Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church sits on East 62nd Street in the northeast corner of Indianapolis, a multi-cultural faith community that observes Sabbath from Saturday morning through Saturday evening and gathers around a simple mission: to develop a faithful, hopeful and loving community that inspires people to come to Jesus, become like Jesus, and overcome in Jesus. The church is a member congregation of the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and worships in a traditional style rooted in Bible-centered preaching, congregational singing, and an openness that members describe as modeling racial reconciliation and understanding for the city.
Sabbath at Glendale: Saturday Mornings Centered on Worship
The week at Glendale builds toward Saturday. By the time the doors open at 9:15 a.m., members have already begun to arrive for the day the church calls "the seventh day," memorial of creation and cornerstone of the Adventist identity.
From 9:30 to 10:40 a.m., the congregation gathers for Sabbath School. The hour combines a brief opening service in the sanctuary with a structured hour of adult Bible study divided into classes, with separate divisions for children and youth. Glendale has adopted the It Is Written Bible Study Guides as its Sabbath School curriculum, a 25-lesson series that walks through the central themes of Scripture and is offered free of charge to anyone who would like to study the lessons at home.
At 11:00 a.m. the Main Worship Service begins, running approximately until 12:15 p.m. Order of service bulletins for recent weeks show a pattern that members experience every week. The service opens with an organ or piano prelude, followed by a brief "Church Life" announcement segment and a scriptural call to worship. A Praise Time or praise team leads congregational singing, and a Children's Story brings the younger members to the front for a brief lesson before the sermon. The offering is dedicated weekly to a different recipient - the local budget, the North American Division Religious Liberty department, Adventist Community Services, Timber Ridge Camp, the conference budget, or missions. An intercessory prayer, scripture reading, and special music lead into the sermon, and the benediction and postlude close the service.
Worship at Glendale is traditional in its Adventist sense: a reverent tone, choir and organ alongside the praise team, and a homily that centers the Bible as the infallible written Word of God. The service is also livestreamed on YouTube for those who choose to worship from home, an option the church adopted and continues to offer.
The Pastoral Team: A Cross-Cultural Vision
The pastoral team brings together two very different personal histories around a shared ministry. Together they reflect the multi-cultural character the congregation seeks to embody.
Ramon Ulangca is the senior pastor. He was born in Singapore to Filipino parents, raised in Thailand, and now lives in central Indiana. With graduate degrees in religion and music, he serves as music director of the Indiana Adventist Choir and Orchestra, a community organization of musicians from across the state. He also serves on the board of SOHO, a non-profit that ministers to orphans in Swaziland (Eswatini), Africa. His preaching and pastoral leadership at Glendale have shaped the church's Discipleship Vision.
Ray Stephenson is the youth pastor. A graduate of nursing school and the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University, he brings more than fifteen years of ministry experience, much of it gained while serving at Timber Ridge Camp, the Adventist summer camp in Indiana. His personal background - growing up in Florida with Caribbean roots and later living in Puerto Rico and Austria - shaped his fascination with languages and his conviction that the church should reflect the diversity of the family of God. His passion is mentoring youth and young adults and helping them discover a fulfilling life through the languages of love taught by Christ.
The congregation's gift for calling lay leaders forward is visible in the orders of service for recent weeks: members such as Oliver Nelson, Howard Mzumara, Skhu Dube, Alenda Cunningham, Zanele Malaba, Sharon Nelson, and others regularly lead the call to worship, intercessory prayer, scripture reading, and church life segments. Music ministry is shared by Lisa Foster, Anna Stephenson, Herbert Harris, Keith and Arlene Doram, the Glendale Puppeteers, and a rotating set of soloists. Glendale treats preaching, music, hospitality, and the children's story as shared callings rather than a single pastor's monopoly.
The Discipleship Vision: Three Circles, Five Areas
The clearest statement of Glendale's identity is its Discipleship Vision, the framework that organizes the church's small groups, Bible studies, and outreach. The vision is rooted in Christ's pattern of drawing, teaching, and forming disciples, and it is summarized in the slogan: Come to Jesus. Become like Jesus. Overcome in Jesus.
Three concentric circles define the church's ministry relationships:
- Invite the community to come to Jesus - the outreach circle, focused on those who do not yet attend.
