Themed Sabbath likely first in series of emphasis days, organizer says
Next month, Seventh-day Adventist congregations are invited to join in a global celebration of God's creative power and continued involvement in and care for human life.
The October 24 emphasis day comes during the same year marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of his book, The Origin of Species by Natural Selection, widely credited for establishing and promoting the theory of evolution.
"[Christians] have an opinion, too, and that is that God is our creator and we want to honor that," says Nikolaus Satelmajer, associate secretary of the church's Ministerial Association and event organizer.
To assist pastors and other congregational leaders in organizing Creation Sabbath celebrations, A Web site for the emphasis day features ideas for Bible passages, prayers, children's stories, music, sermon topics and related resources.
Even if a member's local church chooses not to host a Creation Sabbath celebration, Satelmajer says anyone can use the available resources to observe the day with their family and friends.
Celebrating God's creation with a community of believers -- however small -- will "remind participants that there is a personal God who cares for them no matter where they are, no matter who they are and no matter how they worship," he says.
Because a belief in creation is a common denominator for many of the world's faith communities, organizers are encouraging local churches to invite community members to Creation Sabbath.
"Honoring God as creator is foundational to many faith groups, whether they're Christian, Muslim or Jewish," Satelmajer says.
While Satelmajer says Creation Sabbath won't likely become an annual celebration, he does anticipate future special emphasis days highlighting other "key" church beliefs and hopes this year's event is "bigger than one Sabbath."
For more information on Creation Sabbath and to learn how a church can celebrate it, visit creationsabbath.net.
