God has called every Seventh-day Adventist Church be a transforming agent in its community, following the methods of Jesus to bring help and hope through ministries of compassion in His name (see Luke 4:16-21; Ministry of Healing, p. 143). Adventist Community Services (ACS) is the descriptive label for a wide range of public services provided by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is also the name of the denomination’s community action agency that operates at the church level.

Even though poverty, disease, disaster, and other social problems are multiplying around the world, there is a positive side to this challenge. These ever-present problems present unlimited opportunities for God’s people to experience the joy of service in providing compassionate care that alleviates and prevents suffering. This opens doors to reach people with the hope of Jesus Christ in the midst of their struggles. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the SNSW Conference, at the highest level has renewed its commitment to community services and redoubled its efforts to support and encourage this important ministry. We affirm those individuals and churches, large or small, who are already involved in the community. It is our prayer that the tools found here will help you think through how your church can be more involved in the community; bringing hope and healing to people in the name of Jesus.