Church Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION

The main reason of describing our church’s administrative structure and vision is to provide a vivid over view of what we had done.  What we are doing now, where we are marching to and how God has established us as a church.  Doing this hopefully will by far enable us make our ministry transparent to other and in turn will make us beneficiaries of financial, material and spiritual supports.

 

It was in 1991 that the currently ruling government overthrew the military government of Ethiopia.  The time was also known for its social, political and economical crises.  It was in this particular incident that we had began to visit church usually of Orthodox Church where almost all our families belong.  About 80% of the ministers serving God now, used to go to these local churches in search of spiritual security fearing the political turmoil of the season.  And as a result of our frequent visit to the church, we started to take part in the churches’ ceremonies, which by the time were delivered by, deacons and priests.

 

In the course of time, the great evangelical movement of the protestant Church, supported by the governments’ free policy towards religious activities, resulted in the migration of believers from the Orthodox Church.  The outcome of this scenario was that all of us were made to wake up and started to study the Holy Scriptures, investigating to find out answers for the major question, which used to be raised by the so-called “heretica”.  The dramatic result was turned for us to dig out that most resourceful and knowledgeable book-the Holy Bible.

 

Staying for a couple of year likewise, there arose difference of views, understandings, interpretation made on the scripture, life style among us, and the like.  The basic differences were quite significant and worth studying, basic difference such us:-

 

How do we make salivation ours?

Is it through Mary, the mother of Jesus, or through the mere deed of the cross?

Can it be obtained through our righteousness (as keeping Sabbath, visiting historical cathedrals and monasteries regularly or will it be ours by faith)

 

Consequently, glory be to God, we sometimes in group and other time individually began to be touched and in sighted by the power of the Lord and the cross become clearer and clearer in and sharper word of the Lord, which has the strength of discerning the thought of intents of the heart, we surrendered our life to our lives’ shepherd and protector forever.

 

We received Jesus as our Lord and savior not in the same manner as usually common-life up hands and get prayer around a pulpit.  It was rather in our prayer yard that we have known our Lord Jesus and accepted him as our soul’s conqueror.  It was in this wonderful and miraculous way that God revealed His astonishing salivation for us.  Hallelujah!!

 

Right after this dramatic event, the resulting change in our life made us to trust the truth of the Bible and consequently we started to challenge such things as contrary to God’s word.  There were for instance worshiping the angels to pray to saints and martyrs for seeking their intercessions, etc.  Following our protest, there emerged two entirely opposite outcomes.  One was that some people agreed with the truth and gave their lives to Jesus; however, others, blindly protested the truth and stood against us, among them were deacons and priests.  Hence, the communication grew tenser and tenser in due course time.  The tension and the contradiction between the Sabbath school (where most of us belong to) and the priests lasted until 1995.

 

In the mildest of all these consecutive events, God had been convincing us that He had called us for a special mission in His kingdom counting us faithful.  Thus, some of us reacted to establish a church, we as leaders.  As a result, the contradiction with the church’s priests, and administration could not be resolved even in the mediation of elders and bishops and hence ultimately burst out and caused us to leave the Orthodox Church once and for all.  Finally, those who had scattered due to the persecution came together and began to worship and serve the Lord, first in a private house then in a rented hole.  Besides, we made our prior agenda to address those who live in the total darkness of eternal death with God’s true light and train them to discipleship.  In the process of passing through the persecution in His grace and mercy, God had helped us to reach into a better spiritual status.

 

OUR VISION AND MINISTRY

In our past days, one of the things we believe for sure is that God has indeed given us a vivid vision to serve Him.  This of course was His eternal intention for us revealed in its right time.  In our ministry, we devote ourselves to the fulfillment of God’s eternal truth described in Colossians 1:28 saying “we preach, warning everyman and teach everyman in all wisdom, that we may present the perfect man in Christ Jesus”.  For this to happen, we labor and strive according to His grace and might.

