The Advent Band, sometimes joined by the

voices of the congregation, took the stage for the renditions on behalf of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Standing outside the building, on the corner of Revell Street and Federation Road, during afternoon tea, local minister Cosmin Dan Marica, formerly of Romania, said members of his church differed from other religions in believing that the dead would be resurrected with the Second Coming of Christ.

He said the church, founded in the United States from a more literal reading of the Bible, was second only to the Catholic Church in terms of “organisation”.

The church had developed some leading schools and hospitals.

Interestingly, members of the faith had been recorded as having exceptionally long lives.

FAITH...The second-oldest member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Port Pirie, Dianne Oaklands, 58, of Napperby, is pictured with her great-grand-daughter Katheryn Schultze, of Port Pirie, at the opening of the new church building.

The minister said he had migrated to Australia three years ago from his homeland where his

religion was the second-most popular faith among his compatriots.

The building was opened by Independent Member for Frome Geoff Brock and Pastor Garry Hodgkin who is president of the South Australian Conference.

Mr Brock spoke of his wavering faith in God after the death of his wife in a car crash 18 years ago, just 10 days before Christmas.

“When my wife was killed, I thought, “is there a God?’,” he said.

“This community was very loving and supportive. All of a sudden you get your life back on track. You never know what is around the corner. Whether you are of this church, there is one God going forward.”

Mr Brock suffered another blow with the death of his grandson in December last year.

Various churches comforted his family in their tragic circumstances.

“We are one of the greatest multicultural

communities in the world … at the end of the day we all work together,” he said. “Buildings don’t make it – it is the people.”

Recorder managing-editor Greg Mayfield, who was an invited guest, spoke of his recent brain surgery and how God had helped his speedy

recovery.

Addressing the gathering, he outlined some

history of the new site including details of how a previous church building had been moved there from Tennyson Park across the road.

The historical information was gleaned from the files of photographer and historian Des Parker.