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Central Conference Headquarters facade Photo courtesy of Central Bahia Conference Archives.

Central Bahia Conference

NESIAS JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS

Nesias Joaquim dos Santos

The Central Bahia Conference (ABaC) is an administrative unit of the Seventh-day Adventist Church located in the territory of the East Union Mission (ULB). Its headquarters is located at the street General Mourão Filho, no. 19, district of Pilão, ZIP Code 44.003-102, in the city of , State of Bahia, Brazil. The Central Bahia Conference field covers 123 municipalities in the State of Bahia, with a population estimated at 2,779,979 inhabitants. In the missionary territory of the conference, there are 34,386 members, 35 pastoral districts, 193 organized churches,1 and 315 companies of believers, totaling 508 congregations in its region.2 In addition, in the Central Bahia Conference territory, there are five educational units in operation. Namely: Feira de Santana Adventist Academy (CAFS), located in the city of Feira de Santana, with 532 students; Northeast Brazil Academy, which operates on the campus of Bahia Adventist College (FADBA) in the city of , with 963 students; Escola Adventista de Valença (Valença Adventist Academy) (EAV), in Valença, with 186 students; and the Escola Adventista de Santo Antônio de Jesus (Santo Antônio de Jesus Adventist Academy) (EASJ), in Santo Antônio de Jesus, with 220 students. In all, there are 1901 students in the four educational units mentioned.3 The fifth educational unit established in the territory of the Central Bahia Conference is Bahia Adventist College, which receives students in its boarding-school regime. Although it is located in the missionary field of the conference, the college is directly linked to the East Brazil Union Mission. However, Bahia Adventist College collaborates with the work carried out by the Central Bahia Conference. The college shares its facilities for certain events, and the pastors of the Latin-American Adventist Theological Seminary (SALT), are always giving lectures and training church members and workers. In the field of medical care, a teaching clinic operates in the territory of the Central Bahia Conference, under Bahia Adventist College administration coordinated by the courses in the health area of that educational institution. Operating in the neighborhood of Capoeiruçu, in the city of Cachoeira, the college clinic receives people from both the community and nearby cities, seeing around eighteen hundred patients a month.4 As for the area of social assistance, the field has the Pró-Vida (Pro-Life) project: a program for the recovery of drug addicts. This project is developed by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) East in the community of Belém and in the city of Cachoeira. Through monthly investments and generous donations, it is possible to serve up to 25 inpatients.5 Regarding communication, in the Central Bahia Conference territory, there are retransmitters of the TV Novo Tempo (Hope Channel Brazil) in the cities of , Barrocão, Cairú, Castro Alves, Crisópolis, Entre Rios, , Fatima, Heliopolis, Iaçu, , Itaberaba, , , Jiquiriça, Lage, Nazaré, Triunfo, , , , , Santa Luz, Santo Amaro, Santo Domingo, Sátiro Dias, Teofilândia, Tucano, Valença, , , and . In all, there are 31 relay transmitters installed in this territory.6 Through the Radio Novo Tempo (Hope Channel Brazil), the Central Bahia Conference disseminates the Adventist message in the cities of Jiquiriça, Feira de Santana, and Irará. In addition, the region embraces churches that broadcast their services via the Internet, such as the Bahia Adventist College SDA Church and the Espaço Novo Tempo (Hope Centers of Influence) of Feira de Santana and Cidade Nova.7 The Central Bahia Conference is an institution that has been in existence for 15 years and is fully engaged in its evangelistic activities. Currently the institution has 15 licensed ministers and 30 ordained ministers working in the territory. The total number of people serving the church reaches 236, including servers at the Multibom store, schools, church, and office caretakers.8 Origin of Seventh-day Adventist Work in the Conference's Territory The first place to receive the Adventist message in the territory of theCentral Bahia Conference was the city of Santo Antônio de Jesus. There, Antônio Leôncio da Penha, the first man to keep the Sabbath in the region, studied the events that most marked the State of Bahia between the years 1886 and 1900 at the age of 42. For him, the War of Canudos9 and the four years of a prolonged drought that decimated almost everything in Bahia were the most striking historical records in the state.10 Many claimed that these two events