Santa Catarina Conference

Santa Catarina Conference (AC) is an administrative unit of the Seventh-day Adventist Church located in the territory of South Brazil Union Conference (USB). Its headquarters is located at Gisela St., nº 900, ZIP code 88110-110, Barreiros district, in the city of São José, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.¹

The area of operation of Santa Catarina Conference covers the entire south and southeast of the state of Santa Catarina. Its estimated population is 3,559,929 inhabitants, of which 21,097 are Seventh-day Adventists. There is approximately one Adventist for every 168 inhabitants in the region. The territory covered by AC is divided into 41 pastoral districts, totalling 240 congregations.²

Six school units are in operation in this territory. These include Florianópolis Centro Adventist Academy, located downtown Florianópolis, with 751 students; Florianópolis Estreito Adventist Academy – Estreito, Florianópolis, with 1,189 students; Itajai Adventist Academy, in the city of Itajaí, with 1,037 students; Bom Retiro Adventist Academy, in Bom Retiro, with 115 students; Imbituaba Adventist Academy, in Imbituaba, with 165 students; and Tubarão Adventist Academy, in the city of Tubarão, with 269 students. Overall, 3,526 students attend the Adventist Educational Network in this region of Brazil.³

To maintain its activities, Santa Catarina Conference has 657 collaborators, of which 71 are workers, 544 are employees, and 42 are ministers. Among the ministers, 34 are ordained and eight are licensed.⁴

Origin of SDA Work in the Conference Territory

In the last days of May 1895, pastor Frank Henry Westphal, coming from Argentina (via São Paulo), arrived in the city of Brusque, state of Santa Catarina. It was the first time that a Seventh-day Adventist pastor stepped onto Santa Catarina territory.⁵ A few days later, on June 8, 1895, it was registered that eight people were baptized in the Itajaí-Mirim river. Three days later, pastor Westphal carried out a second baptism, when more than 15 people were baptized in the city of Gaspar Alto.⁶ Those 23 converts formed the nucleus of the first Adventist group organized in Brazil.⁷ “The group was organized on a Sabbath, outdoors, by the bank of a river, where the rituals of humility and the Lord's Supper were also performed.”⁸

Historian Floyd Greenleaf states that at that time the first Adventist church in Brazil was organized - the Adventist church of Gaspar Alto,⁹ a fact that was also reported by the South American Division (SAD).¹⁰ In addition, the importance of Gaspar Alto is evident regarding Adventist education, since in 1897 the first Adventist church school was established there. Under the leadership of Professor Guilherme Stein Jr., “the classes were given in German [...]. The shifts were divided into three. In the morning the primary school, in the afternoon the secondary, and in 1898 the night shift was included, favoring the adults of the community.”¹¹

Glancing into the future and realizing the humongous needs of the Brazilian field, the organization leadership established in Gaspar Alto, in 1897, a “preparatory college course for missionaries.” This course was attended by students from many parts of Brazil, and even from other countries such as Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. A dormitory and a half-timbered styled cafeteria¹² were built which became the first boarding school. The German Johannes Rudolf Lipke - who had studied in Hamburgo’s Seminary, and later, had immigrated to the United States, was assigned to run it. Lipke graduated from Battle Creek College. He then adopted the name of John, and along with his young wife Augusta (who was his classmate), accepted the call to be a missionary in Brazil.¹³

The secondary school in Gaspar Alto operated for only three years under John Lipke’s management. However, during this short period of time, some important events took place, including the emergence of early student canvassers. From January 31 to February 25, 1904, the first canvassing course - attended by eight people - was offered, as well as the first training for Adventist teachers under the leadership of Pastor F. W. Spies.¹⁴ The Adventist Review of April 1963 chronicles an interesting account of Brother Leopoldo Preuss with the following narrative: “Nine students from Gaspar Alto School, including me, made a trip from Blumenau to Joinville on foot, with three donkeys carrying literature in panniers,¹⁵ and after eight days of travelling along muddy roads, woods, and rivers, we arrived at the destination.”¹⁶

Another striking fact in the brief but intense life of that boarding school was the organization of the first Society of Young Voluntary Missionaries (VM) in South American territory. Although there is no consensus on the exact year, the organization appears to have taken place between 1897 and 1902. The youth meeting, held on a Saturday afternoon, was attended by 25 people under the leadership Pastor Lipke. The members present learned a new hymn, and the youth then memorized the Bible passage from Isaiah 60:1, and together they pledged to repeat it daily. After prayer, the youth were given flyers about the life of Jesus to hand out around the neighborhood.¹⁷

The academy remained in Gaspar Alto until 1903, when it was transferred to the city of Taquari, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Later, the academy in Taquari was sold and another property was purchased near the city of São Paulo. There a new academy was built, Seminário Adventista [Adventist Seminary], which later changed its status to Brazil Adventist Academy, now known as Brazil Adventist University.¹⁸

Conference Organizational History

The history of Santa Catarina Conference merges with the history of the Adventist church in Brazil. The arrival of the message through ships and in print shows that the God who conducts history is the same One who advanced Adventism in this region of the country and has continued to lead His people through the years of AC's administration.

