Creation Sabbath 2025 sparked celebration across the East-Central Africa Division (ECD), uniting Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinders, students, churches, and entire communities in worship and environmental stewardship. 

Creation Sabbath is an annual celebration of the global Adventist Church, a day dedicated to worshiping God as the Creator through activities, reflection, and appreciation of nature. Celebrated on the fourth Sabbath of October, people are encouraged to appreciate creation through activities such as nature walks, creating art, planting trees, and spending quality time with family. 

This year, the ECD International Creation Club, Jane Muinde, a biology doctoral student at Loma Linda University in California, United States, and Professor Phillip Maiyo, partnered with the Pathfinder Club’s 75th anniversary initiative, urging every club to plant 75 trees. The movement gained momentum early, organizers say, launching on September 20 at the Adventist University of Central Africa (AUCA) in Kigali, Rwanda.

“Pathfinders have always been a movement on a mission, and today we celebrate 75 years of purpose,” said Busi Khumalo, Youth Ministries director at the Adventist General Conference.

For 12-year-old Ruzima, the meaning was simple: “Marching with my friends and singing about our history makes me proud to be part of something bigger than myself.” 

Tree-planting quickly became the heartbeat of Creation Sabbath across ECD. In Kenya, the Streets of Gold Pathfinder Club planted fruit trees while chanting, “Marching on in streets of gold to Gardens of Green.”

In Tanzania, Muderspach Primary School planted 1,000 trees, and by the end of the celebrations, the Northern Tanzania Union had planted over 20,000 trees. Members in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan also joined the movement, each contributing their share of green growth. 

Major churches such as Kariobangi Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Nairobi Central Church spent Creation Sabbath worshipping outdoors at Karura Forest and KEFRI Muguga, celebrating God the Creator in nature. 

In the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu region, celebrations were especially vibrant, participants say. Adventist schools held a week of spiritual emphasis, planted trees, and witnessed numerous baptisms. Students invited friends, symbolizing new discipleship bonds by planting trees together. By week’s end, 9,612 trees had been planted, accompanied by 168 individuals who chose to publicly declare their faith in Jesus through baptism. On Creation Sabbath itself, 169 students were also baptized at Karenge Adventist Secondary School.

AUCA and the Adventist School of Medicine of East-Central Africa (ASOME) partnered with the government of Rwanda to plant trees, while Kenya’s University of Eastern Africa, Baraton, worked with Equity Bank, Kapsabet, and Nandi Hills, as well as the Mpesa Foundation, to plant 500 trees and participate in community celebrations. Individual members also contributed in creative ways, such as Dr. Onesto Ilomo, who established a spinach garden as a personal act of stewardship. 

"Across ECD, Creation Sabbath 2025 became a movement, a celebration of faith, youth, renewal, and a shared commitment to honor God by caring for His creation," Adventist leaders concluded.

This article was provided by the General Conference's Faith and Science Council.