About Us

At Bisbee Seventh-Day Adventist church, our heart is to know the living God, grow together as followers of Jesus, and serve our neighbors and the world with His love. The name Seventh-day Adventist reflects our belief in the biblical Sabbath on Saturday and our hope in the soon return of Jesus Christ. We believe in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and a faith that shapes every part of how we live and care for others and the world.

Alvin Schnell was born April 20, 1937, in Council, Idaho, and raised in a Seventh-day Adventist home. He attended church school, graduated from Gem State Academy in 1955, and later earned his D.D.S. degree in 1963 from what is now Loma Linda University.

After practicing dentistry in Palmdale, California, he moved to Caldwell, Idaho in 1970, where he served his community for 48 years. Alongside his dental career, Alvin faithfully served as a church elder and became deeply involved in evangelism, helping establish 3ABN downlinks in southern Idaho and assisting in planting a church in 2001. He was later ordained as a bi-vocational pastor and served until retiring in 2018.

Alvin and his wife, Coral, have partnered in ministry for 28 years, working together in Bible studies, prayer meetings, and outreach. In 2020, he was invited to pastor the Sierra Vista–Bisbee district in Arizona, where he continues to serve joyfully.

His life is guided by the commission of Revelation 14:6–12, proclaiming the everlasting gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.