Ethiopian Highlands and EECMY Congregations

Today, we traveled from Addis Ababa through the Ethiopian Highlands to the Blue Nile River and back to visit EECMY congregations from the Central Ethiopian Synod (CES) located in the highlands. The entire trip took more than twelve hours. So much was seen that it is difficult to describe it in a meaningful way but will try below.




We left Addis Ababa early in the morning and drove out of the city into the Ethiopian Highlands. The Ethiopian Highlands is sometimes called the "Roof of Africa." The pictures above were taken at an elevation between 9,000 and 11,000 feet. The air was thinner and to those of us not used to it, we found it more difficult to breath. Believe it or not some people were training to run. Plus the ordinary people who live there were carrying sacks of produce, charcoal, et al. up and down the mountain.



As we approached the pass to the Blue Nile River, signs warning of rock slides greeted us along with baboons who walked along side the road, and mist from the water falls.



This is a water fall that feeds the Blue Nile River, located approximately 10,000 feet in the highlands.


After a challenging drive on mountain roads we reached the Blue Nile River. The Blue Nile merges into the White Nile forming the Nile River.



In the Ethiopian Highlands we visited several EECMY congregations. At one of the congregations, we were served traditional Ethiopian coffee. The photo above shows green coffee beans being roasted dark brown the traditional way and finally served to us in cups.



We visited some EECMY congregations under construction in the highlands. When we arrived children from the village came to greet us. The Ethiopian Highlands are primarily Ethiopian Orthodox. There are many monasteries in the area where pilgrims come for healing. The sights reminded me very much what I have read about how Martin Luther found the situation at the time of the Reformation.


Pictured above is an Ethiopian Orthodox monastery in the highlands. In the top picture, the monastery can be seen with a water fall to its right. This water fall is considered holy and is believed by pilgrims to be a source of healing. In fact, many Ethiopian Orthodox churches and monasteries are built next to natural springs or water falls. In the lower picture, pilgrims can be seen streaming to and from the monastery. Many of these people are sick or crippled.



The Ethiopian Orthodox monastery and some of the EECMY congregations are located above the rift valley, specifically, the Zega Wedem River Valley in Debrelibanos Area.


On our return, we stopped at a mission outpost in the Ethiopian Highlands. We presented an Amharic translation of Martin Luther's Small Catechism to one of the EECMY evangelists. President Abraham presented with catechism with Dr. Collver. Nearby the church a boy plays with a bull whip and a young girl presents us with flowers picked from the plateau.

Today, we traveled several hundred kilometers North into the Ethiopian Highlands. We saw where the people of the highlands live and met many people in various villages. Tomorrow, we leave early in the morning to head West toward Ambo.

- Posted on 4 September 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations.

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Location:Dejazmach Belay Zeleke St,,Ethiopia

EECMY And Saint George Cathedral Visit in Addis Ababa

Pictured above (in no particular order): Rev. Dr. Wakseyoum Idosa Negeri, President of the EECMY; Rev. Pereje Jemberu, Vice President of the EECMY; Rev. Dr. Berhanu Ofgaa, General Secretary of the EECMY; Tadelech Loha, women's ministry; Girma Borishie, Admin and Finance Director of the EECMY; Rev. Abraham Mengesha, President of the Central Ethiopian Synod of the EECMY; Deed Jaldessa of the EECMY; Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations; Rev. Dr. Joel Lehenbauer, LCMS Exec Director of the CTCR; Dr. Michael Rodewald, LCMS Africa Regional Director.

Today, 3 September 2012, we visited the headquarters of The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The EECMY was founded in 1959 and presently has about 5.8 million members. The EECMY is generally regarded as one of the fastest growing churches in the world. In 2009, the LCMS signed a working agreement with the EECMY to see where we could cooperate. The purpose of our visit was to follow up on that agreement and to become more familiar with the people and congregations of the EECMY.



These leaders of the EECMY graciously agreed to meet us one day after the funeral of Prime Minister Zenawi. President Wakseyoum attended the Prime Minister's funeral on Sunday. The entire country of Ethiopia has been mourning Prime Minister Zenawi's death.


At the meeting the LCMS presented gifts to President Wakseyoum, including this red stole which was given as a special gift from President Harrison.



Martin Luther's Small Catechism translated into Amharic also was presented, along with copies of the Witness, Mercy, Life Together Bible Study. WMLT was well received by the EECMY as it is compatible with the EECMY's approach to wholistic ministry, chiefly that human care and social work needs to be done with Word and Sacrament ministry.

