Ethiopia #1: Addis Ababa

Left to Right: Pastor Dawit Song, Frank Dimmock, Rev. Teferi Barkessa, and Rev. Deng Gatch (former president of West Gambella Bethel Synod)  

By Frank Dimmock, Africa Mission Consultant

Yesterday, upon arriving, I was able to process documents for permission to enter the South Sudanese refugee camps in Gambella, western Ethiopia. The Outreach Foundation has been working with Presbyterian partners in South Sudan (PCoSS) to reach thousands of their displaced members in six camps near the border with South Sudan. 

Last year we were unable to visit the camps due to disruptive violence in Gambella. The roads and airport were closed, but we were able to escape during a lull in the fighting. So far,this year, the situation is peaceful. Tomorrow I will travel there with Pastor William Tut, a Sudanese American, from the Fellowship Church in San Diego.

Today was a wonderful day of meetings with partners from the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) Bethel Synods, and the Presbyterian Church of Korea. The Bethel Synods of the EECMY are found in the west and southwest where early Presbyterian missionaries settled in the first quarter of the 20th century. The Bethel Synods have grown throughout that region of Ethiopia and now are eight in number (soon to be nine). They have a combined membership of between 3.5 and 4 million members. The Bethel Synods have established a coordination office in Addis Ababa (BSCO) where they convene for meetings and training. Rev. Teferi Barkessa is the coordinator and liaison with international partners. The Outreach Foundation is pleased to support the capacity-building training of leadership among the new Bethel Synods, scheduled for August this year. In 2024, the Bethel Synods will celebrate 100 years of Presbyterian partnership.

Today at the coordination office, I was joined by Pastor Dawit Song from the Presbyterian Church of Korea. He and his wife have been serving for 13 years in Addis, 10 years as hospital chaplains. We are working together to address critical needs in Gambella. 

During the past six years, Outreach has provided Bibles in the Nuer language, support to more than 35 preschools and 40 adult learning centers, and training of trainers in trauma healing. The trauma healing counselors organize small healing groups to process the pervasive chronic trauma among adults, youth, and children.