about us
Mission Statement
"The East Lansdowne Church’s mission is to improve the spiritual and physical lives of the residents of East Lansdowne, Lansdowne and Upper Darby by coordinating an effort to strengthen the physical, social, emotional and economic status of the church by being a catalyst for the spread of gospel and neighborhood revival through participation and service. Ellen G. White states in Acts of the Apostles that a "watchful church is a working church". As we wait and watch for the return of Christ we will work and prepare all who will listen for the Lord's return."
Church History
The East Lansdowne Church (ELC) is a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Pennsylvania that provides uplifting services and a place of worship to its members and the East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, Upper Darby, and Overbrook communities. ELC was established in 2013 with the merger of two smaller congregations. ELC consists of two separate church bodies that effectively merged to provide an even stronger force and combined skill sets to promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. The two congregations were the United Missionary Church and the Overbrook SDA Church. Overbrook started in 1996 as a small company and grew to over 30 souls. The United Missionary Church began in 1995 and soon had a membership of close to 50 souls. United Missionary soon purchased a church home. Under the guidance of Dr. S. Peter Campbell, United Missionary and Overbrook Church merged to form the East Lansdowne Church. After the merger, Elder Campbell successfully encouraged the utilization of the talents of both churches creating one vibrant congregation. With Pastor Campbell’s retirement, ELC received their new pastor Shawn L. Fordham. Elder Fordham had served as Pastor Campbell’s assistant. ELC now hosts a growing congregation with a steady weekly attendance of 120 souls and continues to grow.
Beliefs
Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as the only source of our beliefs. We consider our movement to be the result of the Protestant conviction Sola Scriptura—the Bible as the only standard of faith and practice for Christians.
Currently, Adventists hold 28 fundamental beliefs that can be organized into six categories—the doctrines of God, man, salvation, the church, the Christian life and last day events. In each teaching, God is the architect, who in wisdom, grace and infinite love, is restoring a relationship with humanity that will last for eternity.
God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one, all-knowing yet all-forgiving.
From neurons to nebulae, DNA to distant galaxies, we are surrounded by wonder. Yet the beauty is broken.
Love. Harmony. Perfection. Once, all creation sang the same glorious song.
Jesus left His followers with an epic mission: tell the world of His love and His promise to return. Also, they should love people the way He loved them.
God’s law in the Ten Commandments show us how to live and make clear our need for Jesus. Though the law shows us the path to follow and convicts us of sin, it’s about far more than just toeing the line.
From the Garden of Eden to the Tower of Babel, the destruction of Sodom to the Exodus from Egypt, God has always investigated before taking action.