The Ellen G. White® Estate branch office on the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) campus was inaugurated and dedicated on Saturday, June 28, 2014. It is only the second branch office outside of the United States of America and the first one in Asia.
Both Dr. James R. Nix, director of the Ellen G. White® Estate, and Dr. Alberto R. Timm, associate director of the Ellen G. White® Estate, were honored guests and the main speakers during this weekend of inauguration and dedication.
“The importance of having a branch office here on the AIIAS campus is because of the seminary. It serves as the place where our pastors and bible teachers are trained for this region and really, the whole world,” explained Dr. Stephen Guptill, president of AIIAS.
As an Adventist higher education institution that is dedicated to equipping our students with excellent education, it is important that students use this branch office to better their study of the Bible and the messages that God has given to our church through the spirit of prophecy.
“Being able to elevate this from the status of a research center to a full Branch office has been a dream of mine for several years,” said Nix.
As it continues to help students, it will also hold some artifacts that will help make Adventist research more tangible for the academics at AIIAS as well as around Asia such as letters that Mrs. White both wrote and received. With time it will obtain more artifacts and will feature more research done relating to similar topics.
This upgrade from a center to being a branch office is an important milestone for AIIAS. “One significance of this upgrading to a branch office is the recognition that AIIAS has become a center of influence for the world,” said Dr. Reuel Almocera, Director of the EGW Estate branch office at AIIAS, during an interview.
With representation from more than 70 countries, AIIAS is a salad of culture and diversity. 2015 will mark 100 years since Ellen White passed away. The Ellen G. White® Estate has plans for this significant milestone.
By: Bruce Sumendap
AIIAS Public Relations Director
