Washington, D.C.’s first Seventh-day Adventists organized in 1886 — members of a small Christian sect that emerged out of the nation’s religious revivals of the 1840s. Their beliefs lay rooted in the Bible, and in imminent expectation of Christ’s second coming. Today, Adventism boasts more than 16 million people worldwide, and thousands in the D.C. area. Pastor Mark McCleary, 59, carries on their work as pastor of the city’s First Church of Seventh-day Adventists. The 1,300-member Petworth congregation recently celebrated its 120th anniversary. McCleary sat down with The Washington Examiner to share his faith, and the blessings of its unique practices.

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