Faith, Family and Friends: The Foundations of Fouke Rev. Nicholas J. Kersten Director of Education and History In the October 13, 2015, edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, there is an article by Frank Fellone about recent restoration efforts in Fouke, Arkansas, to beautify and improve life in the town. The article makes clear that the people of Fouke have...
Life and Death at Green End
The congregation asked for help on a regular basis, and rather than provide it, the SDBs of that era elected to withhold their support. Rev. Nicholas J. Kersten Director of Education and History In between the lines of our history as Seventh Day Baptists, many stories are hidden. One such hidden story emerged several months ago when we received two requests in...
Centennial Celebrations & Moving Forward with the Merger
Aug 25, 2015
Centennial Celebrations & Moving Forward with the Merger Rev. Nicholas J. Kersten Director of Education and History At the recently completed General Conference meetings in Lancaster, PA, the Conference voted to adopt the merger agreement which was previously adopted by the Historical Society at its May meeting. As a result of these two votes,...
Historical Society has Annual Meeting; Votes to Merge with General Conference
Historical Society has Annual Meeting; Votes to Merge with General Conference Rev. Nicholas J. Kersten Director of Education and History On May 17, at the SDB Center in Janesville, more than four years of careful consideration ended with a decision from the membership of the SDB Historical Society to merge with the General Conference by a vote of 85-6. The vote...
The tale of Johannes van der Steur, Colonial 7th Day Baptist
Feb 25, 2015
Vilan van de Loo At the end of 1892, two men knelt in a cabin of the boat, “The Conrad.” Gerard Veldhuyzen, Jr. prayed for the safety of his friend Johannes van der Steur (1865-1945), who was about to leave the Netherlands for the Dutch East Indies. Veldhuyzen knew his friend too well to be able to trust in a peaceful future....
Gerard Veldhuysen, Sr.: “so mighty a soldier in the army of the Lord”
Dec 30, 2014
Gerard Veldhuysen, Sr.: “so mighty a soldier in the army of the Lord” by Vilan van de Loo Big changes often start with one person being curious and asking questions. Gerard Veldhuysen, Sr. (1834-1910) was that person. He was raised in Haarlem as a mainstream Protestant but at one point in his life wondered about the Sabbath. A few years later he founded...