Ethiopia Partnership Update: Rural Church Planting
A church planter and his wife pack up to head into remote areas in order to spread the Gospel.
When we read about the early missionary adventures of Paul and Barnabas – we are always amazed at the lengths they went to and the hardships they endured to bring the gospel to the further reaches of the Roman Empire – perilous journeys by sea, exhausting overland trips by foot and pack animals. Like Paul and his companions, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (the Presbyterian church in Ethiopia) is overcoming all barriers to ensure the gospel message is heard in remote parts of their country.
Many of the rural villages (kebeles) in the fertile central highlands of the Shewa region are not accessible by car or truck – the only option is to trek for hours by foot or horse. The Oromo people in these villages are mainly Muslims or practice Waaqeffanna (an Oromo traditional belief system). For the past several years, Reverend Teferi Berkassa has led a team of evangelists attempting to reach the Oromo people in these far-flung villages. Evangelists pack all their belongings on horse-drawn carts and trudge miles on dirt paths to reach a village. They often carry sheets of corrugated metal as materials for the roof of their mud-plastered wall hut and solar power systems for light and power to connect with the telecommunications grid. Support for these evangelists is provided by Presbyterian churches in the capital city of Addis Ababa and Outreach Foundation partners.
Slowly, but surely, God is moving in these rural villages. People are responding to God’s Word through the diligent efforts of these faithful evangelists. Small churches are being planted, and lives are being transformed. Bibles in the local language (Afaan Oromo) are distributed so that believers can learn the word of God in their heart language.
Reverend Teferi continues to dream big – he wants to reach even more villages in the Shewa region. He is currently coordinating the training of more evangelists so they can be sent out to plant churches. He is also training lay leaders in a cross section of congregations in Addis Ababa so they can come alongside the evangelists to provide discipleship training in the villages.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support these church-planting efforts in the Shewa region of Ethiopia. All gifts of any size are welcome to help fund more evangelists and Bibles in the Oromo language.
You may make a gift by sending a check to the address below with the partner’s name “Ethiopian Partnership” on the memo line or you can donate on the GIVE page of our website: www.theoutreachfoundation.org.