were evidence that the world would end in 1900. After 1900 Leôncio constantly questioned himself whether there was any hope for humanity and what could serve as an anchor for people to lay down their faith. Meanwhile, the people of Bahia remained involved with mystical beliefs. The Catholic traditions in the region, for example, were strongly related to the mysticisms that came out of the syncretism between spiritualism and the afro cults, which dominated the city of Salvador11 and the Reconcavo Bahiano.12 Later Leôncio received answers for his prayers. He himself reported to Arnaldo Christianini,13 in later years, that he went to the countryside in search of a former partner, but when he arrived at his colleague's residence, he did not find him at home. While waiting in the room, Leôncio noticed a book on the table, and in that book he read the Bible passage of Exodus 20: “Remember the Sabbath day. . . .” That was the experience that marked the beginning of his conversion.14 After settling business with his former partner, Leôncio returned to the city and went in search of a Bible. As he was searching, he met the Baptists, who gave him the Holy Book but tried to convince him to keep Sunday. For this reason Leôncio began to preach in the square Padre Mateus at the street market upon a box of rapadura (jaggery, a coarse brown sugar), exclaiming that he was “the only man in the world to keep the Sabbath.”15 Some time later a citizen of Salvador went to visit the city of Rio de Janeiro. There he was approached by an Adventist canvasser who offered him a volume of the review “O Arauto da Verdade” (Herald of the Truth) (pioneer review in Portuguese language in Brazil, released in July 1900). Upon returning to Bahia and visiting the city of Santo Antônio de Jesus, that man noticed Leôncios' faith and offered him the address of the keepers of the biblical Sabbath he had met in Rio de Janeiro. Discovering he was not alone, Leôncio wrote to them. About three years later, Pastor F. W. Spies appeared in Santo Antônio and baptized Leôncio on October 2, 1907.16 In 1915 the evangelist canvasser Leopoldo Nabuco went to the city of and found people interested in the message of hope and in keeping the Sabbath. For three nights Nabuco studied the Bible with those interested, who were later sent to the care of pastor Manuel Kümpel, who lived in Salvador. Thus came the second group of Sabbath keepers in the Central Bahia Conference territory.17 The third pioneer front of the hope message in that region emerged in the early 1930s, in the city of . Franco, an employee of the Municipal Government, sent his son Nem to study in the capital. In Salvador the boy was enrolled in a school where he met a classmate who was an Adventist. Through this friendship the message reached Cidade Planalto, the former name of the city Cruz das Almas. Franco was never baptized, but he was the representative of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city for a long time. He received letters, literature, and many canvassers in the municipality.18 From Cruz das Almas, the message reached the municipality of , 11 kilometers away, in a town called Queimada dos Borges. Martin and Antônio Borges were the first Adventists in the place. Then the message reached Jordão, known today as Geolândia, a municipality in the region of Cabeceiras do Paraguaçu. The first Adventists of the city were: José Pedro Damasceno, the father of Dr. Claudemiro Damasceno (who was responsible for the Legal Department of the Bahia Conference for more than 20 years); the couple Marcolino José Damasceno and Maria Madalena; and the parents of Maximiano and Pedro Damasceno. Starting from Cruz das Almas, the message also reached the city of , 20 kilometers away. Among the first Adventists in the city, Sister Dalila Borges and Brother Filipe stand out. All this occurred in the 1940s, in the 20th century. Although the municipality of Feira de Santana received many canvassers, evangelistic efforts were really opened only between 1949 and 1951. It all happened through Gaudino Santana, Cristina Lima, Samuel Lima Aurelino, and Marlene Borges, children of Cristina. They were under the leadership of the canvasser Trajan Gonçalves Neto, who directed the first Sabbath School meetings in the city. As a result of these meetings, the first church was opened on Av. Presidente Dutra. In the same period, the municipality of Ribeira do Pombal was evangelized by Vicente Góes and João Gama, and the city of by Laura Moura.19 Organizational History of the Conference With the growth in the work in the entire Bahia territory and the successful creation of the South Bahia Conference (ABS) at the end of 1998, the leaders of the Bahia Conference (AB) began to dream of creating another administrative unit to better