- Instruct the congregation to become like Jesus - the gathering circle, focused on Sunday-school-style formation through Sabbath School and the wider worshiping community.
- Inspire core groups to overcome in Jesus - the deepest circle, focused on those who commit to a small group where prayer, accountability, and mission become daily habits.
Within that structure, the church identifies five areas of discipleship that every member is invited to grow in:
- Member of God's Family - exploring what it means to belong to the body of Christ and to the Seventh-day Adventist tradition.
- Minister of God's Gifts - serving others through the unique gifts the Holy Spirit has given.
- Model of God's Character - growing in prayer, Bible study, worship, and character development.
- Missionary of God's Purpose - inviting others to a life of discipleship and the mission of the church.
- Mentor of God's People - nurturing, training, and inspiring the next generation of disciples.
The vision is anchored in the church's core values, summarized as the F.A.I.T.H. values. Friendship means growing from a friendly church into a church of friends. Adaptability embraces change for the sake of the gospel. Integrity pursues relationships that hold grace and truth together. Teamwork works in peace and unity as the body of Christ. Humility reflects the servant attitude of Jesus.
Prayer: The Quiet Rhythm of the Week
The congregation's prayer life is one of the most distinctive features of ministry at Glendale, organized around a published schedule posted on the Seasons of Prayer page. Five weekly times are set aside for prayer, all open to anyone in the Indianapolis community who wants to join:
- 4:00 to 5:00 a.m., Monday through Friday - open prayer.
- 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday evenings - open prayer.
- 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday evenings - a focused time of prayer for children and students.
- 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sabbath afternoons - open prayer.
The Midweek Prayer Meeting on Wednesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. is the main weekly gathering for prayer, hosted on Zoom so that members across the region can join in. The session alternates hosts and prayer emphases from week to week and is led by various members of the pastoral team and lay leadership.
Those who cannot join in real time are invited to submit prayer requests through the church's prayer portal. Pastors and members then carry those requests personally into the prayer times. Glendale's pastoral staff also answers submitted questions about the Bible, treating Bible study and prayer as a paired practice.
Core Groups and Bible Study: The Smallest Circle
Core Groups are the smallest and most committed of the three circles in the Discipleship Vision - the place where members share life, study together, and learn to overcome in Jesus.
The Women's Ministries Book Club gathers on Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Zoom for fellowship, prayer, and discussion. The group's current read is "13 Weeks to Peace" by Jennifer Jill Schwirzer, and the core group is led by Zanele Malaba, Glendale's women's ministry leader. The format is intentionally simple: come as you are, study the chapter at your pace during the week, and gather over Zoom to pray and talk it through.
Beyond the women's core group, the church runs short-term topical Bible studies, hosted in members' homes or online, and provides free Bible study materials to anyone interested. The adult study uses the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, while families with children are pointed to the My Place with Jesus Bible Guides - a set of 21 illustrated lessons with puzzles and activities that teach children the major themes of Scripture. Both series are free. Members can fill out a contact form to request printed Bible studies delivered to their home.
For those who prefer to study on their phone during the sermon, Glendale runs its Sabbath morning presentation through Signals, the in-app slide system that connects to the Faithlife Study Bible and Logos Bible Software apps. Verse references appear on screen; tapping the signal link opens the passage in the app on the listener's phone.
A Library Built Around a Classic
One of the most tangible resources Glendale offers visitors and members is its church library, organized around books by Ellen G. White and other Adventist writers. The library is divided into Books to Give (kept by the reader) and Books to Lend (returned so the next person can borrow them).
The featured book is The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White, the classic devotional retelling of the life of Christ that the congregation treats as the church's signature devotional alongside the Bible itself. Members are welcome to borrow or receive other Ellen G. White titles, including The Great Controversy, Steps to Christ, Christ's Object Lessons, The Adventist Home, Child Guidance, Messages to Young People, and Ministry of Healing.
The library is organized by topic - family and marriage, youth and teens, friendship with Christ, prophecy, prayer, health, autobiography and redemptive stories, and quick reads. Visitors can request any book through the request form on the library page.
