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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - At the Yellowknife Seventh-day Adventist church, everyone wears their Sunday best on Saturday.

On a Sunday morning - deemed the first day of the work week for both Seventh-day Christians and the Jewish faith - you might find an Adventist at a yoga or cardio class; the denomination's commitment to healthy living has made them the subject of many highly-publicized longevity and health studies.

Jannah, 6, left, and Johannah, 4, perform "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord" accompanied by their father Joubert Falcunitin on guitar at the Yellowknife Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday June 25. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

"The healthier you are, the better able you are to serve others," said Brad Dahr, pastor of Yellowknife's Seventh-day Adventist church, explaining the holistic premise established by the health visions of church co-founder Ellen White before the church was formed in 1863.

Healthy behaviour promoted by the SDA church - a plant-based diet, need for sunshine, no smoking, nuts, fibres, exercise and reduction of sugar - translate into a longer life, American studies find, with Adventists recorded to live up to 10 years longer than other subgroups.

SDA churches all over the world, including the Yk SDA church, have designated health ministries, which reinforce the church's commitment to the close relationship between bodily health and spiritual wholeness.

"It's a holistic approach that ultimately comes down to serving others," Dahr said, adding the church's main purpose is to spread the message of Jesus Christ to as many people in the world as possible, before the advent, or second coming.

"We don't date-set," Dahr said, citing the recent doomsday misstep of American Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping.

"We are very adamant that what we say comes from the Bible," Dahr added. "We don't pick and choose."

Yk SDA member Grace Karambi, who was baptized in the church in 1999, says its faithfulness to the scriptures of the Bible is what drew her to the church, which now has more than 16 million members worldwide.

"It's about the truth according to the Bible," Karambi said. "Nothing is added or omitted. That's what I like."

No Bible? That's no problem if you plan to visit the chapel on Forrest Drive, between Franklin Avenue and Taylor Road, because along with copies of SDA hymnals, there are multiple New King James version Holy Bibles in front of each wooden pew.

Glass doors at the entrance give visitors an opportunity to peep the service on Saturday, which starts at 10:30 a.m., before going in. Brace to introduce yourself many times when visiting this church for the first time, as the congregation can seem overzealous to newcomers.

"Our desire is to let God's love flow through us to others, so this congregation is very naturally friendly," Dahr said. "It's not something you can manufacture."

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