In 2026 the Center for Adventist Research celebrates sixty years of collecting, preserving, and sharing the heritage of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Anniversary Christmas Celebration

Sunday, December 6, 2026, 4:00–7:00 p.m.

Location: Center for Adventist Research, James White Library, Andrews University

This Christmas-themed evening gives students an engaging way to explore Seventh-day Adventist history, material culture, and religious traditions through direct encounters with primary historical artifacts, museum exhibits, demonstrations, and presentations. Participants will learn about Adventist pioneers and the development of Christmas traditions within the Adventist movement, and will consider why religious heritage is worth preserving, interpreting, and revisiting.

As part of the anniversary, the program also invites reflection on how historical memory is preserved and communicated, and on how the study of the past can deepen understanding of the Church’s mission and the Three Angels’ Messages.

Sixty Years in Brief

The Center grew out of two collections that developed at Andrews University during the 1960s. In 1961 the Ellen G. White Estate opened its first branch office on campus, where Hedwig Jemison served from the start. In 1966 Louise Dederen became the first full-time curator of the James White Library’s Heritage Room, which under her leadership became one of the leading repositories of Adventist resources in the world. The two were brought together physically in 2000 and formally integrated as the Center for Adventist Research in 2003.