Mission updates and prayer requests from One Africa Team
How did you become a Christian? When did it happen? Were there other people who helped you to know Christ?
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to visit Ethiopia. The main reason for my visit was to teach a course on St. Paul’s Letters to Timothy and Titus. The course was intended primarily for young men who are preparing to be pastors in the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE). There were seven students in the class.
Continue reading “How did you Become a Christian?”
Things did not go according to the plan. No, not even by a mile.
What was the plan? The Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE) wanted to start a Lutheran nursery school. The plan was that there would be three age levels – something like nursery school, preschool, and kindergarten. In addition to the normal subjects, students would be taught the word of God. The LCE planned to offer these classes in the city of Bishoftu, in the building where their largest congregation gathers to worship every Sunday. They planned to enroll about 75 students, some from their own membership and others from their community. The LCE leaders contacted all the appropriate government offices. They were very careful to follow all the government rules and regulations. And if everything went well with the nursery school, then they would add Grade 1 the following year. That was the plan.
But things did not go according to the plan. In fact, none of it happened. Everything failed. There is no nursery school in Bishoftu. Not a single child is enrolled there.
Continue reading “A Bigger Plan”
Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8)
It’s natural to share the Gospel with the members of our family household. We have many opportunities to apply God’s Word as we spend time together with people we love. However, it can also be very difficult to share our faith with our family, because no one knows our weaknesses and failures better than the members of our own household.
Nearly one out of two Ethiopians are members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the historic faith of the Ethiopian nation. Although there is freedom of religion in Ethiopia, Christians of other Protestant denominations make up a very small minority. Yet in spite of these significant cultural challenges, the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE) is growing, as its members share their faith one household at a time.
Continue reading “Household of Believers”