Our Founders
A Legacy of Faith
We are all called to minister. We are determined to move forward in faith.
Pastor Edwin M. Anthony and Fay P. Anthony were impressed by the Holy Spirit to meet the needs of the people of the Deer Park Community through prayer, supplication, and a desire to respond to the Lord’s command: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…” They were spiritually led to The Pentecostal Church at 64 Tiber Avenue. “Who are you? Are you angels?” were questions directed toward them as they began cleaning up debris around the church. One woman stopped by and said, “I have prayed long and hard for the Lord to send someone to take care of this church. I’m glad you have allowed God to use you.” Bishop Agee fought tirelessly on their behalf to ensure the church would be established under the Seventh-day Adventist denomination.
The Sanctuary is meant to be the heartbeat of the community—a spiritual refuge and house of praise. Once a lighthouse of the community, the building had become a place for negative activity. Vandalized, abandoned, and stripped of pipes and electrical fixtures, many saw the building as too much work and too costly to restore. But God led Bishop Agee to contact Pastor Edwin M. Anthony and Fay P. Anthony, who answered the call to restore the church for its true purpose—to worship and glorify God.
With God’s help, the church reopened for public worship on July 13, 2013, as a Seventh-day Adventist Church. Through the hard work and dedication of the Anthonys, their family, church members, and friends, the Deer Park Community began to transform. Crime reduced, police presence declined, and peace returned. In October 2019, the Deer Park Seventh-day Adventist Church officially became part of the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Sisterhood of Churches.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, services temporarily moved to the Zoom platform. However, the weekly Food Pantry—supported by Long Island Cares and Island Harvest—remained open and functional throughout the pandemic, continuing to serve the community faithfully.
