The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was st

Date: Saturday, November 6, 2010, 4:45 AM Dearest all EKHC partners and friends, RE: Our dearest Brother Yacob Aga Ollie: The EKHC global missionary to South Sudan, esteemed member of Kera KHC in Wolayita region has served in the EKHC global mission field since March 2006 to October 2010. With much sadness, we received the news of the falling asleep in Christ of our beloved brother, Yacob Aga Ollie (3/8/72—10/25/2010) who fell ill with cerebral malaria on October 24 and was promoted to heaven on 25 October 2010. Death in human experience has never been easy, whether it comes in youth or in old age, whether it comes suddenly or after a long illness, it always leaves in its wake sorrow, tears, loneliness and longing. But our Lord, who has conquered death by his own death, proved to us that beyond Calvary, there is the empty tomb and all of us, if we live the way Brother Yacob Aga Ollie the EKHC missionary lived, will be with Christ in His heavenly kingdom. During the past four and half y

Like A Mighty Wind When the day of Pentecost arrived , they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome,

In 2010 thirty-three men, trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground and 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the mine's entrance were rescued after 69 days. Prayer went up and down. "When we prayed," said one miner, "we didn't pray to get rescued; we prayed for the people outside not to abandon us." Another said God was the 34 miner. More . I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare. [Psalm 40: 1-5

Adoption--What's New? By Mitiku Adisu Ethiopian adoption could be turning a corner . The talk now is to “avoid overseas adoption” and in as much as possible to care “for orphans near their birthplace”. This is not a novel idea as it has always been part and parcel of the treaty for international adoptions. What then accounts for this change of heart? It could be the result of pressure coming from rights groups. It could also be a creative endeavor on the part of Ethiopian government in these economically trying times to divert to local institutions the substantial sum of money changing hands in the name of adopting orphan populations. At any rate, the “new” idea is now dubbed the “Bantu Model” [Bantu being a village in Ethiopia]. We are told the model is already showing promising results and will soon be replicated internationally. Interestingly, this all sounds very much the lingo of foreign aid organizations. And foreign aid hasn’t always been the appropriate tool for nurtur

By Mitiku Adisu The media seem to enjoy bashing anything Christian. They could not get enough of the news of Terry Jones wanting to burn the Qur'an. This, of course, is a proven strategy to sell ads and papers. That’s what’s happening in the latest big event. Reporters knew too well what kind of pastor Terry Jones was. But it didn’t matter a bit. They could have ignored Terry Jones and thus made his crusade irrelevant. We only wish the media would be impartial and show similar zeal when Bibles are burned here or abroad. For now the media is caught between defending Terry Jones’ First Amendment rights and pleasing Muslim cause. Even atheists are now against burning the Qur'an! In the North West part of the U.S. there was or is a plan to buy the Qur'an for every one that Terry Jones burned. In Minnesota they will be reading the Qur'an in church; these are “professed” Christians. Reading of the Quran would probably be more appropriate in a comparative religion class

    By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with gr