Over 900 believers gathered on August 30, 2025, for a special worship service celebrating the 36th anniversary of the Dubai Central Seventh-day Adventist Church. The program, held at the Gulf Field headquarters in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, highlighted the history and growth of the Adventist movement in the Persian Gulf region.

Dubai Central Church was the first Seventh-day Adventist congregation to be formally organized in the area. While Adventist presence in the Gulf can be traced back to the mid-1970s, it was not until the early 1980s that a structured group began to take shape.

One of the key figures in that early story is Esther Gallyot, an Adventist from India who arrived in Dubai with her family in the late 1970s but initially struggled to connect with other Adventists. In 1980, her daughter Pam began working at the British Bank of the Middle East (now HSBC).

As Pam formed friendships with colleagues, questions about her lifestyle opened unexpected doors. When a co-worker named Patrick asked why she did not join coffee breaks, Pam explained that she was a Seventh-day Adventist and did not drink coffee. To her surprise, Patrick revealed that he was also an Adventist. He later introduced her to his sister Christine and Christine’s husband, Kumar, who lived in the same building where Esther worked.

These connections became the nucleus of a small Adventist group that began to befriend neighbors and locate other Adventist believers. Vespers meetings were soon held in Christine and Kumar’s home, laying the groundwork for what would become a growing congregation.

In the mid-1980s, a group of Filipino nurses joined the fellowship, and membership gradually increased. In 1987, then Middle East Union president Gerald D. Karst organized the Dubai group as an official company, appointing Captain Roy Facey, a British naval officer, as elder. Two years later, in 1989, the company was organized as the Dubai Seventh-day Adventist Church by Svein B. Johansen, who was then serving as president of the Middle East Union.

Over the following decades, the congregation continued to expand and later helped establish several other Adventist churches across the United Arab Emirates. As three new congregations were planted within the city, the original church took the name Dubai Central Seventh-day Adventist Church.

“The story of the Dubai Central congregation is, at its core, a testament to God’s guidance, watchcare, and tender mercy towards His people. As you celebrate the growth of this blessed congregation, may you also be eager to trace God’s hand of providence and blessing in your own lives and, most importantly, in your collective experience. We can truly say that God has been good,” said Marc Coleman, Gulf Field president.

Music was a central feature of the service, reflecting the church’s diverse membership. Dubai Central Church now has more than 500 members representing 52 countries. A parade of nations featuring representatives from each of these countries was one of the program’s highlights, underlining the international character of the congregation.

To better serve its multicultural membership, Dubai Central Church has begun organizing Sabbath School (Saturday Bible study) classes in several languages. Ten language-based classes are currently operating, with additional groups planned.

The worship service also included testimonies and stories of how the church has grown over the years, as well as a sermon by former pastor Andy Espinoza, now serving in Beirut, Lebanon. Preaching from 1 Samuel 7, he reflected on the biblical Ebenezer stone as a symbol of God’s help and encouraged the congregation to move forward with four key values: unity, courage, faith, and mission.

Current pastor Juan Diego Benavides closed the celebration with an appeal for continued commitment. He reminded members that as they look back with gratitude, they are also called to look ahead in faith, trusting “the Lord, our Ebenezer,” to guide the church in its ongoing mission in Dubai and beyond.

The article was provided by the Middle East and North Africa Union.