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1st Quarter January - March 2000 |
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| The Apostle Paul and other disciples
traveled hundreds of miles on foot and by sea to proclaim the good news
of Jesus Christ. Over the past few centuries many other saints have
crisscrossed the globe introducing Christ to hundreds of people groups
using the means of transportation and communication that were available
to them. Many of those missions probably took years to accomplish.
In these days of advanced technology, it is
vital for Christian ministries like ours to use contemporary means of communication
to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. When EOM started its ministry
in the early 1980's, brother Melese was using an Armharic mechanical typewriter
to produce Bible study materials and a simple mono cassette recorder to
tape
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Christian
literature is now produced using the best Armharic software on the market.
Of course, the transition from mechanical typewriter to computers was slow
and costly. But God provided everything in time through His children
who cared much for their Father's work at EOM. The cassette ministry
has improved in quality and content. To EOM, the use of better technology
means effectively reaching millions of Ethiopians waiting to hear the gospel.
To that end, the Lord has enabled us to expand our outreach still further.
We are now reaching an audience of over 15 million in East Africa and the
Middle East through our twice weekly radio broadcast.
As the Lord enabled us,
the demand for yet another form |
We are cruising along technologically
and can now reach Ethiopians wherever they are any time of the day, as
long as they are connected to the world wide web. 
Many form all over the world have visited EOM's web site and have expressed
their excitement. A brother from Chicago accidentally found us on
the web while he was thinking of helping us build a web site, hoping to
enhance the ministry. He said, "You are always ahead with implementing
the vision God gives you. Thank you for your diligence in serving
our God." Another Ethiopian family from Belgium also sent us an email in
appreciation to the addition of the web site.
Since January 2000, we have added an
audio page where the monthly taped message can be |
| We continue to march forward with the vision God has given us to use any means to fulfill the Lord's command stated in Matthew 28:19 and 20. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (KJV) | ||
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| One of the many blessings Ethiopian
Outreach Ministry has is its Board Members, who have given prayerful and
dedicated service to the ministry.
The current members are: Mr. Chester Wenger, President; Reverend Steve Almquist, Secretary; Mr. Richard E. Snyder, Treasurer; Mr. Paul Hurst, Reverend Afework Kebede, Dr. Nelson Lehman, Mr. Mike Parthree and Mr. Shawle Wehibe. These brothers have been serving on the board for many years, sacrificing their precious time. Thank you, brothers, for the diligence and love you have shown for the Lord's work. In this issue of News and Views, we want to introduce you to one of the Board members, Mr. Paul Hurst. Mr. Hurst has been married 31 years to his wife Louetta. They have three wonderful children who all live in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. Their youngest son Troy recently got married, and their oldest son Chad and his wife have a two year old boy named Cody, and they are expecting a second child soon. |
Their daughter Tia is single and lives on her own.
Mr. Hurst and his wife enjoy the role of being grandparents very much.
Mr. Hurst attends Forrest Hills Mennonite Church, and has been a member there since 1968. His wife has been a member there since birth. Currently Mr. Hurst is the vice chairmen of the church council. He attends the Shepherd's adult Sunday school class, and teaches the MYF class, which is youth ministry. Over the years, he has served as a youth advisor; a mentor to various young people; as director of Sunday School, and as a Sunday School teacher. He has also served as the adult department coordinator, the youth department coordinator, and the junior high age Sunday school teacher (grades 5-8). Outside the church, he has served on the E.O.M. board for more than eight years. He has also served on the board of Student and Young Adult Services. He volunteers on the Advisory Board for Eastern Mennonite University, and is on the Lancaster Mennonite High School Committee for Sports and Fitness Center. |
Asked if he has any thoughts on
E.O.M., Mr. Hurst said, "It is a delight to be a part of, and to witness
the blossoming growth of E.O.M. over these years of service. My involvement
began through my friendship with Mamo Dula, (past board member) a dedicated
brother in Christ. The gracious manner and sincerity of Mamo and
his family kindled in me a deeper interest and love for the Ethiopian people.
The desire of Melese Wogu to reach his people with Christ, coupled with the growing volunteer staff, has fueled the E.O.M. outreach. We thank God for their dedication. I see one of the major challenges of the
future for E.O.M. to be the ability to get on the cutting edge of the electronic
technological age. Successful efforts in this area will enable E.O.M.
to reach out and fill the opportunities for Christ that are before us."
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| We need your help in publishing Brother Wogu's
upcoming new book titled "Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Identification
and Proper Application" in tens of thousands of copies so that fellow
believers in rural parts of Ethiopia and in refugee camps of Africa can
have access to this one of a kind book in the amharic language.
This book attempts to answer the questions of many Ethiopian believers
and churches as well that have been confused by the many teachings based
on experience rather than the scriptures.
It costs just 65 cents to print one book in Ethiopia. Do you know that about fourteen believers can have access to this book and don't need to copy hundred of pages by hand - just for the price of two Big Mac sandwiches you and your friend have for one lunch or dinner? In the past, believers copied by hand hundreds of pages from brother Melese's previous books because they cannot afford to buy one. Your contribution of US$ 65.00 enables us to produce 100 books. A gift of US$130.00 will print 200 books. That is about 35 cents per day. Imagine providing nutritious spiritual meal for two hundred people with so little amount. No investment can have such huge return. Five hundred Ethiopians can have this book for a contribution of $260.00. We encourage you to get involved in this worthwhile project individually, through your church missions committees, Sunday School classes and growth groups. Let us come together and make a difference. Share with your friends and churches about this project. For more information on this project, please contact us by regular mail, phone, fax, or e-mail. |
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OM's web site audio
page has been visited by more than five hundred people in just seven days.
With such a large audience, the goal is to put all the recorded teachings
of Brother Melese in an archive so that every one can access them topically
and by the subject taught in the messages.
he new book titled
"Gifts of the Holy Spirit-Identifying and Properly Utilizing Them" is coming
out in June 2000. It is currently in the hands of the editorial board
and should be off to the printers at the beginning of May. This unique
book in the Amharic language will help answer the questions of many believers
and churches who have been confused by teachings based on experience instead
of Scripture.
irror of Life -
"Yehiwot Mestawot" for the year 2000 is now being distributed. This
popular bimonthly Bible study is currently focusing on the women of the
Bible. There is so much we can learn today from these characters
that will help us get closer to God and be the kind of Christians God wants
us to be. Special thanks to Living Word Community Church which has
been sponsoring the publication of these Bible Studies. For a number
of years, the church has considered this project their Christmas gift to
fellow Ethiopian believers. What a blessed gift!
rother Melese ministered
in the United Kingdom from January 23 through the 31st to a record number
of Ethiopians. This was his first trip to London in more than a decade.
He also had a successful visit with believers in Denmark.
messages
that were distributed to Ethiopians in North America. As the need
for sound Biblical teaching among Ethiopians grew to global proportions,
the ministry started to expand, with the Lord's guidance.
of
communication arose: VIDEO. Yes, video has been added to our
ministry to reach thousands in a very effective way. A recent letter
from a church in eastern Ethiopia told us that a video series teaching
on the Fruit of the Holy Spirit has been used for thorough Bible
study programs. These videos have helped to take brother Melese to
places where he cannot travel in person.
accessed. Within the first few days of adding this new feature, more
than five hundred Ethiopians visited the audio page. This is all
possible with the help of dedicated friends who have invested their money,
talent, expertise and precious time in the Kingdom's "stocks." We
salute all of them in Amharic for their labors: Getta Yibarkachihu!
(The Lord Bless You All!)