In our last News & Views, Dr. Melese shared extensively the immediate needs of the church in Ethiopia that are pointed out to him by the pastors and elders of various churches he met at his last ministry trip in September 2004. The first concern strongly expressed by many is the misuse of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the lack of order in their worship services. The second major concern echoed by almost all of those met with Melese is directly related to the issue of church leadership.

Brother Melese is now in Ethiopia stepping out by faith to explore the possibilities of establishing a center where church leadership training is provided and resources for enrichment of Christian education is available. Melese is pleased with the enthusiasm and receptive spirit of the church leaders he shared the vision with that they believe in their heart that this is God’s time for change in the life of the church in Ethiopia. A number of pastors who have known Melese and his work among Ethiopians in the past three decades described the establishment of such a center by Ethiopian Outreach Ministry as a major encouragement to many church leaders.

We encourage you all our friends and partners in the Lord’s work to engage in prayer for the task ahead of us. Pray for the Lord’s guidance every step of the way. Pray for the finances to acquire the necessary resources (facility, transportation, library items, etc.). Pray for churches and individuals to rise up to embrace the vision and bring it to reality.

Contact us if you like to learn more about this project and how you can be part of history making team in a more practical way.

“For God is not unjust to forget your work and
labor of love which you have shown toward
His name, in that you have ministered to the
saints, and do minister.”

Hebrews 6:10   

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YOU ARE INVITED

We look forward to seeing you at the biannual authentic Ethiopian dinner banquet that is held on

 Saturday, May 14, 2005

from 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Place: Salunga Mennonite Missions                     Fellowship Hall  

 You can RSVP by phone, fax or e-mail.

Phone: 717-846-2041

Fax: 717-846-9847

or e-mail eom@eomusa.org

RSVP:    by Tuesday, May 13, 2005

 Your generous donations at the banquet will be used to fund the various programs of the ministry including the daily radio broadcast that is heard by millions of Ethiopians in over twenty countries.

 Persecution of Christians in Eritrea

In  the past six months, the  number of correspondence  we received from Christians in Eritrea has almost doubled. Not only that, most of the taped teachings and Bible study notes are returned “Unclaimed”. Why? The answer is in one of the letters we received two months ago from a persecuted believer.

Dear Dr. Melese, Greetings to you and to all who labor with you at EOM.  I am writing this right after I was released from jail.  Ten months ago, I was thrown in prison for not complying with the new decree that banned all Christian activity. This prison is located in a desert military service camp near Djibouti where there are hundreds of  young men and women who answered to the military service call to avoid imprisonment.   In this camp there were over  90 believers. The government’s crackdown on these Christians mean a lengthy prison sentence for them.  In order to be released they have to agree to comply by signing a letter that states like this:

I  will not read the Bible at all again.

I will not attend any church service what so ever.

I will not be with other Christians for any religious activity.

I will refuse to accept any kind of Christian cassettes (teachings & songs), literature and will never listen to any Christian broadcast on radio or television.

I will not talk about Christ or Christianity, and I will not engage in preaching any religious issue.

After signing this letter, if they are found in any of the activities listed above, they will be in jail for a very long time in a condition that cannot be explained in words.  The great thing about this persecution is the remaining believers in the camp and elsewhere are determined to stick with Jesus. Even though their access to all the tapes and literature is “blocked”, the underground church is now getting very active.  We all have various means where we find spiritual encouragement. The primary one is ‘Yenigat Kokeb Dimts’ Radio program that you broadcast daily. Even in the desert camp and in the containers converted to “prison cells”, we were able to listen to the broadcast.

This brother requested that we pray for Christians in Eritrea to persevere in their suffering and use this opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.

Many Christian organizations report, (like the Open Doors) in their newsletters that the situation is deteriorating for Christians in the East African country of Eritrea. It is ranked No. 16 on the World Watch List of countries where there is still ongoing persecution against Christians. The report from the  “Open Doors” newsletter adds that more than 400 evangelical Christians are currently in prison for their faith and are subjected to harsh conditions, including being locked in metal shipping containers in severe heat.

