Habimana Gasigwa grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, surrounded by family devotions and Pathfinder camps that nurtured his early faith. Yet it wasn’t until 2024 that he says his spiritual life took on new meaning. Today, he finds creative ways to minister in his local church, the Berean Transformation Center in South Bend, Indiana. [Photo credit: Justin Smith]
At 25, he has come to believe that following Jesus means stepping outside the familiar walls of the church and into the messy, uncertain spaces of human need.
Born in Gweru, Zimbabwe, to Rwandese parents who survived the 1994 genocide, Habimana’s story is one of resilience shaped by tragedy and hope. His family immigrated to the United States in 2007, settling in Mishawaka, Indiana. After earning a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois, he began a career in the financial sector, where he now works as an administrative coordinator at an investment firm. But numbers are only part of his story. His deeper passion lies in storytelling, using media and production to give voice to the stories that often go unheard.
Habimana grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, surrounded by family devotions and Pathfinder camps that nurtured his early faith. Yet it wasn’t until 2024 that he says his spiritual life took on new meaning. In May, he was rebaptized, a public declaration of his faith that had moved from tradition to conviction. “It keeps me grounded,” he said, reflecting on the spiritual community that helped him rediscover his purpose.
That purpose has found expression in a ministry called the Pop-Up Church, a Chicago-based outreach led by Pastor John T. Boston II. The initiative takes worship and compassion into public spaces — places where people rarely encounter organized religion but often crave connections. In May 2025, the group hosted its first “Welcome Table” event, transforming a homeless encampment into a makeshift banquet hall. Volunteers set up a long table, served hot meals to about 75 people, and distributed clothing, hygiene kits and small cash gifts. The goal, Habimana said, was simple: to offer dignity and warmth in a world that too often denies both.
“When Jesus was on this earth, he wasn’t hanging out in church,” Habimana said. “He was outside hanging out with prostitutes, healing people, and meeting people where they are.”
That belief guides his work today. Whether in his professional life or through his ministry, Habimana strives to live out a faith that reaches beyond sermons and pews. His story is a quiet reminder that there are many young Adventists reimagining what it means to live like Christ.
Wambui Karanja is an alumna of Andrews University, currently working as a registered nurse in the progressive care setting.