Prior to the appearance of the first conference in the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná, the Brazilian Conference was the administrator of all churches in the national territory. Its organization took place in the city of Gaspar Alto, from May 10th to 20th, 1902. The conference was initially composed of 15 churches and 10 groups, with a total of 860 members.¹⁹ The majority of these groups were from German communities spread around the country and only 150 of them could speak Portuguese.²⁰

After five years of assessing the congregations of the Brazilian territory, the national field was divided into four fields. Thus, on May 12, 1906, Santa Catarina-Parana Conference was established. At the beginning of its operation, the conference headquarters was in Brusque, state of Santa Catarina. The newly organized conference overlooked the advancement of Adventist work throughout the whole region of the states of Santa Catarina and Parana, and had “12 churches totalling 427 members, eight church schools, eight teachers, two canvassers, and an ordained pastor.”²¹

Waldemar Ehlers was appointed president of that field. Born on February 17, 1879, in the city of Kihus, state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, he was educated in his homeland. He accepted the Adventist message at the age of 14, and soon after, went to work at Hamburg Publishing House where he remained from 1894 to 1898. At the end of that period, Ehlers moved to Brazil, to the city of Curitiba where he worked as a pioneer teacher at the International Academy (now known as Bom Retiro Curitibano Adventist Academy). In 1900 he married Mary Creeper, who worked in Germany as a secretary for Pastor L. R. Conradi.²²

In 1901, Ehlers was invited to be part of the evangelistic work in the states of Parana and Santa Catarina. In 1906, the first conference president to include the churches in these states was elected, and in 1909 he was appointed as president of the Rio Grande do Sul Conference, where he remained until 1914. Upon returning to Germany in search of health care, the emergence of the First World War kept him there. He worked as a Bible teacher in Friedensau for two years and served as president of three conferences, serving in the Berlin Conference as his last assignment. After years of serious kidney illness he underwent surgery in 1921 with Dr. Conradi (son), and subsequently lived with only one kidney. In 1923 he retired and, due to his health condition, returned to Brazil the same year. He died of uremia²³ on February 5, 1929, and was buried in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina.²⁴

During the twentieth century Santa Catarina-Parana Conference continued growing. In 1909, with about 580 members, and still under the direction of Pastor Waldemar Ehlers as president and Mary Ehlers as secretary and treasurer (this was their last year in the leadership of this Conference), the headquarters of this administrative unit of the Church was transferred from Brusque, in the countryside of the state of Santa Catarina, to Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana.²⁵

The following year, January 1910, a division took place in the territory covered by this conference.²⁶ This reconfiguration gave rise to two conferences with two new names - Santa Catarina Conference and Parana Conference. The first was allocated in the city of Blumenau, in the countryside of the state of Santa Catarina and was responsible for advancing Adventist work throughout the state, and the second was installed in the city of Curitiba and was responsible for the work in the state of Parana.²⁷ The headquarters of Santa Catarina Conference was soon transferred to another location and throughout the years had several addresses. One of them was the city of São José, countryside of the state, and another one was Estreito district, in the city of Florianópolis, capital of Santa Catarina.²⁸ However, Santa Catarina Conference retained this name only until 1927, when it was reorganized as Santa Catarina-Parana Mission, being held responsible once again for Adventist work in the two above mentioned states.²⁹

Nevertheless, the work progressed in the region covered by Santa Catarina Conference before its change. During that period, many members were added to the church to the point that in 1915 there were 345 baptized people in that territory.³⁰ Despite such growth, because of difficulties resulting from World War I events and other reasons the Monthly Review (now Adventist Review) of December 1915 published the following comments by Pastor Augusto Rockel, then president of Santa Catarina Conference: “As it happens all over the world, the field here is also suffering the results of the impacts of war. As the earnings of the brothers have diminished, so has the conference income, since the number of members has grown. We also noticed how Satan intensified his seductive efforts during this year. False prophets made great journeys in order to release dissension into our church, but thank God, they could not do it.”³¹

Even among such challenges, Adventism grew in that region, evidenced in the commemorative reports as more churches were built in the state. Two new churches are worth mentioning: one that was installed in the city of Jaraguá do Sul on April 6, 1918, and one that was inaugurated in Itajaí on November 20, 1920. These were outstanding achievements because at the time when such congregations were established there was a great shortage of missionaries in this region, either as a consequence of World War I or due to the difficult access to these places. Beyond these achievements, by this time the Seventh-day Adventist Church was well established in Joinville (where a congregation had been formed in May 1896 by Pastor Graf),³² Benedito Novo (where a community of brothers already existed since July 1897, also organized by Pastor Graf),³³ Brusque (where the largest church in the state was, with 91 members in 1924, in addition to a primary school that began operating on May 1, 1926), Gaspar Alto, Itajaí, Luiz Alves, and Blumenau.³⁴