serve the region. That was due to the fact that the South Bahia Conference founding brought good results. Five years after the creation of the second conference in the state, there was already a total of 51 pastoral districts. However, Bahia Conference’s problems regarding territorial extension and its large distances remained. Although Bahia Conference, based in Salvador, had transferred the church’s assistance in 123 municipalities20 to the territorial composition of the South Bahia Conference, based in , the institution remained with the congregations of 294 cities to administer, with the biggest part of the population and the largest geographical area to be evangelized. In addition, the conference headquarters was far apart from many pastoral districts’ head offices, such as , 950 km, Luís Eduardo Magalhães, 1,080 km, Santa Maria da Vitoria, and , 800 km from Salvador and and , as well. Undoubtedly an administrative reorganization with new headquarters would solve, at least partially, the issue of distance, and it would give new impetus to the preaching and growth of the area in the new field.21 Due to population and geographic indices of the Bahia Conference, the project for the creation of the third regional field was initiated. This represented an extraordinary advance for the church in Bahia, which, since its first inception in 1910,22 had already been annexed twice to the Pernambuco Mission (1917 to 192223 and 1932 to 1936)24 and once to the Rio Sao Francisco Mission (1946 to 1955).25 The State of Bahia remained much of that time framed as a single field. However, in the space of five years (1999 to 2003), to operate with three field divisions in this territory would be something extraordinary for the leadership of both organization and local churches.26 It was after an administrative meeting held in the Bahia Conference boardroom that the then pastor and president, Carlos Alberto De Oliveira, shared with the group that was present the plans for the creation of another administrative unit in Bahia, with possible headquarters in Feira de Santana. At the end of 2002, this idea gained the support of the officials present at the meeting. Among those who shared the idea were the treasurer Jorge Luís de Oliveira Sousa, Pr. Paulo Cesar Ferreira of the district of Brotas, and Pr. Noesias Joaquim. At the end of 2002, when the Quadrennial Assembly of the Bahia Conference took place, the new board of directors presented plans for the creation of the new administrative unit. Present at the meeting were Carlos Alberto Rosa de Oliveira, Paulo Cesar Ferreira, then secretary of the field, Jesuíno Gomes, ministerial secretary, and Joel Silva Gonsioroski, on behalf of the conference. Pastors Helder Roger Cavalcanti Silva, Ivo Azevedo Vasconcelos, Ivanaldo Barbosa, secretary of Northeast Brazil Union Mission, on behalf of the Northeast Brazil Union Mission,27 and others who received the project and forwarded it to the higher levels requested permission.28 The following year, on August 14, 2003, after having received a favorable opinion from the South American Division, the Northeast Brazil Union Mission directive board met and voted to create a new unit that would reorganize the assistance of the churches in the territory of Bahia. In compliance with this directive, the Bahia Conference held an extraordinary assembly on October 5 of the same year to vote on the organization of a mission based in Feira de Santana.29 To conduct the work in the new field, the administrative board of the Northeast Brazil Union Mission, based in the city of Jaboatão dos Guararapes (State of Pernambuco), elected the first leaders of the mission. The leaders chosen were Gilmar Silveira Filho, as secretary; Demir Dener di Berardino, treasurer and Department of Education leader; and the Peruvian Pastor Raúl Daniel Gómez Nicolls, as president. The other leaders chosen for the other segments of the church were Pr. Edmar Sena, who was the leader of the Personal Ministries and Evangelism Department; Pr. Hélio Machado, leader of Publishing Ministry; Pr. Deusdete Soares, Youth and Pathfinders leader; and Leila Sena, leader of the Women's Ministries.30 Thus, the first leadership team for the Central Bahia Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was appointed, with headquarters in the city of Feira de Santana. Created under the status of mission, the institution began to lead 33.486 members spread over 185 organized churches.31 The institution's stated mission was to accelerate preaching in the center of Bahia, which at the time was seen as challenging. Although 2004 is considered the year in which the institution began, mission leaders began their work months earlier, in 2003. After the vote that elected the administration of the new field, district