In Eliot, during the 1800's, there were four churches: A Congregational, a colonial Puritan church, two Methodist, and an Episcopalian. Also, there was a little Baptist chapel overlooking the Piscataqua River. It was during this time that William Miller was in New England. Because of his stirring of the Adventist Movement, people became interested. Mary T. (Hammond) Athorne and her husband settled in Eliot. They began to look for a place to hold services. They brought a few Advent speakers to Eliot during the summer, and decided to hold services in the Solomon Staples' grove, near the railroad. During the winter months, they held services in the old town academy. The interest spread to nearby towns, and and because of the increased interest, the place of worship became too small. The church people were granted permission to move into the Baptist Chapel that, by then, had been abandoned.
George Brown was one of the first to preach in the little chapel. By 1884, Brown and six other men went to the Justice of the Peace, Timothy Dame, with a petition to organize and establish the organization as the Advent Christian Society of South Eliot, Maine.
The petition is as follows:
The subscribers being desirous of becoming an incorporated parish, or religious society, hereby request you to call a meeting of said subscribers to be held at the Baptist Chapel of South Eliot, Maine at 7:30, April 5, 1884. Then and there to form a parish or religious society by choosing a clerk and other parish officers. Signed by: Samuel Dixon, George Brown, Albert Knight, Thaddus Kight, Joseph Dixon, John Staples, and Richard Dixon. At this time there were 11 members. They adopted the name The Advent Christian Society of South Eliot, Maine.
The little Baptist Chapel that the Adventists had moved into was formerly used by the members of the "Christian Connection" which was a branch of the Baptist denomination. By this time, the building was in great need of repair. Many of the members felt that a larger chapel should be built. In 1887, the little chapel was razed and a larger one built in its place. Samuel Dixon was in charge of ordering the material and it arrived on a Schooner. Because of generous gifts of money and labor by the people of South Eliot, the project became a success. By April 7, 1887, the estimated worth of the chapel was $1500, and was free of debt. It was dedicated by William Mitchell of Kennebunk, Maine.
The South Eliot Advent Christian Church has a number of legacies and renovations that have taken place to change the church greatly. Mrs. Susan Blume gave the church $1000 with which a bell, a bell tower for the bell, and a new furnace were purchased. In 1944, the church purchased the William Cole house on Pleasant Street for a parsonage. Also in the 1940's a small basement was made. It contained a kitchen, restrooms and a classroom. Later, a two story annex was built in the rear of the church that provided more classrooms and a study. In the 1960's, the basement was excavated and finished with a reception room, several classrooms, new bathrooms, and a new kitchen. A new parsonage, located next to the church, was purchased in 1976. Additional land was purchased in 1963 behind the church, and in 1977 the driveway was partially tarred.