The Bible Sabbath Association (BSA) was founded in 1945.
We have over seventy years of experience in bringing God’s people together across the lines of doctrinal and denominational differences that too often divide them.
The founders of BSA, George A. Main and his wife, Mabel D.
Main, were members of the Seventh Day Baptist Church. The first
BSA office was in their home in Pomona Park, Florida, for at least
ten years (1945-1955).
The longest-serving editor of BSA’s The Sabbath Sentinel magazine
was Eugene Lincoln, a Seventh-day Adventist Church member
who served the BSA from his homes in Indiana, Michigan, and
Maryland. His quarter century as BSA editor was from 1960 to
1985, and he served two terms as BSA president (1988-95).
The longest tenure for any BSA secretary-treasurer was a
Church of God (Seventh Day) couple: Lawrence and Lottie Burrell.
They served from their farm home near Fairview, Oklahoma, the
national BSA office address from 1955 until 1995. The BSA service
of the Mains, Lincoln, and Burrells was mostly or all voluntary — a
true labor of love.
Lottie and Lawrence Burrell, BSA secretary treasurer 1955-95, at work in the Fairview, OK office
More recently, servant leadership in the BSA has been provided
by several persons who came from a Worldwide Church of God
background and experience. These include Richard Wiedenheft,
Ken Westby, Richard and Shirley Nickels, and others.
In addition to the four Sabbatarian organizations represented in paragraphs above, BSA membership and leadership has been valued
and exercised by persons from the Sacred Names movement, from
the Hebrew roots movement (a.k.a. Messianic Judaism), from other
organized groups of Sabbathkeepers, and by some Sabbathkeepers
without any such affiliation. Seven Sabbath-honoring segments of
the larger Christian community are recognized in separate articles
elsewhere in this directory.
Three commonalities have allowed and encouraged BSA collaboration
among peoples of diverse faith: 1) belief in the Bible
as God’s Word; 2) belief in Jesus Christ (Yahshua Messiah) as the
Savior and Master of men; and 3) belief in the weekly seventh day
(Saturday) as the Lord’s Day and true Sabbath of Scripture.
As an early issue of The Sabbath Sentinel magazine put it, the
BSA’s primary goal has always been “Sabbath promotion and defense
. . . laying special stress on the purpose to make and maintain
the Association wholly undenominational and non-sectarian.”
What strategies has the BSA employed over the years to achieve
this goal and purpose? Perhaps the most recognizable tool of our
association in seventy years is The Sabbath Sentinel (TSS) magazine.
Beginning publication in 1950, TSS celebrated its five-hundredth
issue in the spring of 2003 and has added another seventy-plus issues
since then. For many years, it has been sent without subscription
charge to all BSA members and to any others who request it.
Second only to TSS magazine in familiarity among BSA ministries
is the Directory of Sabbath-Observing Groups, which has been
published every few years since 1955. The tenth edition was issued
in 2010, and the book you now read is the eleventh edition.
The number of Sabbathkeeping people and non Sabbath-observers
who’ve gained helpful information, and found precious fellowship within the varied Sabbatarian faith community through the pages
of our directories, is known only to God.
Shirley Nickels announced her retirement from the BSA National office in mid-2015. In honoring Shirley for her twenty years of service to the Bible Sabbath Association, we also honor all those who preceded her in this position.
Other services and projects of the Bible Sabbath Association over
the years include the production and distribution of a variety of
Sabbath literature, books, cassette tapes, CDs, and DVDs, as well as
wall calendars with Sabbaths in red (or another contrasting color).
We’ve sponsored an Echoes from Eden radio ministry with Elder
Frank Walker, the field work of a BSA executive secretary (Richard
Wiedenheft), and youth essay contests on the importance of
the Sabbath. We’ve helped to foster public seminars called Friends
of the Sabbath and other local fellowship activities. We maintain a
BSA website and Facebook discussion boards.
We thank God for those who have been BSA members and
frontline soldiers in the effort to defend and promote seventh-day
Sabbath observance for seventy years. A partial list of BSA presidents
and TSS editors appears below. On behalf of the countless
people who have been blessed by one or more BSA ministries, we
say thanks to those of you who willingly continue to shoulder this
gospel responsibility and Sabbath outreach that has meant so much
to so many.
Editors of The Sabbath Sentinel since 1950: George Main, Eugene
Lincoln, Richard Wiedenheft, Sydney and Sherry Cleveland, Lars
G. Harrison, Royce E. Mitchell Jr., and Ken Ryland.
BSA presidents: Albert Gearhart, Terrill Littrell, Eugene Lincoln,
John Bevis, John Kiesz, Leroy Bass, Ken Westby, Sydney
Davis, Richard Nickels, Ken Ryland, John Paul Howell, and Calvin
Burrell, and Kelly McDonald, Jr.