assemblies of small groups were held, as well as the Encontro de Voluntários Pregadores (Volunteer Preachers Meeting), in addition to the distribution of evangelistic materials to members of that region. The institution remained as a mission until 2008, when, after the performance evaluation, it was elevated to the status of conference, receiving the name of Central Bahia Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.32 Since its foundation, the Central Bahia Conference has undergone three changes in its organizational structure. The first was the change from mission to conference, a fact that occurred at its first Quadrennial Assembly, in 2009.33 The second change occurred due to the creation of the Southwest Bahia Mission (MBSo), as the Central Bahia Conference gave the municipalities of the west, southwest, and center of the state to be under the administration of the Southwest Bahia Mission, which had as its headquarters the city of Vitória da Conquista.34 At the same time, the conference received from the Bahia Conference all the churches of the Recôncavo baiano to manage.35 The third change occurred when the North Bahia Mission was created in the territory, between 2011 and 2012. On that occasion the whole of the north of Bahia began to integrate the territory of that new camp.36 However, even after the creation of the North Bahia Mission (MBN), which had its entire territory defined from the dismemberment of the Central Bahia Conference, this conference still has under its care about thirty-five thousand members, as well as 35 pastoral districts, 193 organized churches, and 315 companies of believers, adding up to 508 congregations.37 The institution operates in its own building, which facilitates the performance of its activities. The Central Bahia Conference has actively promoted the major programs of the church in its geography. The conference got involved in all editions of the Caleb Mission project, which mobilizes young people during their student holidays for dedication to the mission of the church through activities developed in the various municipalities of the region that have no Adventist presence. In addition to that, the institution develops a blood= donation campaign called “give blood, give life,” in partnership with the Hematology and Hemotherapy Foundation of Bahia (HEMOBA). In fact, thousands of young people participate in the campaign, donating blood regularly. In the last projects of missionary mobilization of the church in South America, the Central Bahia Conference participated intensely, with efforts in the project Hope Impact. “Hope Impact is a project that promotes reading and provides annual massive book distribution by the Seventh-day Adventists in the entire territory of the South American Division.” Between 2012 and 2016, the Central Bahia Conference distributed over one million six hundred twenty thousand missionary books.38 It also delivered 46,000 Bibles in this period and spread the Adventist message by distributing on average 1,062,320 leaflets.39 In 2019 the project participants distributed 186,000 copies of the book “Hope for Families.” In addition, the Central Bahia Conference stands out in working with children and young people. In its territory there are 65 Adventurer Clubs with 1,530 participants and 174 Pathfinders Clubs with 5,098 members operating actively.40 On August 10, 2016, in honor of the services provided by the Adventist Church in the city of Feira de Santana, pastor Weber, then president of the Central Bahia Conference, accompanied by his wife, received the title of Feirense Citizen in the city's Municipal Chamber. On the occasion, the councilor Justiniano França highlighted the goal of the homage by mentioning: “We are in the Municipal Chamber honoring this couple, but above all, honoring this church for all that has being done in our city.”41 Currently, the Central Bahia Conference faces many challenges in its field of operation. In the northern part of the territory, there are municipalities without an Adventist presence or with a discreet presence of the church. In addition, although there is remarkable growth in Feira de Santana, there is a huge challenge to reach more people out of the 609,913 inhabitants of that city.42 The upper San Francisco region is also challenging due to the constant droughts that provoke migrations of the countrymen, causing many changes in the church. Apart from the mentioned realities, the Central Bahia Conference faces other challenges, such as the involvement of more members in the mission and the search for financial resources to carry out new projects. However, even amidst the difficulties, the expansion of the conference is noticeable, and so is the gratitude of the Adventist people of the region and their leaders for the