Yes, they teach self righteousness. Yet I see no reason to worry about them as God know who His faithful followers are and it's His job to weed out the tares. That's why I said the shaking is self selecting those who will leave the church. Persecution will make them leave as well as those who have never been committed to God as no one who doesn't truly love God will have enough stability to stay in the church. Opinions are not enough to cause people to go through persecution.

When the town of Washington NH was founded, the settlers set up the different buildings that they needed. However, as they were setting up their church, the villagers could not agree. Some of them wanted the church to only have official ministers holding the line. Others wanted a church where anyone who felt that they had a message from the Lord could share their message and that the members use their own relationship with Christ to evaluate what was taught. They concluded to build two rather than one church; a church for the strict hold the line, and the second for the share what you have and we will evaluate.

Guess which one of these churches became one of (and considered*) the first Seventh-day Adventist church? Are you saying that the other church in town was the correct church to belong to?

*Now there is at least one other church which we can use in the discussion for the first Seventh-day Adventist church: Linklaen Center NY. A major family in this church was the Coon family. John MaCoone, Sr., who was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland around 1625. MaCoone migrated to the American colonies where he was a member of the first Seventh Day Baptist church in Rhode Island. He died in East Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1705. He was a Seventh-day Baptist and settled into a Seventh-day Baptist community in Rhode Island So the Coon Family kept the Sabbath since at least the 1600s.

The MaCoon eventually became Coon and decedents eventually moved and settled into the Seventh-day Baptist community of Lincklaen Center NY. ,The Coon family, among others in the Lincklaen Center Seventh-day Baptist church accepted Millerism and were kicked out of the Seventh0day Baptist church because of accepting Millerism.

They built their own church and continued to worship on the Sabbath and held to their Millerite beliefs. It appears that it was around the 1880s that this little, long time Sabbath keeping group of Millerites learned about the Seventh-day Adventist church and became a formal part of the Seventh-day Adventist church. But this is a group of long time Sabbath Keeping Millerites and may be representative of other Seventh-day Baptist or other Sabbath Keeping Communities that accepted Miller's message. And this group of Sabbath Keeping Millerites from Lincklaen Center NY did eventually become a part of the Seventh-day Adventist church. This is a history that we must not forget!!!
Here the dates are not clear as to which happened first; the Coon family and others who were excommunicated for accepting Millerism, or the Washington NH Church changing from keeping Sunday to the Sabbath. Also, Washington NH already had a church building, while these Sabbath keeping Millerites in Lincklaen Center needed to get their own building. Also, while Washington NH was right in the center of the development of the Seventh-day Adventist church, connected with the Whites and Joseph Bates; Lincklaen Center's congregation were just meeting in that little valley and it was not until the 1880s that they learned that there were other Millerites who, although were Sunday Keepers, changed to keeping the Sabbath and formed a denomination. Since the church in Lincklaen Center had much in common with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, they ended up being grandfathered in and became the Lincklaen Center Seventh-day Adventist church. At this time Charles S.?Coon was pastor of these Sabbath Keeping Millerites in Lincklaen Center. He left for a year to study the ministerial program at Battle Creek College, returning to his pulpit in Lincklaen Center officially as a Seventh-day Adventist minister in 1888. At this time, besides just being the shepherd of the Millerites in Lincklaen Center, Charles Coon also began visiting near by towns where he started to hold evangelistic meetings. He and other members of the Coon family became active in raising up more Seventh-day Adventist churches.

Since Lincklaen Center is in the country and the town's population is much smaller than it was in the 1800s, so it was closed down for a while. the New York Conference gave the church back to the Coon family who maintained it. Then in 1977 Glen Coon took several of us right after Campmeeting for a work bee on the church and then turned it back over to the New York Conference where it has been operating ever since. However, the conference has recently put this historic church on the market. I don't know what's happening, but when I told the conference officials about the history of this church they said that they are reconsidering. I've been campaigning on us saving this history of this church, writing to both the Conference and Adventist Heritage ministry, asking them to at least contact the Coon family, who built this church, lead it both before and after it was grandfathered into the Seventh-day Adventist denomination; and who took over the church the first time the conference closed it down. And hoping that I can find other members willing to chip in to save this history. The Lincklaen Center Seventh-day Adventist church has at least 400 years of Sabbath keeping. Was an early Sabbath keeping Millerite church, may have technically be the very first Seventh-day Adventist church (or maybe other Seventh-Day Baptist communities have had a similar experience with Miller, but we don't have their history; however Lincklaen Center history being saved can represent them. I had asked Roger Coon if Linklaen Center may have actually been the very first Seventh-day Adventist church; he replied "Maybe" but that the dates are not clear as to when the Millerites were kicked out of the Lincklaen Center Seventh-Day Baptist church and when Washington NH started keeping the Sabbath. Please keep this situation in your prayers (and check book with donations for this church to the New York Confench and/or Adventist Heritage Ministry.)

I will pray for this church, but like Peter said silver and gold have i none.

Indeed, otherwise I'd just do more financially then tell the story to the conference, Adventist Heritage Ministries and people in general such as here and sending the conference and AHM an occasional $20.00 towards helping this church. Thank you for joining me in prayer for this church.