After its establishment in 1927 as Santa Catarina-Parana Mission, the name of this administrative unit changed in 1934 to Parana-Santa Catarina Mission. Among the reasons for this change, at least two are worth mentioning. Although the state of Santa Catarina was the first location for a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil, it had fewer baptized members than the neighboring state (Parana), and the capital of Santa Catarina did not yet have a church where members could gather and worship.³⁵ At this time, the headquarters of the institution was operating on Dr. Ermelino de Leão Street, in the city of Curitiba, and continued to be there even after its name change.³⁶

Other churches were built during that period, including Bom Retiro Church (the cornerstone was placed in 1947 and the new church was built to replace the wooden chapel of 1927).³⁷ However, prejudice against preachers was a difficult hurdle to overcome as they talked about themes such as health, family, and doctrines. Notwithstanding, they overcame this obstacle using a fairly common medium in the Adventist realm: canvassing. In addition to being one of the major pillars of the Adventist Church organization worldwide, Adventist literature sales was very important for spreading the gospel message in the state of Santa Catarina. Residents' bias toward the message was lower when it was presented in the form of books and magazines.³⁸

The Adventist work in the region of the two states covered by this administrative unit of the Church progressed so well that in 1938 there were already 1,843 baptized members in its missionary field.³⁹ Parana-Santa Catarina Mission retained its name for approximately six years until 1940, when it became known as Parana-Santa Catarina Conference.⁴⁰ Its first assembly with this name was held on August 23-28 of the same year. The meeting was attended by leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church representing South Brazil Union Conference and Brazil Publishing House. During that assembly, the largest Sabbath School meeting ever held in the states of Parana and Santa Catarina took place (at least 654 people attended the meeting).⁴¹

Later, on May 25, 1953, the Seventh-day Adventist Central Florianópolis Church was opened downtown in the capital – a building that still stands today. A few years later on November 9, 1956, a new reorganization in Parana-Santa Catarina Conference was suggested upon the creation of a new field.⁴² Two months later on January 7, 1957, the first session of the Sixteenth Ordinary Assembly of South Brazil Union Conference took place, at which it was unanimously voted to accept the suggestion of the Extraordinary Assembly of Parana-Santa Catarina Conference for the creation of a new administrative unit that would be called Santa Catarina Mission.⁴³

Thus, on January 12, 1957, Santa Catarina field began operating under the name of Mission.⁴⁴ The headquarters of the administration was established at Visconde de Ouro Preto Street, nº 75, in the city of Florianópolis, capital of the state. The mission was responsible for fostering the progress of Adventist work throughout the Santa Catarina territory and the leaders that were elected to serve in that region were Pastors Siegfried Hoffmann, as president, and J. F. Walting, as secretary and field treasurer.⁴⁵

A few years later on November 1-2, 1960, the first Adventist youth camp from Santa Catarina was carried out on land provided by a church member on the beach of Itapema. Amid political and cultural turmoil, and a lifestyle fostered by Hollywood productions, the Church's mission to provide young people with leisure, knowledge, and pleasure was considered one of the most difficult ones. Notwithstanding, reaching the youth became a priority for the leadership team of Santa Catarina Mission. Therefore, on the very ground where the first Adventist youth camp took place, a CATRE [ATRC (Adventist Training and Recreation Center)] was built and cultural and recreational camps were held there.⁴⁶

Regarding the pastors who led the Adventist work in the territory of the current Santa Catarina Conference, the first eight were missionary pastors from other countries. The first elected Brazilian president was Pastor Germano G. Ritter, from 1938 to 1940. In 1966, the first elected Santa Catarina president was Pastor Arnoldo Rutz, originally from Joinville.

Between 1972 and 1973, 955 people were baptized in the area covered by Santa Catarina Mission. At the end of this project, the number of baptized members in the Church had exceeded 5,280 people. But there were challenges, for during that biennium, only one new church was organized in the new territory of the administrative unit.⁴⁷

Between 1974 and 1975, at least 1,159 people were baptized throughout the territory of the Santa Catarina Mission - a number that represents an increase of about 20.85 percent regarding the previous biennium. In July 1976, there were 6,223 baptized members bound to this administrative unit of the Church.⁴⁸ During this time, seven constructions were inaugurated (between churches and schools), and another 11 lands were added to the Church, for future constructions. The goal was to invest in building new churches in places like Criciúma, Xanxerê, Faxinal dos Guedes, Palhoça, Fazenda São Paulo, Fraiburgo, São Domingos, and others.⁴⁹

Later, between 1979 and 1981, more than 2,846 people were baptized in the territory of Santa Catarina Mission, with the total number of members in this missionary field reaching 9,453 people.⁵⁰ Still in 1981, the mission office was transferred to Gisela St., nº 900, Barreiros district, in the city of São José, Santa Catarina, Brazil.⁵¹ Because of rapid growth, as well as other factors, on October 28, 1982, Santa Catarina Mission changed its name to Santa Catarina Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church⁵² under the leadership of Pastors Osório F. dos Santos, as president, and Edemar Lattwinkel, as secretary and treasurer.⁵³

