Community Services

Adventist Community Services (ACS) is the channel through which local Seventh-day Adventist churches address the needs of their immediate community, neighbourhood or city. ACS serves the whole person, a concept known as holistic ministry whose mission is to 'serve communities in Christ’s name.' We embrace the approach of Christ in ministering to the needs of communities. ‘Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good.’ The Desire of Ages, p. 151.2 (Ellen G. White).

Adventist Churches across the North England Conference are actively engaging in community service and humanitarian initiatives and are connected through the ACS department. A range of projects, social businesses and initiatives are carried out by churches and their members who care for the communities into which they are planted and seek to engage with those who need assistance in any shape or form. From charity shops to soup kitchens, the gospel message is proclaimed through kindness and neighbourly love.

Our vision is to expand the scope of community services through collaborative partnerships with leaders and organisations, providing channels of mutual growth and action. We strive to build strong relationships by connecting people with their community family. Ministering to the communities we serve includes physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. We empower and engage members to serve their communities by teaching, mentoring, and equipping in holistic ministry through education and mentorship.

The mission of ACS is to motivate, equip, and mobilize Seventh-day Adventist Church members to meet unconditionally the expressed needs of people around them, fostering a trusting relationship between Adventist churches and their surrounding communities, and nurturing people toward a restored, abundant life in Jesus (MH 17:1; John 10:10). Learn more about the departmental goals by watching this video.

• The short-term goal is to promote a culture of learning and education among all who are involved in community service in order to ensure quality and sustainability in all initiatives.  

• The medium-term goal is to encourage all community service groups to seek funding through the NEC grant scheme but also through public funding.  

• The long-term goal is to make community service an integral part of each church, providing unconditional service and help to the surrounding communities and meeting their needs.