Let us commit ourselves to pray for our brothers and sisters as the pressure increases on their faith.  Pray that God may open the hearts of those in power in Eritrea who are responsible for these suffering and hostile circumstances. Pray for the funding of the radio programming we are providing. (It costs only $60 a day). It is the only primary source of spiritual teaching and encouragement for the persecuted Christians in Eritrea.

Praise:
   • For the opportunity God has given EOM to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and for the dedicated servants who make things happen behind the scene with their prayers, encouragements, financial support as well as volunteering in various areas.
   • For the vision God has given brother Melese to start a leadership and training center in Ethiopia and for the impact it will have in the church of Jesus Christ.
   • For the continued persistence of persecuted Christians in Eritrea despite imprisonment and torture for receiving Christian resources through the mail, for gathering to worship and for tuning in to Christian radio programming.
   • For the wonderful opportunity God has given us to minister through radio. Thousands of Ethiopians continue to be impacted by the teachings of God's word over our daily radio broadcast and through the tape ministry
  • For answered prayers… you prayed that many will hear the gospel for the first time at our special broadcast on Jan. 7, ‘05 (Ethiopian Christmas). Thousands had the opportunity to hear about Jesus for the first time. We pray that the seed that was sown will grow and bear fruit.
 

Please Pray...
  • For Christians who are being persecuted in Eritrea (former province of Ethiopia in the north). As you read in the front page article, Christian literature or tapes are still banned from reaching believers in Eritrea. Pray that God’s grace be abundant for Christians in Eritrea so that they may overcome the challenge before them. Pray specifically for a few of the church leaders who are in prison. Here are their names. Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel (Full Gospel Church-Eritrea Board member), brother Haile Naizgee (Remma Chruch), Pastor Tesfatsion Hagos (A’atovea Christians Fellowship), Priest Gebremedhin (Orthodox Medhane-Alem church), Dr. Fitsum-Berhan, Dr. Tekle-Ab. Remember to pray for them as if you are there in the jails with them.
  • For the Bible believing churches in Ethiopia to press forward in proclaiming the gospel and stand together in strengthening believers as they face various challenges including the rise of Islamic activities and false teachers as described in 2 Peter 2:1. 
  • EOM is facing a tremendous financial burden due to a steady drop of giving in the past few months. We need your prayers. We believe God will come through IN HIS TIME. But we need your prayers more than ever. So much still needs to be done. We just can’t stop here after 23 years when the spiritual hunger is at epic proportion.

Thank you for praying

It is Short of a Miracle

Or is it? Over two decades ago EOM started sharing the love of Christ to hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians on a budget that is so tight almost half the time no one would know where the funds will come to do all the work. Printing tracts, Bible study resources, books, producing messages on cassette tapes and mail them to hundreds, broadcasting over the radio waves to millions at a time in over 23 countries, pay for electricity, phone, building maintenance, etc…. All this is happening because a very small percentage of believers and churches, both Ethiopian and non-Ethiopian, commit themselves to see the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ be fulfilled among Ethiopians.

In the past few months, the giving to this ministry has been very low and our faith once again been tested to the maximum. We know fundraising is not our strong area. But when things get tight, we decided to let you know we need your financial help. A consistent, regular support of a fixed amount is what is really needed for the long term. We consider ourselves as your extensions to the millions of lost and hurting Ethiopians and for believers suffering for their faith.

Please allow me to give you a challenge. Do you know if each of you who are on our mailing list commit yourself to give just $5 per month and encourage three other friends from your Bible study group or family members to do the same, we will be able to meet many of the spiritual needs and fulfill the command of our Lord Jesus to proclaim the good news and comfort Christians around the globe. $5 per month may not be much to you but imagine what it accomplishes when we all act together.
We want you to be part of our faith journey where God uses His obedient children to supply the needed finances to accomplish His purposes.