In the course of more than a century of history, the institutional structure of church leadership in Santa Catarina field experienced the following name changes: Santa Catarina Parana Conference, from 1906 to 1910; Santa Catarina Conference, from 1910 to 1927; Santa Catarina-Parana Mission, from 1927 to 1934; Parana-Santa Catarina Mission, from 1934 to 1940; Parana-Santa Catarina Conference, from 1940 to 1957; Santa Catarina Mission, from 1957 to 1982; and Santa Catarina Conference (AC), from 1982 until the present.⁵⁴

A chronological analysis reveals that from 1906 to 1927, its structure was of a conference. From 1927 to 1940, it changed to a mission, and back again to a conference from 1940 to 1957. In that year (1957), there was a new splitting between the two states (Santa Catarina and Parana) and Santa Catarina Mission was created, retaining that name until 1982, when it was changed to a conference, which it remains to the present. Throughout this journey, its various headquarters had been in cities such as Brusque, state of Santa Catarina (1906-1927); Curitiba, state of Parana (1927-1965); Florianópolis, capital of the state (1965-1984); and São José, also in Santa Catarina (1984-).⁵⁵

On July 11, 1984, the conference headquarters was inaugurated. The building is at Gisela St., nº 900, in São José, in the metropolitan region of Florianópolis, and construction commenced in 1979. Pastors attending the inauguration were Neal Wilson (then president of the General Conference), João Wolff and Mário Veloso (from South-American Division), Darci Borba, Lauro Grelmann, and Oswaldo Félix (from South Brazil Union Conference), Osório Santos (then president of Santa Catarina Conference), and other members of the field administration.⁵⁶

This was the first among other inaugurations that marked the growth and funding of Adventist work in the region. On April 13, 1997, the Adventist Training and Recreation Center (CATRE) established new headquarters in Palmas Beach, in the city of Governador Celso Ramos. Since then, the facilities of this CATRE have been constantly improving, serving as a working model of evangelistic outreach Various activities of recreation and training involving all age groups and church departments are periodically carried out, both in the state of Santa Catarina and in neighboring conferences.⁵⁷

Throughout its journey, the AC has registered many great achievements in the missionary area. A good example is the operation of New Time Radio-Florianópolis. With a 75-kw transmitter, through 96.9 FM frequency, the radio takes programming to over 37 municipalities in this region, reaching over 1.5 million people.⁵⁸ The first transmission was aired on September 16, 1997, when the speaker Sandro Barcellos spoke for the first time to its listeners. The first director was the radio broadcaster and Pastor Amilton Luiz de Menezes. Complementing the team: Erê Rodrigues (evening speaker), Edson Freitas (night speaker), Felipe Lemos (producer, newsreader, and commercial operations manager), Michele Guimarães (secretary), and the chief financial officer Clécio Andrade. The celebration centenary year of AC recorded an estimated number of listeners of around five thousand per minute.⁵⁹

Other evangelistic methods used in the field of Santa Catarina Conference throughout its missionary efforts were public conferences of a social nature, no-smoking courses, family relationship lectures, child rearing lectures, Bible studies, small groups, missionary pairs, and salaried workers. As a result, in 2005 approximately 1,500 people were baptized through evangelism held in the field. Furthermore, at that time more than 2,500 people were enrolled in the interactive course with evangelistic purposes carried out by New Time Radio.⁶⁰ Later, in 2006, there were more than 1,000 units of active small groups spread throughout Santa Catarina territory. At the same time, more than 2,000 missionary pairs were acting in this field and more than 7,000 Bible studies were carried out.⁶¹

Faced with exponential growth, a new reorganization in the territory of Santa Catarina Conference took place in 2011 - when North Santa Catarina Conference (ANC) was created in the state of Santa Catarina. This new administrative unit was based in the city of Joinville, in the countryside of the state and was held responsible for assisting Adventist members in the northern, eastern, and western regions of Santa Catarina. The chosen leaders for this new territory were Pastors Ezequias Guimarães (president), Apolo Abrascio (secretary), and Hebert Gruber (treasurer).⁶² Santa Catarina Conference had its territory work scope redefined - being held responsible for focusing its missionary efforts in the southern and south-eastern regions of the state.⁶³

After reconfiguration of the field, missionary access and service improved in the territory. Therefore, more social and evangelistic programs were and continue to be carried out, such as projects in the health area of Espaço Vida e Saúde [Life and Health Space], in the district of Itajaí. This space is part of a multidisciplinary project, developed by volunteer health professionals of the region, with the objective of ensuring that people have a better lifestyle. The project volunteer team worked in the community by fostering cooking classes and healthy activities for the development of good lifestyle habits.⁶⁴

In the area of child and youth care, Pathfinders⁶⁵ and Adventurers⁶⁶ clubs have been experiencing significant and continuous growth. Currently, there are 88 Adventurer Clubs and approximately 2,444 children participating. In the case of Pathfinders, the field has 130 clubs, totalling 3,636 members.⁶⁷ These children and teenagers develop their talents and are challenged to be active in the community where they live, thus influencing everyone around them. Given the great potential, the Leader Clubs were established in each region, with 15 Pathfinders and 10 Adventurer regions in all.⁶⁸

