Tag Archive for: Ethiopia

Finding the true cross

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Meskel, or “cross” is the name of a holiday that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church celebrates. The full name of the festival is “The Finding of the True Cross.” According to their tradition, God spoke in a dream to a woman named Helena, who was the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome. In the dream, God instructed Helena to light a fir tree on fire. The smoke from the burning tree miraculously led Helena and her friends to a certain place on the ground. When people dug into the ground at that place, they found the true cross on which Jesus died.

It’s just a legend, not a true teaching of the Bible. But many people in Ethiopia celebrate this festival. When the day comes, thousands of men, women, and children stream out into the streets and public squares, dressed in colorfully embroidered white robes. They build a huge teepee-shaped bonfire that is intended to look like a fir tree. Everyone joins the celebration. Many of them are not members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and many of them are not even Christian at all. Many of them do not understand the true meaning of Jesus and his cross. They just want to have a party.

New Contacts from Sudan and Ethiopia
When WELS missionaries Dan Kroll, Howard Mohlke and I visited Ethiopia a few weeks ago, the Meskel celebration was underway. We had several exciting reasons to make that trip to Ethiopia. First, we wanted to meet with leaders of the Lutheran Church of Sudan (LCS). The LCS is an Arabic-speaking Sudanese group that claims to have 16,000 Lutheran members. Over the past year, we have been communicating with this group via the internet. We have shared some Arabic printed materials so they can study the Scriptures in their own language. But we have never been able to meet them in person. Sadly, our plan to meet them in Ethiopia was not successful. The leaders of the LCS were not able to get the proper passports and visas.

Thankfully, other goals were more successful. My colleague, Dan Kroll, focused on meeting with a group called the Gambella Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC). (Gambella is a region in western Ethiopia). The members of this group number about 150 and most of them belong to the Anuak tribe. Together with Missionary Kroll, about 35 leaders of this group were blessed to study what the Bible says about the Church and its ministry.

South Sudanese Refugee Work
Meanwhile, Howard Mohlke and I were more focused on another group, the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ethiopia and South Sudan (CELCESS). This group – also located in the Gambella region of Ethiopia – claims to have 28 congregations and about 14,000 members. Many of the members belong to a tribe of people called Nuer.

Especially, we met with a man named Lam Nhial Luak. Lam himself has been very well trained in Lutheran teachings. He holds a Bachelor of Divinity degree given by our sister synod, the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia. WELS missionaries also participated in Lam’s training. Every month, WELS provides funding for Lam to teach a three-day workshop on Christian doctrine to 15 Nuer pastors. The pastors take what they have learned from the Bible and share it with their members. During our visit, we attended one of Lam’s workshops. On the following Sunday, we were privileged to observe Lam’s official installation into his teaching role and the ordination of four new pastors.

To be clear, WELS is not yet in fellowship with any of these groups – neither the LCS nor the GELC nor the CELCESS. I do not know what will happen with these groups in the future and if God will bring them to a full understanding of the Scriptures and into fellowship with WELS. But I do know this: These people love their savior Jesus Christ. They are eager and excited to receive instruction from God’s Word. They know that God has saved us, not because of any good thing that we have done, but by the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Through their study of the Scriptures, they have found the true cross, and that is a reason for us to celebrate.

Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at wels.net/africa.

Written by Missionary Mark Panning, world missionary in Malawi, Africa.




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Faces of Faith – Opiew

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I’m Opiew Okugn Adiew from Gambela, Ethiopia. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents were faithful believers and instilled a love for Christ in me, but by the time I was 30 years old, I began reading Scripture more critically and openly questioning some of the doctrines I was taught. I became dissatisfied with false teachings among my church and many churches in my community. My concerns became large enough that a few friends and I decided to start our own church based solely on Scripture. One of my friends had a little theological education, but we all desired more training. I contacted WELS and was directed to the One Africa Team, which got me connected with TELL. Fast forward to today, and I have become a more confident church leader. When you share the gospel, you need to understand the grace of God. That is what I understand from the TELL program because they understand the Bible well.

I shepherd a congregation, leading worship and Bible study. I share the TELL method of training with other pastors, teachers, and lay workers in the local dialect but continue studying with TELL in English. If you want to become a strong preacher, you need to use the TELL program. . . to think, evaluate, and learn the Scripture, and finally to lead a church to understand the Scripture. You can establish friendships with many pastors around the world!

