D. Singleton became the first President of the South Atlantic Conference.  From January 1, 1946 to 2011, we have had seven presidents. They were: H. D. Singleton, J. H. Wagner, Sr., W. S. Banfield, R. L. Woodfork, R. B. Hairston, R. P. Peay, V. J. Mendinghall, and on September 11, 2011, at the 24th Constituency Session, Elder W. L. Winston became the eighth president of the great South Atlantic Conference. The Lord has blessed and is blessing this conference. We have over 50,000 members in three states with 98 pastors (full and part-time). We have 19 schools with 85 full and part time teachers.

There are men and women who are daily knocking on doors with the good news of our soon coming Lord. Thank God for our Literature Evangelists. South Atlantic’s employees, along with its constituents, are doing an outstanding job for the kingdom of God.

Our conference center/campground facility, River Oaks Convention Center, is located in Orangeburg, SC, with a 4,100-seat facility, a youth pavilion with a gym that  seats 1,100 with five smaller conference rooms. On the grounds, we have an 80-unit motel with two queen beds in each room.