The Seventh-day Adventists in AC’s territory, from leaders to members, are all engaged in the achievement of various projects developed by the South American Division. These include Breaking the Silence,⁶⁹ Impacto Esperança [Hope Impact],⁷⁰ Projeto Calebe [Caleb Project],⁷¹ and 10 Dias de Oração [10 days of Prayer].⁷² Regarding the project Hope Impact, in 2019 the servers of the administrative headquarters from Santa Catarina Conference handed out books in a city called Nova Trento, in the countryside of the state of Santa Catarina – a city known for presenting challenges to the establishment of an Adventist Church. On this occasion, around 50 servers handed out 2,000 books in the streets and houses of the city.⁷³

All of this missionary movement is reflected in the growth and establishment of other congregations. In 2015, eight groups had their status changed to church, and 13 new groups were opened, as well as the reorganization and, consequently, the opening of two new districts in the field. This growth is concomitant with membership — a total of 2,417 per year, of which 1,916 were received through baptism, 477 through rebaptism, and 78 by profession of faith.⁷⁴

Santa Catarina Conference seeks to bring the Adventist message to all people, as commanded by Jesus. However, the challenge is not just to baptize, but to engage all members in preaching the gospel and, thus, having a strengthened and active church. Hence, Santa Catarina Conference Mission is “to make disciples through communion, relating, and mission.”⁷⁵

Due to the great extension of the territory, for some time it was not possible to focus on certain regions and places in the field of Santa Catarina Conference. Since the division of the field in 2011, more time and attention have been devoted to these places in order to promote church growth in membership, faithfulness, congregations, and consequently districts. AC's leadership team continues this growth process, seeking the involvement of all members in communion, relationship, and mission, so that discipleship will promote even more substantial growth in these areas.

To this end, the work vision “One Saving One” encourages members to use their God-given gifts to carry the gospel message to others. Everyone can preach, either through a sermon or through a simple act of kindness. From this perspective, the AC leadership team has sought to testify that full member involvement is possible, according to the vision of the Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference.

Chronology of Administrative Executives⁷⁶

Presidents: Waldemar Ehlers (1906-1909); Emilio Hoelzle (1910); C. F. Knott (1910); Frederic R. Kumpel (1911-1915); Augusto Rockel (1915-1919); Frederic R. Kumpel (1919-1924); Germano Streithorst (1925-1931); Henrique G. Stoehr (1932-1934); Artur L. Westphal (1935-1936); Elmer H. Wilcox (1937); Germano G. Ritter (1938-1940); Querino Dau (1941-1943); Orlando G. de Pinho (1944); José Rodrigues dos Passos (1945-1949); Moysés S. Nigri (1950-1951); Orlando G. de Pinho (1952-1953); José Nunes Siqueira (1954-1957); Siegfried Hoffman (1958-1963); João Wolf (1964-1965); Arnold Rutz (1966-1968); Ardoval Schevani (1969); Henrique Berg (1970-1971); Alberto Ribeiro de Souza (1972-1977); José Orlando Correa (1978-1981); Osório Feliciano dos Santos (1982-1985); Wilson Sarli (1986-1988); Samuel G. F. Zukowski (1989-1991); Élbio Menezes (1992-2004); Lourival Gomes de Souza (2004-2010); Ilson Arlei Geisler (2010-2014); Apolo Streicher Abráscio (2014-today).

Secretaries: Mary Ehlers (1906-1909); Albert B. Stauffer (1910); Augusto Anniess (1911-1917); E. Langenstrassen (1918); C. E. Schofield (1920-1925); G. E. Hartman (1926); Germano Ritter (1927-1928); Guilherme Doerner (1929-1932); Guilherme Ebinger (1933-1934); G. G. Ritter (1935); F. H. Gerling (1936-1939); Dermival Stockler Lima (1940-1941); Wilson Ávila (1942); Orlando. G. de Pinho (1943-1945); Dermival Stockler Lima (1946-1952); R. S. Ferreira (1953-1956); J. F. Walting (1957-1958); Holbert Schmidt (1959-1962); Hugo Wichert (1963-1968); Rudy Weidle (1969-1974); H. E. Bergold (1975-1979); Nelson Wolff (1980-1981); Edemar Kattwinkel (1982); Marino F. de Oliveira (1983-1985); Nelson Wolff (1986-1990); Élbio Menezes (1991-1993); Ênio dos Santos (1994); Dirceu de Lima (1995-2006); Paulo S. Godinho (2007-2008); Apolo Streicher Abráscio (2009-2011); Charles E. Rampanelli (2012); Paulo R. Barbosa Lopes (2013-today).

