The history of the South Bay Chinese SDA Church reflects the wonderful working of God on behalf of His beloved Chinese children.
In 1984, a memorial service for Madame Kim Kat (a diligent SDA social worker who labored mainly among the Chinese population in the SF South Bay) took place at the Sunnyvale SDA Church. At that time, most of the congregation were of Chinese or Asian descent.
At the conclusion of the service, the Senior Pastor approached the only Chinese Elder in his congregation and gave him the task of establishing an SDA Church for the Chinese people in the South Bay.
Many groups, including the Central California Conference, the leadership of the only Chinese SDA church in Northern California, located in San Francisco, Chinese members located in the Bay Area as well as those in Southern California came together to make the vision a reality.
Public evangelistic meetings were organized & conducted by the late Dr. John Lu (of San Francisco) and the late Pastor Milton Lee along with his wife Helen.
In the summer of 1985, Pastor Lin Tsao and his wife Mildred came from Southern California to provide ministerial support and it was suggested that the Chinese group merge with the Los Altos SDA church. Later that year, Dr. Nathaniel Yen and his wife, Lorraine, accepted a call to pastor the Los Altos Chinese SDA Church.
2007 was a transitional year for the congregation:
* We moved from Los Altos and began worshipping in the Youth Chapel of the Mtn. View Central SDA Church.
* We changed our name to the South Bay Chinese SDA church.
* Samuel Hsiao was appointed our pastor – a position which he still holds.
In late 2012, the property at Los Altos was sold, and the current church in Mountain View was acquired.
The Chinese congregation has been blessed over the years with great spiritual leaders: Pastor Yen, Dr. Dayton Chong and Pastor John Ang.
Our current Pastor, Samuel Hsiao, has served our congregation faithfully for 12 years. He has been assisted by Pastor Roshelle Brenneise since 2016 – who pastors the English congregation.
The church also operates the SanYu Learning Center - an after-school program that currently serves about 100 children.
Many years have passed since that simple beginning in 1984. Most of those who sacrificed so much are gone now, but their legacy is not forgotten.
The guiding hand of God has been leading our little flock throughout the years and it is to Him that we give all the glory.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Seventh-day Adventist Church seeks to enhance quality of life for people everywhere and to let people know that Jesus is coming again soon.
Adventists believe a Trinity of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—make up one God. They made salvation possible when Jesus, the Son, came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem and lived a sinless life in accordance with the Father's will. When Jesus was crucified for the sins of the people of the world and arose from the dead on the third day, victory was won for everyone.
When He returned to heaven following the resurrection, Jesus left the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter and Counselor. He promised to return to earth a second time to complete His plan of salvation and take His people to heaven. Adventists are among the believers who look forward to that day.
Adventists believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.