A location 80 miles north of Ethiopia’s capital is home to the strong and hardworking people of the Selale-Oromo tribe. When we visited, the whole area presented a picture of pastoral beauty and productive, though archaic, farming activity, with small herds of cattle, sheep and donkeys grazing contentedly on pastures between the fields of grain.
However, the tranquil scene belied the fact that among the Selale only a very few know the power of God that brings to their lives healing and deliverance. Many of this largely unreached tribal group are troubled by the overuse of alcohol, low moral standards and frequent fights. Very few churches exist among them, and Christian missionaries have been murdered there in the past.
In this high country of northern Ethiopia, God has opened hearts and doors for the good news of the Gospel! Through the initiative of Church of God World Missions to reach the yet unreached people groups of the world, evangelists of the Harvest Church of God of Ethiopia have been enabled to introduce the Selale to Jesus Christ. Despite initial resistance and even persecution, 22 Church of God congregations have been established among the Selale-Oromo within the last four years.
Baptism
Roland Vaughan, Jorge Giron and I had come from Addis Ababa together with Hiruy Tsige, the national administrative bishop of the Harvest Church of God in Ethiopia, to witness a water baptism outside the small farming town of Darodanisa.
A congregation of church people awaited us in the church building on the outskirts of the village. A group of 35 new converts were ready to be baptized. After a time of greeting and an earnest prayer of committal, we all headed down through the countryside to a little creek and watering pond for the baptizing. It was a joyous parade, though guarded by two men from the militia with guns at the ready. The church had asked for their presence because at an earlier baptism a riot had broken out and stones had been thrown.
But on this beautiful afternoon, we sensed no threat or animosity. Everyone seemed to be happy, including the men from the militia in their camouflage outfits. Two local pastors did the baptizing, and because of the joy of the moment, several additional individuals spontaneously decided to be baptized as well.
The baptism of the new converts, our visit and the fellowship with believers from the other congregations had made it a very good day. We could stay only for a short time because back in Kuyou another assembly of Church of God believers was waiting for us to minister in an open-air service.
Church Planting
When we got to Kuyou, a couple hundred people sat on the ground in the yard of the small building they rent for a church. On the way there, we had stopped briefly to view the new property on the edge of town, given to the Harvest Church by the municipality after some of us had met with the town’s mayor in late April in support of the long-standing request by the church. The plot of two and a half acres had already been fenced in, and we were told that the improvements on it will start before the end of the year. First a water well is to be dug and then a simple kindergarten building constructed.
The local government indicated to Overseer Tsige that an equally large, adjoining piece of property would likely be given to the church once they start with the buildings. As funds become available, the Harvest Church hopes to develop the Kuyou property into a multipurpose ministry and training center for the Selale region and for planting churches among yet other people groups in the northern parts of Ethiopia.
Heinrich C. Scherz
Associate Missionaries to Germany
Project Number 0600040
© 2009 Church of God World Missions