On November 1, in a message both profound and practical, G. Alexander Bryant, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America (NAD), delivered a stirring call for unity during the Sabbath worship service at the 2025 NAD Year-End Meeting (YEM). His sermon, “Oneness in Christ,” challenged church leaders to embrace the biblical model of oneness: a unity rooted in the Holy Spirit, enriched by diversity, and centered on mission.

Preaching from Acts 2, Bryant drew his audience into the scene of Pentecost.  The disciples, once divided and uncertain, “were all with one accord in one place” when they received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost, he explained, was no accident of history but a demonstration of divine timing and purpose. “God’s timing is impeccable,” Bryant said. “In the plan of God, there are no accidents, no coincidences.”

Bryant explored the difference between unity and uniformity, cautioning that sameness is not the goal of Christian harmony. “Some believe that unity in Christ means we all think the same, look the same, or sing the same,” he said. “But that’s not unity — that’s uniformity.” True unity, he reminded the congregation, celebrates the distinctiveness of every believer as part of God’s intentional design.

With humor and warmth, Bryant illustrated his point by highlighting the cultural and culinary diversity among NAD officers, mentioning “soul food, lefse, and kimchi” as symbols of the church’s richness. “Does God expect Judy to give up her lefse, or Kyoshin to give up his kimchi?” he asked with a smile. “No. God made us different, and there’s strength in our diversity.”

He compared the church to a salad rather than a blender — a community where individuality is preserved but purpose is shared. “God doesn’t ask us to lose our flavor,” he said. “He calls us to mix together in love.”

Turning from diversity to discipleship, Bryant reminded the congregation that unity begins with humility. Drawing from Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, he recounted how Christ performed the task no one else was willing to do. “Somebody has to be like Jesus,” Bryant urged. “Somebody has to be willing to humble themselves for the sake of unity.”

He punctuated the message with an anecdote from his early marriage, a “peanut butter issue” with his wife over whether the jar belonged in the refrigerator or the pantry. The story drew laughter, but its meaning was clear. “We have too many peanut butter issues in our church,” he said. “At some point, somebody’s got to be like Jesus and say, ‘I’ll be the one to make peace.’”

Bryant then centered the congregation on the mission of the church: proclaiming the everlasting gospel and the soon return of Christ. “Our mission unites us,” he declared. “We are all one in Christ, one purpose, one calling, one message.”

He noted that the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s diversity was not a challenge to overcome, but a testimony to God’s purpose. “Perhaps God made this church the most diverse denomination on this continent because, in a world divided by politics and culture, He wants a people who can show what true unity looks like.”

Quoting from Philippians 2, Bryant explained that the Greek word used in Acts 2:1 for “one accord,” homothymadon,refers not just to agreement, but to “unity of passion and purpose.” “That’s the kind of unity God wants,” he said, “not sameness, but a shared mission that drives us forward.”

Bryant acknowledged that minor disagreements are inevitable at times, but stressed that these conflicts must not eclipse the church’s shared calling. “Maybe God needs to send some storms our way,” he reflected, “so that all these artificial things we fight about lose their value.”

“When the time of trouble comes,” he continued, “we won’t care about music styles, politics, or food. We’ll care that someone can pray, someone can sing, and someone can remind us of God’s promises.”

He urged leaders to set aside distractions that divide the body of Christ. “We intersect at mission,” Bryant said. “Different, distinct, but standing together for one purpose, to tell the world that God loves them with an everlasting love.”

As the song of appeal filled the sanctuary, Bryant invited the congregation to lay aside their personal “peanut butter issues” and recommit to oneness in Christ. Those in attendance stood together as he prayed for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

“The Holy Spirit fell on those who were in one place and of one accord,” he said. “Not all the same, but all together, focused on one purpose.”

In his closing appeal, Bryant’s message was both simple and profound: “Unity isn’t about being the same. It’s about being together in Christ.”