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Your gifts are making a difference in Africa

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I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3-6

The WELS One Africa Team currently works with established church bodies in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. Your gifts are making a difference for these sister churches as we partner with them in outreach and assist in their theological education programs. Below are just a few specific ways that God is using your support to bring his gospel message to more people throughout Africa:

Constuction on the new school in Ethiopia

  • WELS is supporting the building of an additional elementary school campus that the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia will operate in Gambella, Ethiopia. The current campuses in Dukem serve over 750 students.
  • Missionary John Roebke and his wife, Nancy, assisted with a marriage workshop for pastors and their wives from the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ – Kenya (LCMC–Kenya) alongside LCMC-Kenya President Mark Anariko Onunda. One attendee shared, “It has refreshed our family and taught us new things that will strengthen our staying together and our work in the Lord’s vineyard too. It was a good encouragement.”
  • Missionary Daniel Witte continues to visit various sister churches throughout Africa to provide theological education for pastors, and partner with the LCMC-Kenya to lead workshops for Kenyan lay and called church leaders.
  • Pastors from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia come together in various locations throughout Africa to study different courses as they work towards a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. A course on marriage was taught in Zambia in June, and another course on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit was held recently in Malawi.

Thank you for your support! We pray that God continues to work through WELS’ sister churches and the One Africa Team to change lives in Africa—like those of Eric Kebeno from Soweto, Kenya, and Eunita Odongo, a deaconess in the LCMC-Kenya.

Pray for our African brothers and sisters in the faith as they continue to spread the message of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and love for sinners like you and me. Follow the One Africa Team on Facebook and subscribe to their blogs at oneafricateam.com for updates and stories of the Holy Spirit at work. Ask God to bless the work of the One Africa Team as they help spread the gospel throughout Africa.

Learn more about mission work in Africa at wels.net/africa.

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Visit to Kenya and Ethiopia

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Along with Rev. Larry Schlomer, WELS World Missions administrator, and Missionary Howard Mohlke,  head of the WELS One Africa Team, I was privileged to visit two of our sister synods in Africa in October. The experience is one I will never forget.

The first visit took place in Nairobi, Kenya. There we were greeted at the airport by representatives of the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ–Kenya (LCMC–Kenya). The LCMC–Kenya was received into fellowship with WELS at our synod convention in 2019.

We had the opportunity to worship in the new partially constructed church building (made possible by the generous support of WELS members). We spent the next two days attending the synod convention of the LCMC–Kenya. The faith, zeal, and commitment of the pastors and laypeople attending the convention were truly moving. In the days after the convention, we visited several congregations where members themselves are erecting new church buildings.

Later in the week we traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There we were greeted by Dr. Kebede Yigezu, the president of the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE). The LCE is also a relatively new sister synod of WELS, with fellowship declared at our synod convention in 2017.

One of the priorities of the LCE is Christian education on all levels. In a building in Bishoftu (also made possible by the generous gifts of WELS members), Dr. Kebede operates a school where three levels of theological training take place. We were privileged to attend the graduation of four men who had completed their training in one of the levels and are now ready to begin seminary training.

With his emphasis on Christian education, Dr. Kebede also has permission from the local government in Dukem to operate a Lutheran elementary school there. It will have an enrollment of 900 by next year. We visited the school at the start of the school day and were impressed by the enthusiasm of the students and the commitment of the teachers.

God is blessing the gospel ministries of these two growing sister synods. Your prayers and offerings have been a special blessing to them.

 

Serving with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder

 

 

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Unrest in Ethiopia affects WELS and sister churches

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Recent political unrest in the country of Ethiopia caused some frightening moments for missionaries and pastors of WELS and our sister church bodies in Africa.

Last week, two events scheduled to take place in Ethiopia had to be canceled when riots broke out in several cities. Representatives of the African churches belonging to the Confessional Evangelical Lutheran Conference had planned a meeting in the city of Bishoftu. That meeting was to conclude with the dedication of a new building to house a theological training school operated by the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia.

When the rioting broke out, the U.S. State Department issued a strong advisory that all U.S. citizens should return, if possible, to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, by air travel or take shelter immediately. After some rather close encounters with armed mobs, World Missions Administrator Larry Schlomer and Professor Emeritus Forrest Bivens, who were already in Ethiopia for the planned events, were able to follow WELS Risk Management’s plans and make their way safely out of the country. WELS President Mark Schroeder, who arrived in Ethiopia just as the rioting began, was also able to return safely to the United States. All representatives from other African countries and WELS missionaries were also able to depart safely.

News reports indicate that the decision to leave was a wise and necessary one. More than 60 people were killed and more than 200 injured when the rioting spread to Addis Ababa.

We pray for the safety of our brothers and sisters in the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia and for the end of the violence in a normally peaceful country.

 

 

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