For the rest of the week, we will be visiting various synods (districts) and congregations of the EECMY.


After our meeting we had some famous Ethiopian Coffee and then headed to Saint George Orthodox Church.



Saint George Ethiopian Orthodox Church is an octagonal church built in 1896. It is a relatively small church that holds about 200 people. Shoes must be removed before entering the church, and there are separate gates / doors for men and women to enter. People with certain ritual uncleanness are not able to enter the church but must remain outside the gates until purified. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has existed since Philip the Evangelist explained the Old Testament prophecies from Isaiah to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:26-40.



The church is named after Saint George.



Christ defeated Satan on the cross.



The final judgement.



The archdeacon of Saint George's Cathedral gave us a tour. He was very interested in comparing the beliefs of the Orthodox church with the Lutheran "priests."


The archdeacon demonstrated the chanting of the liturgy in Ge'ez, an ancient South Semitic language that resembles Hebrew and was the original language of Ethiopia.

He also demonstrated the use of the drums.



When the drums are played the chanting is faster. This form of chanting has existed since the 6th century AD.

Tomorrow we visit EECMY congregations outside of Addis Ababa.

Posted 3 September 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations.

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Location:Airport Rd,Addis Ababa,Ethiopia

From Tanzania To Kenya -- Meeting with Church Leaders

Yesterday, we began the drive back from Moshi, Tanzania, to Arusha, Tanzania, back to Nairobi, Kenya. The scenery changed from the foot hills of Kilimanjaro, to the Mara / Serengeti which was very dry, to the hills of Nairobi. 

In Arusha, Tanzania, we stopped at the Lutheran Centre, the headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), to pay our respects to the leadership there, and to inform them that the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church of East Africa (LCEA) were in discussions with one another. Bishop Alex Malasusa was not in Arusha when we visited. In fact, he was headed to Moshi, from where we just came. In Moshi, we did have an opportunity to meet with Rev. Ambele Mwaipopo, who is in charge of Mission and Evangelism for the ELCT. Mwaipopo also is responsible for ecumenical dialogs. In Arusha, we met with Brighton Killewa, the Secretary General of the ELCT, pictured above with Dr. Albert Collver and Rev. Shauen Trump.

View along the highway between Tanzania and Kenya.

From the highway between Arusha and Nairobi, we saw a compound for Chinese road workers. For the past decade, China has been investing heavily in Africa, and building the infrastructure such as roads to make it easier to remove raw materials from Africa for shipment to China. Some Chinese men also see Africa as the solution to the shortage of marriageable women in China. The arrival of the Chinese in Africa has created a mixed response with Africans, tending toward the negative. When we asked Church leaders where Chinese people could be found, the answer given was “on their compound.” The people we spoke to indicated that the Chinese laborers typically had little to do with the Africans. The average term of service for a Chinese worker in Africa is between 18 and 24 months before returning home to China. We asked several African church leaders were regarding the possibility of evangelism outreach toward the Chinese. The responses varied but ranged from a giggle to sure anything is possible (if you can get on the compound). One church leader said that the Chinese in Africa, which are estimated to be between 750,000 and 1 million divided among several African nations, are not a primary focus right now. He said the real challenge is Islam.

Pictured above is a mosque on the highway between Nairobi, Kenya, and Arusha, Tanzania. Along one stretch of highway between Kenya and Tanzania, sometimes literally in the middle of no where, one can find a mosque. Many of these mosques are built along the highway on Maasai land. It is not clear if the mosques are even used. In some cases, we were told other than the guard, the mosque remains empty. However, the thought behind building mosques in these remote locations is that eventually they will serve people.

Back in Nairobi, Kenya, we met for lunch at the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden. Karen Blixen authored the book Out of Africa. It was quite a treat to visit this place made famous by the book and movie. For lunch, the Rev. John Halahke, General Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, joined us.

After lunch, Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations, presented Rev. John Halahke, General Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya, with a Swahili Book of Concord. General Secretary Halahke said that he had heard about the Swahili Book of Concord but had not seen it until presented to him as a gift from the LCMS.

In the video above, Rev. John Halahke briefly speaks to the importance of the Swahili Book of Concord. The trip to Tanzania and Kenya was very good. We look forward to seeing the fruits of this trip. - Posted on 18 August 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, LCMS Director of Church Relations

First Lutherans in Tanzania -- Leipzig Mission in Shadow of Kilimanjaro

Some of you may be wondering how Lutherans came to Tanzania. Lutherans first arrived in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania in 1836, sent by the Leipzig Mission Society. Around the this time in the 19th century, European Churches typically did not send missionaries from the State church. As a result pious lay people and pastors formed mission societies to send "missionaries" to the jheathen. Bible Societies also formed during this period. In fact, the LCMS was built in part by the mission society efforts of Wilhelm Loehe. Article VI of the Missouri Synod's Constitution prohibits work with "heterodox tract and mission societies." The first and immediate context of this for Dr. C.F.W. Walther would have been mission societies like the Leipzig Mission Society.