Treasurers: Mary Ehlers (1906-1909); Albert B. Stauffer (1910); Augusto Anniess (1911-1915); E. Langenstrassen (1918); C. E. Schofield (1920-1925); G. E. Hartman (1926); Germano Ritter (1927-1928); Guilherme Doerner (1929-1932); Guilherme Ebinger (1933-1934); G. G. Ritter (1935); F. H. Gerling (1936-1939); Dermival Stockler Lima (1936-1941); Wilson Ávila (1942); Orlando. G. de Pinho (1943-1945); Dermival Stockler Lima (1946-1952); R. S. Ferreira (1953-1956); J. F. Walting (1957-1958); Holbert Schmidt (1959-1962); Hugo Wichert (1963-1968); Rudy Weidle (1969-1974); H. E. Bergold (1975-1979); Nelson Wolff (1980-1981); Edemar Kattwinkel (1982); Marino F. de Oliveira (1983-1988); João Lotze (1989-1993); Davi Contri (1994-2000); Jairo C. Silva dos Anjos (2001-2004); Laudecir Miotto Mazzo (2004-2008); Josias Souza da Silva (2009-2013); Luciano Rodrigo Barbosa Sanches (2014-2017); Herbert Élbio Gruber (2018-today).⁷⁷

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Meyers, E. H., Reseña de los comienzos de la obra em Sudamérica [Review of the beginning of the work in South America]. Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, no date.

Moraes, Vanderlei Luiz de. “Santa Catarina Conference”. Monography, Brazil College, no date.

Neilsen, N. P. “Santa Catarina Conference,” Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], May 1927.

Paroschi, Wilson Luiz. “Brazil: 90 years of Adventism,” Adventist Review, November 1986.

Peverini, H. J., En las huellas de la providência [In the footsteps of providence]. Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 1988.

Preuss, Leopoldo. “O começo da mensagem no Brasil” [The beginning of the message in Brazil]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], April 1963.

Ritter, Germano G. “Assembléia Constituinte da Associação dos Adventistas do Sétimo Dia no Paraná e Santa Catarina” [Constituent Assembly of the Seventh-day Adventist Organization in Parana and Santa Catarina]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], March 1940.

Santa Catarina Conference Portal. http://ac.org.br.

Seventh-day Adventist Church Portal. http://www.adventistas.org/pt/.

“SC tem nova sede administrativa” [Santa Catarina has a new administrative headquarters]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 2012.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1907-1983.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Hagerstown, MD.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2013.

Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018.

“Sobre” [About], Novo Tempo [New Hope Channel] (Online), August 2, 2010.

Zukowsky, Samuel. “Santa Catarina: berço da mensagem adventista no Brasil” [Santa Catarina: birthplace of the Adventist message in Brazil]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], year 94 (February 1994): 8-10.

Notes

1. Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, “Santa Catarina Conference,” accessed on July 11, 2019, http://bit.ly/2JAIM9k.↩

2. Idem; Paulo Lopes (Secretary of Santa Catarina Conference), email message to Luvercy Ferreira, October 4, 2018.↩

3. Paulo Lopes (Secretary of the Santa Catarina Conference), email message to Luvercy Ferreira, October 4, 2018.↩

4. Idem.↩

5. Catarinense [people from Santa Catarina] is the thing or person that is related or pertaining to the state of Santa Catarina. Accessed on July 25, 2019, http://bit.ly/32Ioxz8.↩

6. Michelson Borges, A chegada do Adventismo no Brasil [The arrival of Adventism in Brazil] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2000), 88.↩

7. E. H. Meyers, Reseña de los comienzos de la obra em Sudamérica [Review of the beginning of the work in South America] (Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, s.d.), 19.↩

8. H. J. Peverini, Em las huellas de la providência [In the footstepss of providence] (Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 1988), 61.↩

9. Floyd Greenleaf, Terra da esperança: o crescimento da Igreja Adventista na América do Sul [Land of hope: the growth of the Adventist Church in South America] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2011), 48 and 83.↩

10. R. G. Canedo, Uma semente de esperança: história da estrutura denominacional [Seed of hope: history of the denominational structure] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2015), 62.↩

11. R. E. F. O. Alves, “Educação Adventista: uma proposta restauradora” [Adventist Education: a restoring proposal] (Course Conclusion Monography, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 1999), 28.↩

12. Half-timbered constructions are typical from the German buildings of the XIX century. Priberam dictionary defines it as “a construction technique that uses embedded timber in the horizontal, vertical, and oblique positions, filling up the spaces with bricks or partitions, leaving the timbers visible in the facades.” Accessed on July 11, 2019, http://bit.ly/2xL2U33.↩

13. José Carlos Ebling, “O homem e os sonhos” [The man and the dreams], in Escola Modelo [Model School] (São Paulo: Education Institute of the South Brazil Union Conference, 1984) 9-10.↩

14. H. J. Peverini, Em las huellas de la providência [In the footsteps of providence] (Buenos Aires: South American Spanish Publishing House, 1988), 255.↩

15. According to the Online Portuguese Dictionary, canastra [panniers] is a “Low and large basket, made of lintel or chip wood, sometimes with a lid.” Accessed on October 25, 2017, http://bit.ly/2Se71xR.↩

