Gulf Coast Seventh Day Adventist Church

Gulf Coast Seventh Day Adventist Church of Biloxi is making "Connections."

The church, on Shriners Boulevard in the Woolmarket area of Biloxi, is offering a training program titled "Connections" to focus on each member's spiritual gifts.

"Everyone is welcome here," said Gary Tracy, pastor. "We offer classes for newcomers that give them an introduction to the Seventh Day Adventist Church."

When the church began in 1938 the meetings were held in the living room of a member's home. By 1940 the founders and charter members had built a sanctuary. In 1941, the church rolls showed 49 members attending.

Renovations were ongoing until land was bought in Woolmarket in 1989 and a new sanctuary was built. The church held its first service in the new building in August 1995.

Seventh Day Adventists worship on Saturdays.

The Gulf Coast Seventh Day Adventist Church is part of the Gulf State Conference of Seventh Day Adventists headquartered in Montgomery, Ala. The national headquarters is in Washington, D.C.

"There are a total of 18 million Adventists worldwide," Tracy said. "We also have the largest protestant school system in the world and one of the largest hospital systems in the world."

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Gulf Coast Seventh Day Adventist Church ."