The sign says "Jesus is the Victor." Other parts of Tanzania were settled by other mission societies -- from Scandinavia etc. The Leipzig Mission Society introduced a liturgy from the Leipzig Agenda, Which was based off the Saxon Agenda used by Walther. Thus the Tanzanian Lutherans around Kilimanjaro have a liturgy very similar to the Missouri Synod.



A Lutheran Church of East Africa congregation in the foothills of Kilimanjaro.



Sun setting against Mount Meru, from grounds of the Leipzig Mission Society in the foot hills (1 mile elevation) of Kilimanjaro.

Rev. Dr Collver on 16 August 2012

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Location:Kilimanjaro Rd,Moshi,Tanzania

LCEA Examines New ELCK Hymnal

When we arrived in Mdawi parish, I had the opportunity to show a draft copy of the forthcoming ELCK Swahili hymnal.



The bishop and pastors immediately began singing the liturgy from it.

The bishop and pastors made excited comments to each other in Swahili. Occasionally, a comment in English would emerge -- "Good," "I like that."


Rev. Shauen Trump pictured with the bishop.

Dr Mike Rodewald asked if the hymnal was similar to others. The bishop said,"It is the Leipzig liturgy. This is good."



After examining the hymnal, the Bishop asked when will it be available? We could use this.

- Poster on 15 August 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver

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Location:Arusha - Himo Rd,,Tanzania

The "Good" Church - A Visit Between the Lutheran Church East Africa and LCMS

Bishop Jesse Angowi of the Lutheran Church of East Africa (LCEA) requests closer ties to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) near Moshi, Tanzania. The Lutheran Church of East Africa was formed in the shadow of Kilimanjaro in 1999.



In the car ride between churches, a discussion of "Missouri" emerged. "Missouri" to a Swahili speaker sounds like "Mzuri" / "Nzuri" which means "good." Bishop Angowi said, "When we hear Missouri Synod, we hear 'good' church." He said the Missouri Synod is a good church because it holds the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions. He also said Missouri Synod is a good church because it does not support the liberal agenda other churches support.



Dr. Collver presents Bishop Angowi with the Book of Concord in Swahili.



Bishop Angowi distributes The Book of Concord to his pastors. The pastors noted that they had used a different version of the Book of Concord in Swahili before receiving their own copy recently published by Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Apparently, the Germans previously ha translated it. The pastors were very pleased to receive a copy.



Later in the day, a gift was presented to President Harrison, "African Cake." Bishop Angowi said we needed to decide what to do with the gift. We could wrap it up and take it to President Harrison if we wished. After a brief consultation, we decided that TSA and US Customs would not allow us to return with a roasted goat, so we suggested that we all enjoy the "African Cake" together.



Bishop Angowi served Rev. Shauen Trump the "African Cake."



The women who prepared the food sent greetings to the women of the Missouri Synod.



As we traveled to different churches, we stopped at a mine, where volcanic rocks are quarried with mâchés. At the mine, we discovered an orphanage for children.



The pastors of the Lutheran Church in East Africa prayed with the children. We also saw a turtle that was able to entertain the children. We asked if the turtle was food for the children. With a somewhat puzzled, then amused face, the pastor replied, "No. We do not eat turtle -- the Chinese do." Recently, many Chinese have entered Tanzania to build roads for Chinese companies to more easily export natural resources. The Chinese road crews live in Chinese camps and have little interaction with the Tanzanians. A positive contribution has been greatly improved roads. A negative is that none of this has created new jobs for Tanzanians, as the Chinese companies import all their workers from China. Because the Chinese live in self-contained camps, there has not been opportunity for the churches in Tanzania to evangelize the Chinese workers.



On the wall of the mine, a miner had carved in Swahili, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life."



At the mine a worker carries volcanic rock.



Bishop Angowi said without the mine for volcanic rock, his churches could not afford to build churches because cement blocks are too expensive.



The back of the church.

We also visited St Peter Theological Seminary. Today and tomorrow we visit parishes in the shadow of and on the slope of Kilimanjaro.




- Posted 15 August 2012 by Rev. Dr. Albert Collver.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Moshi, Tanzania