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[Artiste]

I remember the '88 or '89 August ASI meeting in Calgary, followed by the next year in Kona...church officials were a regular part of it. The church officials' association with ASI was not a recent development, as far as I could tell.

I had never heard of 3ABN at that time.

[Artiste]

During those few early years that I was a member of ASI, I remember that each year ASI was growing rapidly in its attendance, becoming more of an international organization.  Each year the Saturday night fund-raising dinner brought in a much larger amount of donations than the year before.

I still hadn't heard of 3ABN.

I'm thinking that ASI was the entity that helped put 3ABN on the map of Adventism, not the other way around.

[Bob Pickle]

I remember the '88 or '89 August ASI meeting in Calgary, followed by the next year in Kona...

Do you remember which one was the one where those who ate the potato salad, or some similar dish, got ill? At least, that's was the best guess cause of a mystery illness some contracted.

[Artiste]

No, sorry, I don't remember about the potato salad.

[Murcielago]

Yes there has been church participation, but during the early years ASI seemed to attract much more of the OCI type. And the church membership at large certainly didn't have the awareness of ASI that they have now. But yes, I agree that ASI was also very much a part of growing 3ABN.

[Artiste]

ASI was well established by the 80's as an active organization for Adventist business people that included liaisons from the SDA church leadership. 

The outpost centers and mission projects were the recipients each year for the donations of the Adventist businessmen.  The mission people came each year and set up booths hoping to be selected for funding, or merely to network.

Initially, 3ABN was just one of the mission projects that received some of the yearly funding from ASI.

[princessdi]

What was/is the purpose of ASI?

[Johann]

What was/is the purpose of ASI?

If you are a SDA business woman you should be eligible to join them and enjoy their support.

[childoftheking]

As I recall though you may have to have employees to join. Don't remember what the mnimum umber of employees was. Maybe just two. I think they want people who have money though not just self employed.

[Bob Pickle]

As I recall though you may have to have employees to join. Don't remember what the mnimum umber of employees was. Maybe just two. I think they want people who have money though not just self employed.

There are two types of members. A voting member has to have or be a business or ministry with at least one employee, I think. A non-voting member doesn't have to have any employees.

[Artiste]

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.