blessings received from God. In these nearly one hundred twenty years of preaching about the advent of Christ in the territory of Bahia, the Central Bahia Conference, in its 15 years of existence, has learned the importance of mobilizing the leadership of the local churches in the task of saving people; to make each disciple aware of his part in fulfilling the mission, and has also understood that working together facilitates the achievements and brings better results. With this perception, Adventists in the Central Bahia Conference's territory advance committed to the fulfillment of the mission. List of Officers Presidents: Raul Daniel Gómez Nicoll (2004, 2005); Eber Liessi (2006, 2007); José Wilson da Silva Barbosa (2008-- 2011); Daniel Weber Thomas (2012—current time).43 Secretaries: Gilmar Silveira Filho (2004); Jose Wilson da S. Barboza (2006, 2007), Cleiton Lins da S. Motta (2008-- 2011), Benildo Gabriel dos Santos (2012—current time).44 Treasurers: Demir Dener de Berardino (2004, 2005); Adean da Costa Queiroz (2006--2008), Avelino Martins da Conceição Neto (2009--2012), Sergio Lino da Silva (2013—current time).45

SOURCES Alves, Roberto. “Presidente da Igreja Adventista recebe Título de Cidadão Feirense” [President of the Adventist Church receives Title of Feirense Citizen]. Adventist News (Online), August 12, 2016. Bahia. Feira de Santana. 2018 Census in Brazil. IBGE, accessed on June 3, 2019, https://www.ibge.gov.br/cidades-e- estados/ba/feira-de-santana.html. “Editais” [Public Notice]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], September 2003. “Editais” [Public Notice]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], November 2007. Greenleaf, Floyd. Terra de Esperança o crescimento da igreja Adventista na América do Sul [A Land of Hope: The Growth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America]. Tatuí, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 2011. Kümpel, Manoel. “Bahia”. Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], July 1913. Leal, Geraldo da Costa. Salvador dos Contos, Cantos e Encantos [The Savior of the Tales, Songs, and Enchants]. Salvador, BA: Santa Helena Press, 2000. Minutes of the East Brazil Union Mission. East Brazil Union Mission archives, , BA, Brazil. Minutes of the Northeast Brazil Union Mission. Northeast Brazil Union Mission archives, Jaboatao dos Guararapes, PE, Brazil. Pathfinders and Adventurers Ministry of the South American Division. https://clubes.adventistas.org/br/. Pita, Plácido da Rocha. Por Que Mudei De Exército [Why I Changed Arms]. Santo André, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 1985. Santana, Heron. “Nova missão baiana se organiza para enfrentar desafios” [New Mission in Bahia is organized to face challenges]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 2004. Sarli, Tercio. “Memória dos Pioneiros: introdução” [Memory of the Pioneers: Introduction]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], September 1969. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. https://www.adventistyearbook.org/. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Hagerstown, MD.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2005. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018. Silva, Natan Fernandes, and Nesias Joaquim Santos. Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia]. Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016. Só História [Only History]. https://www.sohistoria.com.br/. Sousa, Ronaldo. “Informe da II Assembleia quadrienal da ABaC” [Report of the II Quadrennial Assembly of the ABaC]. Central Bahia Conference, December 03-04, 2016. South American Division Education Department. História de Nossa Igreja [History of Our Church]. Santo André, SP: Brazil Publishing House, 1965. Spies, F. W. “Do campo – Missão Norte Brasileira” [From the field - North Brazil Mission]. Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], February 1908. Spies, F. W. “How the Sabbath Truth Gained Its First Adherent in Bahia”, Missions Quarterly, April 1916. Spies, F. W. “Abertura de um novo campo Missionário” [Opening of a new Missionary field]. Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], February 1911. Storch, Gustavo. “A Obra na Bahia” [The Work in Bahia]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], March 1926. Toda Matéria [Whole Content]. https://www.todamateria.com.br/. Tostes, Leandro Ricardo Carvalho (Chaplain of the Pró-Vida [Pro-Life] Project), phone-interview by Alex Moreira Severino, May 29, 2019. Wilfart, Ricardo J. “Bahia - abril de 1915” [Bahia - April 1915]. Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], July 1915. Wilfart, Ricardo J. “Diário da Viagem a Bahia” [Journal of the Trip to Bahia]. Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], May 1919.

