On 1987, there was no organized English-speaking Seventh-Day Adventist church in Jakarta. A group of Seventh-Day Adventists, who was at that time members at Thamrin I Seventh-Day Adventist Church, had an English Sabbath School class. This Sabbath School group eventually had a Divine Worship program conducted in English. They were then given by God a vision to organize an English-speaking church. Thus, on October 25th, 1988, with the approval from West Indonesia Union Mission, Jakarta Local Conference and Thamrin I SDA Church, Jakarta English Seventh-Day Adventist Church (JESDAC) was organized as the 54th Organized Church in Jakarta Local Conference. Later on, the name was changed into its present name: Jakarta International Seventh-Day Adventist Church (JISDAC).
Faced with so much challenges and equipped only with faith in God, JISDAC’s pioneers had sailed through lifting its banners high in the midst of the tempests of the times with fortitude and endurance led by the Holy Spirit in its quest for its mission to give reality to the vision that God had revealed to them — to bring the Gospel to the English-speaking community in Jakarta without having to be exclusively reaching out to this segment of the population.
As JISDAC steers itself into this journey, it has a co-captain in the institution of the Adventist English Conversation School (AECS), whose students would be guests, and some even became members of JISDAC in the early years of this church.
Through all these times, the leadership of JISDAC has changed hands 10 times from one shepherd to another. To name them all in chronological order: Pastor F. W. Aruan (deceased), Pasor Barnabas Malingkas (deceased), Pastor Mulia Panjaitan (deceased), Pastor Michael Palar, Pastor Mangiring Sagala, Pastor Heince Rusli, Pastor Wendell Mandolang, Pastor Milton Pardosi, Pastor Hemat Sibuea, Pastor Roy Pitoy, Pastor Leroy Pakpahan and Pastor Yoanes Sinaga.
In this journey of faith, JISDAC has been through the high and low tides of adversities, tossing it up and down almost to the point of breaking up its spirit and the unity of members. But, by God’s grace and providence, it is still afloat and sailing forth today with more vigor and greater inspiration from the Holy Spirit, remaining true to its vision and mission as it ventures into the open sea of people to cast its nets and trying to haul a harvest of souls for Christ.
As its name suggests, JISDAC is an international church whose congregations are composed of several different nationalities. It is also serves as a beacon to the youth, especially those who want to learn and improve their English. It has also become a home to foreigners, both SDA’s and non-SDA’s who are visiting, residing, or working in Jakarta, seeking for a spiritual refuge or a Sabbath Sanctuary.
JISDAC continues to journey on to serve its missions and carry on with the vision with its sails open high and wide, while improving to uphold the high standard that God wants His church to be.