16. Leopoldo Preuss, “O começo da mensagem no Brasil” [The beginning of the message in Brazil] Adventist Review, year 58, no. 4 (April 1963): 27.↩

17. Wilson Luiz Paroschi, “Brazil: 90 years of Adventism,” Adventist Review, no. 11, year 82 (November 1986): 27.↩

18. R. G. Canedo, Uma semente de esperança: história da estrutura denominacional [A seed of hope: history of the denominational structure] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2015), 89.↩

19. Ibid., 78.↩

20. Fabiano Ramos Mendes, “A sensibilidade cultural do adventismo como modelo missiológico em grandes centros urbanos: uma análise de igrejas adventistas étnicas na cidade de São Paulo” [The cultural sensibility of the Adventism as a missionary model in great urban centers: an analysis of ethnic Adventist churches in the city of São Paulo] (Master’s thesis, Brazilian Methodist University, São Paulo, 2015), 31.↩

21. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 33.↩

22. Idem.↩

23. The term uremia literally means, increase of urea levels in the blood. “Is both resulting from the accumulation of non-excreted metabolites and from the metabolic abnormality induced by them. When the kidney fails to carry out most of its functions, the clinical status is known as renal disease in end-stage and transplants or dialysis are necessary for life maintenance.” Lee Goldman and Andrew I. Schafer, Goldman-Cecil Medicine (Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Elsevier Brazil, 2014), 927.↩

24. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 33.↩

25. “Santa Catarina and Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1909), 126.↩

26. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 34.↩

27. “Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1912), 139; “Santa Catharina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1912), 139.↩

28. “Santa Catarina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1915), 149; “Santa Catharina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1919), 163.↩

29. N. P. Neilsen, “Santa Catarina Conference,” Revista Mensal [Monthly Review] 22, no. 5 (May 1927): 10.↩

30. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 2006), 34.↩

31. Augusto Rockel, “Santa Catarina,” Revista Mensal [Monthly Review] 10, no. 12 (December 1915): 5.↩

32. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 54.↩

33. Edgar Link, email message to the authors, November 9, 2016.↩

34. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 2006), 46; K. Kaltenháuser, “Educação Christã” [Christian Education], Revista Mensal [Monthly Review] 21, no. 10 (October 1926): 13.↩

35. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 49.↩

36. “Parana-Santa Catharina,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1935), 176.↩

37. D. C. de Lins. Fé, honra e coragem de um povo [Faith, honor and courage of a people] (Bom Retiro, SC: author’s edition, 2004), 62.↩

38. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 2006), 50.↩

39. “Parana-Santa Catarina,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1939), 188.↩

40. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 52.↩

41. Germano G. Ritter, “Assembléia Constituinte da Associação dos Adventistas do Sétimo Dia no Paraná e Santa Catarina” [Constituent Assembly of the Seventh-day Adventist Organization in Parana and Santa Catarina] Adventist Review 35, no. 3 (March 1940): 8-9.↩

42. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 52.↩

43. Record of the Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly in the South Brazil Union Conference, January 7, 1957.↩

44. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 52.↩

45. “Santa Catarina Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958), 158.↩

46. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 59.↩

47. “Estatística da Secretaria” [Secretariat’s Statistics], in Relatório da Décima Assembleia Bienal da Missão Catarinense da IASD [Report of the Tenth Biennial Assembly of the Santa Catarina Mission SDA], July 8-11, 1976, 13.↩

48. “Despedidas e boas-vindas” [Farewells and Welcomings], in Relatório da Décima Assembleia Bienal da Missão Catarinense da IASD [Report of the Tenth Biennial Assembly of the Santa Catarina Mission SDA], July 8 to 11, 1976, 7.↩

49. “Expansão Patrimonial” [Patrimonial Expansion], in Relatório da Décima Assembleia Bienal da Missão Catarinense da IASD [Report of the Tenth Biennial Assembly of the Santa Catarina Mission SDA], July 8-11, 1976, 11.↩

50. Vanderlei Luiz de Moraes, “Santa Catarina Conference” (Monography, Brazil College, no date), 17.↩

51. “Santa Catarina Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1982), 290.↩

52. Ibid., 15.↩

53. “Santa Catarina Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1983), 307.↩

54. Samuel Zukowsky. “Santa Catarina: berço da mensagem adventista no Brasil” [Santa Catarina: birthplace of the Adventist message in Brazil], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], year 94 (February 1994): 8-10.↩

55. “Santa Catarina and Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1907), 95; “Santa Catarina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018), 254. For a more detailed verification about all places that served as headquarters for the conference, consult the yearbooks from 1907 to 2018.↩

56. “Associação tem nova sede” [Conference has new headquarters], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 1984, 19-20.↩

57. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 2006), 59.↩

58. “Sobre” [About], New Time Radio, August 2, 2010, accessed on July 15, 2019, http://abre.ai/6Bj.↩

