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Second letter of Reply to the General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, dated August 1, 2007
The following is a copy of the
second letter sent by Pastor Fillmer Hevener to Mr. Robert E.
Kyte, General Counsel of General Conference of Seventh-day
Adventists, regarding the issue of Guthrie Memorial
Adventist Chapel using the word 'Adventist' in its name.
GUTHRIE MEMORIAL CHAPEL
224 Mohele Road, Farmville, Va. 23901
(434) 392-6255
8-1-07
(Certified mail)
Mr. Robert E. Kyte, Esq., General Counsel
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600
Dear Brother Kyte:
Today, July 30, 2007, I received your letter dated July
24, 2007.
Your apparent position that the SDA's trademark/service
mark of the word ADVENTIST disallows non-Seventh-day
Adventists' use of the word, lacks persuasiveness in
practice. As I quoted in my letter of July 15, 2007, the
New Light Index states that there are "some 200
Adventist denominations," the largest of these being the
SDA Church.
You note that your registration covers "religious
observances and missionary services." The title GUTHRIE
MEMORIAL ADVENTIST CHAPEL gives no information about our
"religious observances" (a belief is not an observance),
and although our primary concern is meeting the spiritual
needs of our members and friends, a portion of that
concern includes assistance to the needy. The title does
not make any claim about our offering "missionary
services" or our being a missionary society. We have never
sent Christian workers from the U.S. to heathen lands as
mission societies regularly do. Our Christian work in
India and Africa is carried on by faithful, unpaid
nationals, who give freely of their time and talents to
bring Christ and the hope of salvation to their brothers
and sisters in their homelands. Unlike the SDA Church, we
have no tithing system (which was a law given under the
Mosaic Ceremonial system and abolished at Christ's death);
we have only freewill giving, modeled after the teachings
of the Apostles and the early Christian Church:
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity (compulsion; margin) for God
loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:7, New King James
Version.)
Also, unlike the SDA system, we have no paid employees
but, rather, follow Paul's practice of giving the gospel
of Christ ''without charge." (1 Cor. 9: 18.)
__________________________________________
Page 2 of 2
Robert Kyte, General Conference of SDA
8-1-07
Regretfully, we see no inclination on the part of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church to submit this dispute to
competent, Christian, disinterested mediators, as the
apostle Paul instructed Christians to do.
In addition, Christ stated:
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic,
let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to
go one mile, go with him two. (Matthew 5: 40-41, New
King James Version.)
In an effort to follow this teaching of Christ, we have,
so far as we are able to determine, complied with your
request. As you know, we cannot be responsible for the use
of any word in situations over which we have no control.
Should your "name police" question our compliance, we
would give prompt consideration to their complaint.
May the influence of the Holy Spirit lead in all decisions
relating to
this matter.
Cordially, your brother in Christ,
(signed)
Dr. Fillmer Hevener, Pastor
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