Beliefs: The 28 Fundamentals
Glendale accepts the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, taught by the worldwide church as a coherent summary of biblical teaching. The full statement is published on the church's Beliefs page and is read as a single integrated confession.
God is one in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the Creator and Sustainer of all things. The Bible is the written Word of God and the standard for Christian faith and life. Humanity was created in God's image, fell into sin through the entrance of evil, and is now engaged in the great controversy between Christ and Satan that the cross and resurrection will finally settle.
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again as our substitute and example. Baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper (with foot washing as part of the ordinance) are the two gospel ordinances. Spiritual gifts are given to every member of the church, with prophecy identified as one of the identifying marks of the remnant church, as manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White.
The Ten Commandments remain binding on all people; the seventh-day Sabbath is observed from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday as a memorial of creation and a sign of redemption. Marriage is the lifelong union of a man and a woman. The dead sleep unconscious until the resurrection. Christ ministers now in the heavenly sanctuary, the investigative judgment confirms who is ready for His coming, and His second coming is the blessed hope of the church. A millennium of one thousand years precedes the renewal of all things, when God will dwell with His people on a recreated earth.
Stewardship is treated as a privilege: returning tithes and giving offerings supports the proclamation of the gospel. Christian behavior touches the whole person - simple and modest dress, careful stewardship of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, a healthful diet that abstains from unclean foods, and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and harmful drugs.
Online Giving, Media, and Updates
Tithes and offerings are received through AdventistGiving, the Adventist denomination's online portal accessible from the church's giving page. Gifts can be made by electronic check, by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover), or by debit card; transaction costs are shared across the church's administrative levels so that 100% of the gift goes where the donor intends.
The church's YouTube channel hosts the livestream of each Sabbath's Bible school and worship service, alongside an archive of recent services. Recent sermons archived there include messages on waiting patiently for God, healthy Christian behavior, the person of Christ, and Christmas-themed series such as "A Time for Peace." The church's Facebook page is the place where the Wednesday night prayer announcements and community updates most often appear.
Members can also stay in touch through the church's Faithlife community feed, which functions like a private social network for announcements and prayer updates.
Weddings and Benevolence
The sanctuary at Glendale is reserved for Christian weddings that recognize marriage as the sacred union between a man and a woman, following the Adventist understanding of the biblical account of creation. Couples interested in being married at Glendale download a fillable wedding application form, print it, and drop it off at the church office, where the church secretary walks them through the next steps.
The church operates a Benevolence Fund - officially designated by the church board and supported entirely by designated giving - that provides financial assistance to individuals in urgent need of help meeting basic needs. Requests are reviewed by the Finance Committee, and the application form is available on the financial aid page. Funds paid out are at the direction of the committee and are kept in a dedicated account separate from the operating budget.
Capital asset purchases and non-capital purchases over the church board's approved base budget are also routed through a fillable Funding Request Form, downloaded from the Ministry Funding page, filled in, and submitted to the Finance Committee and Church Board for approval. The process is openly described so that members and ministry leaders can navigate it with confidence.
Visiting Glendale
Glendale is in the northeast part of Indianapolis, with general parking available on both sides of the building and handicapped parking on either side of the main entrance. The official dress guidance is simple: come in whatever is comfortable. Members and visitors are warmly welcomed as they are.
Sabbath School classes run from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m. on Saturdays, and the Main Worship Service follows at 11:00 a.m., running until about 12:15 p.m. The service is also livestreamed on YouTube for those who prefer to worship from home. Children are not segregated from the service; they typically stay for the singing, the Children's Story segment, and then often have their own Adventist Youth program during or immediately after the sermon, returning to their families for the benediction.
Midweek prayer happens on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom, with the link posted in the church's events calendar. The office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for those who would like to drop by, request a meeting with a pastor, or pick up materials from the library.
Rooted in Indianapolis, Open to the City
Glendale's location, leadership, and ministry all point in the same direction: a church that takes its Adventist identity seriously, that keeps the seventh day from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, that believes in the Bible as the final authority on faith and life, and that builds its community around prayer, discipleship, and friendship across cultural lines. The result is a congregation that is at once traditional, contemporary in its methods, and intentionally welcoming to a city as varied as Indianapolis itself.