NOTES 1. Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, Central Bahia Conference, accessed on November 5, 2018, https://goo.gl/Q3j9jf.? 2. ACMS Secretariat of ABaC, "Nota de estatísticas da ABaC" [Statistics Report of ABaC], accessed on December 20, 2017.? 3. Mariana Fernandes Gomes, phone-interview by Alex Moreira Severino, May 29, 2019.? 4. Lilian Becerra (Director of the Physiotherapy and Dentistry Clinic), interviewed by the author, Cachoeira, Bahia, October 10, 2016.? 5. Leandro Ricardo Carvalho Tostes (Chaplain of the Pró-Vida [Pro-Life] Project), phone-interview by Alex Moreira Severino, May 29, 2019.? 6. Katiane Silva, Secretary of the Communication Department of ABaC, interviewed by the author, Feira de Santana, Bahia, April 25, 2018.? 7. Ibid.? 8. Adair Cantinho (HR Manager and ABaC General Accountant). Data provided to the author on November 18, 2016.? 9. The War of was a confrontation between the State and a political-religious group led by Antônio Conselheiro that took place in Bahia hinterlands, in Arraial dos Canudos, accessed on June 25, 2019, https://bit.ly/2MVw4pe.? 10. Geraldo da Costa Leal, Salvador dos Contos, Cantos e Encantos [The Savior of the Tales, Songs, and Enchants] (Salvador, BA: Santa Helena Press, 2000), 19.? 11. Manoel Kümpel, “Bahia”, Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], July 1913, 8.? 12. The Recôncavo Bahiano is a territory formed by 20 municipalities of the State of Bahia, surround by the Bay of All Saints. Accessed on June 25, 2019, https://bit.ly/2HRXYPR.? 13. Arnaldo Christianini was a “pastor, journalist, and writer. [...] He served as treasurer for the Northeast Brazil College (ENA), [...] treasurer of the Minas Mission and editor-in-chief of the Brazil Publishing House (CPB), between 1973 and 1975. He wrote articles for reviews such as: O Ministério Adventista [The Ministry], Nosso Amiguinho [Our Little Friend], Mocidade [Youth's Magazine], and Revista Adventista [Adventist Review].” Accessed on June 25, 2019, https://bit.ly/2Lc4HoQ.? 14. Natan Fernandes Silva and Nesias Joaquim Santos, Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia] (Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016), 50.? 15. F. W. Spies, “How the Sabbath Truth Gained Its First Adherent in Bahia”, Missions Quarterly, April 1916, 20; Natan Fernandes Silva and Nesias Joaquim Santos, Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia] (Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016), 50.? 16. F. W. Spies, “Do campo – Missão Norte Brasileira” [From the field - North Brazil Mission], Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], February 1908, 6; Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia] (Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016), 62.? 17. Ricardo José Wilfart, "Bahia-Abril 1915" [Bahia - April 1915], Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], July 1915, 8.? 18. Maria José Eloy, interviewed by the author, Cruz das Almas, Bahia, October 7, 1999.? 19. Trajano Gonçalves Neto, interviewed by the author, , Bahia, July 20, 1985.? 20. Nesias Joaquim Santos, personal knowledge, who at the request of Bahia Conference, elaborated the map of the jurisdiction of South Bahia Conference with the help of pastor Paulo César Chagas Ferreira, the evangelist of Bahia Conference at the time. They did so as they were familiar with the interior of Bahia at the time, 1998.? 21. Nesias Joaquim Santos, personal knowledge, since this author composed the board of the planning committee which, unanimously, studied the creation of the new field in 2002.? 22. Natan Fernandes Silva and Nesias Joaquim Santos, Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia] (Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016), 63; F.W. Spies, “Abertura de um novo campo Missionário” [Opening of a new Missionary field], Revista Mensal [Monthly Review], February 1911, 2-3.? 