children of the sabbath

A photoblog by Jemal Countess

About

For over 22 years now I have been researching and documenting the lives and religious practices of Christians who keep the seventh day sabbath and the annual sabbaths as a part of their Christian worship practices. What is being featured on this site is but a small part of my continuing research being compiled for the book, “Children of the Sabbath”. The works here are in effect, “snap-shots” of my travels and documentation within these various groups.

I am based in the United States after being based in Ethiopia for 5 years until 2019. I spent time in East and Southern Africa seeking out the practitioners of “the faith once delivered”, some of whom have been maintaining the practices taught by the earliest pillars of the first century church almost 2000 years ago. The work was made possible by my personal funding as well as gifts and donations. If you would like to contribute towards my continuing research and documentation, please feel free to donate here.

All donations are tax deductable and will go toward my research, documentation and travel to complete this work. Thank you and please take a moment to explore the images of my latest travels.

About Jemal Countess

I, Jemal Countess, am a professional photographer and photojournalist with over 22 years of experience in shooting news and documentary stories. I am also a devout Hebraic Christian and consider myself part of the 21st century 7th day movement.

I am not a Seventh Day Adventist, a Seventh Day Baptist, a Messianic Jew, or any of the other labeled belief sects that make the 7th Day Sabbath their identifying hallmark. I am simply a Christian who is guided by the Love of God and love of his laws and creation, without a European or Postmodernist view or interpretation of Jesus Christ, the laws of God, or the Bible.

I have embarked upon my own personal research into groups of people who share some of or all of my beliefs as a Hebraic Christian as they exist around the globe. This is a visual exploration—with pictures I can share my research of various peoples who keep the laws of God from a non-Westernized, antinomian viewpoint. Some of these groups are indigenous, some are descended from the Herbert W. Armstrong movement, and some others have existed for close to two thousand years, long before Ellen G. White or Herbert W. Armstrong or anyone else who founded a large 7th day movement.

Please come and share in my exploration as I travel the world to seek out and meet the individuals and churches whose histories are unique and diverse, often ignored or discounted by mainstream Christianity, in most cases simply because they strive to keep the laws of God. Yes...discounted because they want to OBEY Jesus Christ. Some of the groups I explore will have beliefs that have evolved over the years as they have tried to keep the laws of God. I may not agree with some of those beliefs and may be actually in total disagreement in some cases. However, as this is a purely objective research project, I am duty bound to report what I see. And you, in turn, can draw your own conclusions.