Spirited singing and preaching, coupled with heartfelt scholarly salutations by and from former pastors and other leaders, all added up to an impressive commemoration of Fifty Years of Ministry by the Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church at its present location.The hillside church estate with its commanding view of the goings and comings on Middle Road in Southampton East and surrounding communities is a far cry from the water’s-edge site where the congregation moved from at Jews’ Bay further west on Middle Road a half century ago.But buildings aside, as impressive as they may be inside and out, there’s the spiritual impact in fulfilling the Gospel Commission of the Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Brief reference was made to that aspect by its Pastor, Dr Sydney Gibbons, when emphasising the theme of the golden anniversary celebration, which is “Treasuring our Past: Empowered to Build”. Pastor Gibbons said: “We officially opened the church at our current location on November 16, 1960, and dedicated (this) church on December 19, 1964. Faithful members from Southampton Church left to establish the Somerset Church; then another group left to found the Rockaway Church; and a third group left our church with other members from the Bermuda Conference to form the Restoration Ministries Church.”Also there have been individual members of Southampton who were born and raised and are now spiritual leaders for the SDA both nationally and internationally. Senior among them is Dr Carlyle Simmons, Sr, who currently serves as executive secretary of Atlantic Union Conference of the SDA based in Massachusetts. Serving at the highest level of the World Church is Pastor Delbert Pearman. He is the Director of Planning in the Office of Adventist Missions. Pastor Pearman has served as a leader in many developing countries for the church and is now at the main headquarters. Two pastors currently serving locally are Pastor Randolph Wilson, now leading the St George’s and St David’s Churches; and Dr Sydney Gibbons, now in his seventh term at Southampton. He is also executive secretary of the SDA.Dr Gibbons had the distinction of being the first Bermudian to serve as a front-line mission of the general conference of the SDA. He visited in Cameroon in Central Africa and Jamaica. In addition to the ministerial level of service, there have been a number of stalwarts from Southampton SDA who have been active leaders on many community fronts, some of whose names readily come to mind such as retired educators Carol Bassett and Judith James, former MP Lloyd James and Bermuda College Professor Dr Leslie Holder.Meanwhile, Southampton Seventh-day Adventist Church continues to make its facilities available to the Bermuda Institute. Pastor Gibbons noted: “The Conference family is ever welcomed on our grounds at camp meeting, fest and for other gatherings of the of the Conference family in our endeavours, making a difference in the community,” with its GED programme, children’s feeding programme; the Pathfinder and Adventurer programmes, ministry to senior citizens of the church and community.“Today, we celebrate past achievements to refuel our energy to accomplish the Gospel Commission as Seventh-day Adventist Christians. We salute all pastors, their families and members of Southampton Church for your faithfulness over the over the past 50 years.”