Ethiopia Update-October 2017
Emmanuel United Church of Ethiopia Annual Leadership Summit
More than 120 leaders from all regions of the country have gathered together in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia to pray, encourage one another, and to hear from God through His word.
God has given us great time. We have heard amazing and encouraging stories and testimonies from the representatives of each local churches and regions. I’ve included some of the life changing stories and reports in this article in the following part of the newsletter.
Emmanuel United Church of Ethiopia Annual Leadership Summit
Amazing Testimonies from our Regional Leaders
According to the report of Daniel, our regional leader in Kelem Wolega area; in the past eight months 1,320 people have come to Christ and 8 new churches have been planted in new areas and villages. According to him this breakthrough has come as the result of the prayer & fasting they made on the mountain for 40days in the beginning of last year.
To keep up the movement we have opened a training center in this region and 160 leaders and local missionaries are attending our training. We thank God for this breakthrough.
The impact of our leadership development program.
Our leadership development program is on progress. We have graduated 20 key leaders and master trainers for the third time. We have committed our leaders to God in prayer together with all our leaders who have attended our general assembly meeting.
Pastor Mesfin Mengistu, one of the graduates said that this training has helped me to see mission & Biblical leadership in different perspective. So far, I was just doing it by my personal motivation and courage. Of course I had the passion, vision and commitment and I considered myself as someone who have a spear but do not have an arrow. But now, after this training I got the arrow and now I know what am going to do with it.
This program will continue and we have selected and recruited more leaders to train for the 4th round
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Prayer & dedication of the graduates.
“The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.”
Dan 11:32 RSV.
I’ve been reading through the Book of Daniel in my morning devotion. The other day and got some insight regarding his leadership influence in chapter 1. And one of Daniel’s life & leadership qualities was; Daniel wasn’t afraid to be different. He didn’t just conform to the culture he found himself captive in. He was counter-cultural. Without hesitation, he requested that he and his friends be given a different diet than what was on the Babylonian menu. Daniel didn’t eat it just because it was put before him. He decided to be different. Daniel was comfortable in his own skin, and he stood out despite a careful effort to indoctrinate him in the culture and customs of Babylon.
I think, the reason that Daniel was not afraid to be different comes out of his Knowledge of God. According to Packer, the prominent theologian; those who know God have great energy for God ” the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action” Dan 11:32 RSV. Packer argues that the action taken by those who know God is their reaction to the anti-God trends which they see operating around them.
We thank God we have many leaders and local missionaries who are getting involved in God’s missional work and react boldly and confidently to the anti-God trends in their communities and bringing great transformation through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here is our list of prayer requests:
- Continue Praying for our leadership training & development program, may God enable and provide us all the necessary resources so that we may train and develop more leaders in the future.
- Continue Praying for our Animal for Orphans Project, that God would touch many orphans so they have got a bright future through this small gift.
- Continue Praying for our new classrooms construction project, may God help us to complete it timely.
- We have started a new project for our local church planters, we would like to provide them Bicycles or Motorbikes if possible, so that it will help them with their work as they travel to many villages. So, continue praying for us that God would provide us the budget for this new project.
Pastor Samson Weldemariam,
Ethiopia Director and Vice President of U4A
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