59. Paulo Lopes (Santa Catarina Conference Secretary), email message to the authors, October 21, 2016.↩

60. Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 75.↩

61. Ibid., 87.↩

62. “SC tem nova sede administrativa” [Santa Catarina has a new administrative headquarters], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 1012, 38.↩

63. “Santa Catarina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Hagerstown, MD.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2013), 293.↩

64. Paulo Lopes (Santa Catarina Conference Secretary), email message to the authors, October 21, 2016.↩

65. The Pathfinders are composed of “boys and girls of around 10 to 15 years, all of different social classes, ethnicity, and religion. They gather, generally, once a week to learn how to develop talents, skills, perceptions, and to develop a taste for nature.” These boys and girls “get excited with outdoor activities. They like camping, hiking, climbing, exploring woods and caves. They know how to cook outdoors, by making a fire without matches.” Furthermore, they demonstrate “skill with discipline through drill commands and have a creativity awakened by craftsmanship. They also fight against tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.” Accessed on October 9, 2019, http://bit.ly/2FDRqTh.↩

66. A group of boys and girls from 6 to 9 years old, from different social classes, ethnicity, and religions gather, usually, at least twice a month to develop their gifts and talents, alongside their families. Proper activities are carried out for each child in its respective age, aiming to assist in the learning of the children with their parents. Adventistas Brasil [Brazil Adventists], “O que são os Aventureiros? – Udolcy Zukowski Diretor para América do Sul” [What are Adventurers? - Udolcy Zukowski Director for South America”] (video from Youtube explaining, Adventistas Brasil [Brazil Adventists], May 29, 2015), accessed on June 27, 2019, http://bit.ly/2KH7PdN.↩

67. Ministério de Desbravadores e Aventureiros AC [Ministry of Pathfinders and Adventurers AC] “Statistics – Santa Catarina Conference,” accessed on September 12, 2018, http://bit.ly/2Ge4iQb.↩

68. Paulo Lopes (Santa Catarina Conference Secretary), email message to the authors, October 21, 2016.↩

69. “Breaking the Silence is an educational project that prevents abuse and domestic violence and is promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church every year in eight different countries in South America, (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay) since 2002.” Accessed on October 9, 2019, https://bit.ly/2HFxj8K; Daniel Gonçalves, “Breaking the Silence hands out 150 thousand reviews in the South Center of SC,” Adventist News, August 27, 2018, accessed on July 15, 2019, http://bit.ly/2Y6EAaG.↩

70. “Hope Impact is a program that motivates reading and provides the annual mass distribution of books on the part of Seventh-day Adventists in the whole South American territory.” Accessed on October 9, 2019, https://bit.ly/2WZNdzY.↩

71. “Caleb Mission Project is a volunteer program, social service, and testimonies that challenge Adventist youth to devote their vacations to evangelism in places where there is no Adventist presence, to empower small congregations, and bring new people to the kingdom of God.” Accessed on October 9, 2019, http://bit.ly/2HRpvRi; Daniel Gonçalves, “Caleb Project Mission involves three thousand young volunteers in who volunteered in January,” Adventist News, February 6, 2019, accessed on July 15, 2019, http://bit.ly/2XZ2RiQ.↩

72. 10 days of Prayer Project and 10 hours of fasting is carried out by the Seventh-day Adventist Church all over the South American Division and aims to promote a change in people’s routine, encouraging people to devote more time to prayer for specific reasons and 10 hours of fasting. Accessed on June 28, 2019, http://bit.ly/2YlmBKi; Daniel Gonçalves, “10 days of prayer starts with a strong engagement in the South Center of SC,” Adventist News, February 14, 2019, accessed on July 15, 2019, http://bit.ly/30sYiL8.↩

73. Daniel Gonçalves, “Servidores de sede administrativa impactam Nova Trento” [Administrative headquarters servants impact Nova Trento] Adventist News, May 25, 2019, accessed on July 15, 2019, http://bit.ly/2XMATCM.↩

74. Paulo Lopes (Santa Catarina Conference Secretary), email message to the authors, October 21, 2016.↩

75. Daniel Gonçalves, email message to the authors, July 17, 2019.↩

76. Collection of the Adventist Church Museum of Gaspar Alto; Fabiana Bertotti, ed., 100 anos de fé pioneirismo e missão [100 years of faith, pioneering, and mission] (Tatuí, SP: Brazilian Publishing House, 2006), 30; Santa Catarina Conference, “Líderes Administrativos” [Administrative Leaders], accesses on July 11, 2019, http://bit.ly/2YMzugP; Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, “Santa Catarina Conference,” accessed on July 11, 2019, http://bit.ly/2JAIM9k;“Santa Catarina and Parana Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1907), 95; “Santa Catarina Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018), 254. For more detailed verification of all presidents, secretaries, and treasurers, consult the Seventh-day Adventist yearbooks from 1907 to 2018.↩

77. Information about Santa Catarina Conference is available on the website: ac.org.br, or on social media – Facebook: @associacao.catarinense, Instagram: @acvirtual7, Twitter: @acvirtual and Youtube: Associação Catarinense [Santa Catarina Conference].↩