23. Ricardo J. Wilfart, “Diário da Viagem a Bahia” [Journal of the trip to Bahia], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], May 1919, 8-9. At this time the Bahia field was attached to Pernambuco Mission. Ricardo Wilfart was president of the Pernambuco Mission founded in 1916.? 24. Gustavo Storch, “A Obra na Bahia” [The Work in Bahia], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], March 1926, 7. Gustavo, as president of the work in the Pernambuco Mission, directs evangelism in Salvador. Bahia was annexed for the second time to the field of the Pernambuco Mission, called the North East Mission.? 25. Natan Fernandes Silva and Nesias Joaquim Santos, Contando Nossa História: 110 anos da Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia no Estado da Bahia [Telling Our Story: 110 years of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in the State of Bahia] (Salvador, BA: EGBA, 2016), 123.? 26. Testimony of Claudionor Mendes, an elder of the COPLAN SDA Church, on the organization of the Central Bahia Mission in 2004.? 27. Until 2012, the Northeast Brazil Union Mission (UNeB) was the Union responsible for the states of Bahia and Sergipe. Since 2013, with the creation of the East Brazil Union Mission (ULB), the administrative units of these states have been coordinated by this new Union.? 28. Nesias Joaquim Santos, personal knowledge, since this author participated in the elaboration of the pilot project for the creation of the mentioned Mission, as well as in the first committee meetings that studied the project. Always together with these leaders, all of them from Northeast Brazil Union Mission and Bahia Conference.? 29. “Editais” [Public Notice], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], September 2003, 28.? 30. Heron Santana, “Nova missão baiana se organiza para enfrentar desafios” [New Mission in Bahia is organized to face challenges], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], February 2004, 29.? 31. “Central Bahia Mission,” Seventh-Day Adventist Yearbook (Hagerstown, MD.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2005), 262.? 32. “Editais” [Public Notice], Revista Adventista [Adventist Review], November 2003, 28. Minutes of the Survey Committee for the name change, March 22, 2007, vote no. 2007-430.? 33. Ibid.? 34. Minutes of the Northeast Brazil Union Mission, June 11, 2008, vote no. 2008-128.? 35. Nesias Joaquim dos Santos, personal knowledge, as he works at Bahia Conference since 1985.? 36. Minutes of the East Brazil Union Mission, vote no. 2013-077. It registered the vote of ULB to accept the report of the evaluation committee for the division of ABaC's territory.? 37. Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, Central Bahia Conference, accessed on November 5, 2018, https://goo.gl/Q3j9jf.? 38. Ronaldo Sousa, “Informe da II Assembleia quadrienal da ABaC” [Report of the II Quadrennial Assembly of the ABaC] (Central Bahia Conference, December 3-4th, 2016).? 39. Adair Cantinho, ABAC HR manager and general accountant. Report provided to the author in May 2017.? 40. Pathfinders and Adventurers Ministry of ABaC, “Statistics-Central Bahia Association,” accessed on November 5th, 2018, https://bit.ly/2syzm9m.? 41. Roberto Alves, “Presidente da Igreja Adventista recebe Título de Cidadão Feirense” [President of the Adventist Church receives Title of Feirense Citizen], Adventist News, August 12, 2016, accessed on March 18, 2019, https://goo.gl/39ujiU.? 42. 2018 Census in Brazil, Feira de Santana, Bahia, “População estimada 2018” [Estimated Population 2018] IBGE, accessed on June 3, 2019, https://bit.ly/2IkkHmz.? 43. “Central Bahia Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2005), 262; “Central Bahia Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, I.D.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018), 238.? 44. Ibid.? 45. Ibid. For more information about ABaC, access the website: http://abac.adventistas.org or the Facebook: @AdventistasBahiaCentral.?

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