Hey Paul, I'm not Barry, but just my 2 cents, my grandmother pretty much raised me and she was a die hard SDA. When I married my JW husband, she told me that the JW's were weird and she didn't believe in any of the things that they do. The only thing I found strange about the SDA's was how they literally stuck to the bible verse "remember the sabbath day and keep it holy" This meant every Saturday, no work, no play, no TV, nothing. All you could pretty much do was read the bible. And she did it, every Saturday.
You asked if it was cult like, I don't think so.They did have something called the voice of prophecy, but I never really asked too much about it.
Growing up, I loved going there. It was a lot of fun. Especially in the summer. They had vacation bible school. You learned about the bible, while getting to make arts and crafts and doing fun things. And don't let me forget the monthly potluck! All the food you can eat, LOL!
Anyhow, that's my take on it