What was/is the purpose of ASI?
When ASI first began in the 40's, it was an association of self-supporting SDA ministries that began with Madison College, an Adventist self-supporting institution that was near Nashville, Tennessee.
It somehow morphed over time into a "club" of Adventist business people who met yearly at the August meetings, a time chosen so that the whole family could come along before the children started back to school and stay an extra week in a fun place to take their summer vacation.
The acronym ASI stands for Adventist-Laymen's Services and Industries. It originally stood for Association of Seventh-day Adventist Self-Supporting Institutions, thus, ASI. The name was changed in 1979 to better reflect the current membership, while retaining the acronym.
ASI's motto, "Sharing Christ in the Marketplace" reflects that the organization has always had a commitment to the SDA church and mission efforts.
Members shared their experiences during the meetings as laymen in the church, promoting their beliefs through their businesses in various ways, such as providing literature for their clients.
As previously mentioned, they also had a special Saturday night dinner with entertainment at which time donations and pledges were made to be apportioned to worthy mission projects.