 

Everything on earth become short of his glory due to sin and also believes that this chaos will be restored to its origin by the marvelous renewal work of God through Jesus Christ.  We, thus, work with Him for this to hasten to its end.

 

First, we witness the Good News to a person to bring him /her to God’s salivation work.  Moreover, we further take him/ her to his/ her life standard set by the Holy word by means of various teachings, trainings, advices, admonition (reprimand) and rebuke.  Putting difference in age group and social status in to their life and be best examples for their immediate environment and community.

 

However, due to our financial constraint, we are forced to limit our ministry, only in five places in Addis Ababa, Gambela, Hurumu, Metue and Dessie.  We believe God will multiply us in number and space in spite of the inconveniencies.

 

Currently, we do have many open doors especially the northern part of Ethiopian known by very resistant character but now they become responsive and there is a revival in Ethiopian Orthodox Churches.

 

So we need your help we do have a financial and materials problems.  Because of this problem we cannot reach the unreached people and areas.     

 

FAITH STATEMENT

·         We believe in God the father who created the heavens and earth.

 

·         We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who was conceived in the Holy Spirit in virgin womb of Saint Mary; we believe in Him who has given us His righteous life stretching on the cross to save man from his sins

 

·         We believe in the one Jesus Christ who did and buried to meddle us with God the Father and lifted up from the dead destroying the power of death, and reigned on His father’s right, and who will come back again to judge on the dead and the living.

 

·         We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who lives with God the Father, and the Son, and who emits from God the Father and who poured out on the apostles during the Pentecost.

 

·         We believe in one glorious church, not having sport or wrinkle or any such thing, without blemish and which is the member of His (Jesus’) body.

 

·         We believe in the Holy Bible consisting of the two covenants i.e., the Old and New Covenants with God administers His people and kingdom.

 

·         We believe that God is one in His essential being, but in this one being there are three persons called.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The real mystery of Trinity (Tri-Unity) is not either in mode of forms that the divine essence exists but the three persons are one in their essential binge.

 

·         We believe that God’s word is the principal of everything.

 

·         We believe that the people of the world shall be saved by the only way of salivation, i.e., believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and accepting the work done on the cross by faith.

 

·         We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a symbolic representation of His death (1 Cor 11:26, Mt26:26-29, Mar14:22-25, Luk22:19, 20). It symbolizes the believer’s participation in the certified Christ and the union of believers with Jesus Christ.  In addition, the effect of taking this bread and cup is that to proclaim that Christ died for our sins.

 

·         We believe that in one adult baptism which takes place by immersion that symbolize the spiritual death and resurrection death and resurrection of the believer.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

We believe that God has given the church apostles Prophets evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for His work, and for the edifying of the body of Christ.  We have structured our church’s ministry and administration set up based on this inspired truth.  And, hence, administrative issues and division of work in the church is arranged based in gifts described above. One principal leader together with council members in which leaders of the five gifts are involved lead the church from the top.

 

CHURCH ACTIVITIES

To address people in the Good News and believers grow to the likeness and fullness of Jesus Christ, the church has been involving in the following activities.

 

1.  We have more than seven regular teaching activities (class ministry) categorized under different spiritual levels.

2.  Apart from regular teachings, the church gives various seminars, trainings and workshop aiming at achieving different objectives.

3.  A brief on the Church’s library services.

 Currently the church’s library has:

·         More than 5000 Amharic and English books

·         More than 50 video cassettes

·         More than 300 tape cassettes being recorded with various teachings on different topics

·         The library servs 25 readers at a time

·         Three tape recorders.

·         Two professional librarians serving on part time basis

 

4.  Teenagers Service

·         30 teenagers are now involved in the service

5.  Cassette delivery service

·         This section sells and rents various cassette services with a reasonable price

6.  Home cell service

·         The service has currently been given in five different houses

7.  Sunday and Wednesdays worship program.

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