Remarkable Place, Remarkable People

There is a remarkable story of faith far removed from where I live in the Midwest of the U.S. where today there are grey skies and snow on the ground. In the valleys, plateaus, and mountains of sunny Ethiopia in the horn of Africa a dramatic movement of God has been afoot which reached dramatic proportions just in the past few decades. I recently returned to Ethiopia, and would like to share with you some of this story.

The country is known for many things: the origin of the coffee bean, the only African nation never to be colonized by a foreign power, an ancient connection with the Old Testament (the Queen of Sheba), and the New Testament (the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch via Philip the Evangelist in Acts 8), the site of ancient human remains, National Geographic photos of Stone Age tribes. Ethiopia is also associated with one of the worst famines of the 20th century from 1983 to 1985 in which almost half a million people perished.

I first visited Ethiopia 19 years ago when it was evident that the country was the poorest in the world. Today Ethiopia is experiencing a renaissance in growth and economics.

Christian faith is ancient in Ethiopia, perhaps going back to that court official in Acts 8 who was a seeker of God. The Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity in the country uniquely combines elements of the Old Testament with Christianity, perhaps owing to the legend that the Ark of the Covenant was brought there, and is still hidden in the north, under guard.

The movement of evangelical Christianity is a stunning part of the story. Millions of evangelical Christians spread the faith today in the cities, towns, and villages. There are many churches that have thousands of members. There is a vital movement among Ethiopian Muslims (with some threat from outside extremists). While the West continues to become more and more post-Christian, not so in Asia. Not so on the continent of Africa. Certainly not in Ethiopia.

When I first visited in 1996 the effects of the communist regime, which had fallen just five years earlier, were evident. Their 17-year rule left the country in ruins, and also included withering persecution of Christians. There were many martyrs. Many imprisonments. An absolute attempt to snuff out faith. But, as in other parts of the world, faith in God could not be suppressed. When the regime fell, a large evangelical Christian community emerged from the shadows. Today the church of Ethiopia, tested by fire, is a mighty movement.

On my last day in in the country, this past Sunday, I was taken to the southern city of Sodo where missionaries of SIM (today, “Serving in Mission”) began their work in 1927. Today there is a gathering here every other year of thousands of believers who come for three days of teaching and worship. The crowds are said to swell to 40 to 50 thousand people, sitting on the ground, packed in together, glad to have their souls fed. It is an astonishing sight. I gave the Sunday morning sermon, based on Ephesians 4 on the unity of the body of Christ. My life has precious little similarity to the life of a rural Ethiopian farmer who earns $300 per year—except all the important things of life—faith, forgiveness, hope, purpose, truth.

My main reason for going this time was to teach at the annual meeting of leaders of the largest evangelical denomination, the Kale Heywet (Word of Life) Church. Their 8,000 churches include eight million members. Their leaders take leadership training seriously, as is evident in the 125 Bible schools, colleges, and seminaries spread across the country.

The meetings were held in one of the remote districts. As we drove into the small town of Arbegona in the mountains after three hours of bouncing around in a Land Cruiser up the rough roads, we were greeted by thousands of cheering people lining the streets. In an open field six or seven thousand gathered, some young fellows climbing into trees to see the opening ceremony. Children screamed with delight. Choirs sang. People listened to speakers until after dark. It was a reminder for me of the ministry of presence. The denominational leaders purposely rotate their annual meeting to various districts. It is not convenient. But it is enormously encouraging to the local residents their leaders come to where they live.

Later this month the Kale Heywet Church will host an important conference at which representatives from across Africa will gather to consider the important subject of discipleship. They will meet in the halls of the newly-built center for the Organization of African Unity, which is a bit like the UN for the African continent.

As always, I learned more than I taught. It is a privilege for any followers of Jesus anywhere in the world to be part of the same spiritual family as the believers spread across the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia.

Now, for another cup of coffee…