July 23 – 26, 2009
Washington, DC
The opening of the conference:
The conference opened officially as scheduled on Thursday, July 23 at 6:00P.M. Pastor Waaqtola Dingade, pastor of the host church, invited Rev. Gemechis Buba, President of the Union, to officially open the 14th UOEC Annual Conference. Mr. Berhanu Yadeta, president of the host church, welcomed all those in attendance.
Brief background and the future
It has been only two decades since the idea of organizing Oromo Christian churches became reality. In the early the 1990s, there was only a small bible study group in Minneapolis where Oromo immigrants first started to settle in relatively sizeable number. Today there are some 45 large and small Oromo Christian congregations and fellowships in four continents: Africa, Australia, Europe and North America. This is a remarkable growth.
The 2009 Annual Oromo Evangelical Churches Conference was a living and tangible evidence of the growth of this small beginning but also of a great future. When we first gathered in Philadelphia in 1995 with few in attendance (50 – 60) we did not expect to grow this fast and that the attendance will be in the four digits within a little over a decade. The event was big and remarkable. Many Oromo Christians came from several continents, including Oromia, Africa; Australia, Europe, and 26 states of the United States of America.
This fast growth is a reflection of what is going on in the homeland. In the near future, evangelical churches will not be a voiceless minority in Ethiopia where believers would have to conform to the Orthodox Church’s pronouncements on many important matters. It is so obvious that God is doing something that would greatly impact the future generation among our people, and the growth of evangelical Christian worldview in our country would be able to influence developments and play a vital role in changing the socio-political system that has not always worked for the benefit of the majority of the people in that country.
The theme of the conference was taken from Colossians 2:7 “Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him.” And this is very crucial, if our growth is only in number it won’t be a health growth. So the theme shows how important it is to get rooted in Christ and in Him alone and in his massage. During the conference preachers emphasized, based on the theme and its context, as described in the text: The origin of our Christian life is Christ; “having received Christ.” And the progress of this life is here described using three metaphors: a path, a tree, a structure. Whether walking, being planted, or being built, it is all “in Christ” and is meant to achieve union with Christ. There is no other foundation but Christ. To be planted on this firm foundation is critical for the subsequent development of the believer and the church. The building was to rise up and take form from Christ in whom we should be so well grounded. Without such union, the church is no longer a part of the body, and no true unity and true growth can be achieved. Unhinged from Christ, we will be easily susceptible to error, division, and failure.
Choir service
Choirs came from four churches: Minneapolis, Columbus, OH; Lancaster, PA and three groups of choir from the host church. In the course of the conference, the songs of choirs and soloists from the host church and others graced the conference with moments of spiritual glow and glitter.
Saturday International Event
Bishop Stephen Bauman, director of evangelism outreach and congregational ministry of the ELCA and mission director for the ELCA Region 8, and other American friends were present at the international event.
Rev. Bauman is a man who has deep passion for the right of immigrants. He haswritten a book titled, They Are Us, In which he that immigrates should not be treated as second-class citizens because they are, for all intents and purposes, Americans. He stated that immigrants, just like other Americans, love, build, and contribute to the growth and well-being of this country.
Before he came to his current position, Rev. Bauman was bishop of the New York Synod of ELCA. In that capacity, he once met Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and discussed specifically the conditions of Oromo immigrant community in East Africa and Yemen. Bishop Bauman asked the senator to give special consideration to possible resettlement in the USA of Oromo refugees in that part of the world.
Bishop Bauman delivered his sermon on Acts chapter 8 about the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch. He quipped, “the baptism seal has been put on them they are no more undocumented.”
ELCA Region 8 mission director also spoke about the unfailing and immeasurable love of God. He said: “It is this love that pours in our heart and brought us all together in His house so that we may be one in His spirit and live for his glory in his kingdom.”
On behalf of the UOEC the Rev. Tasgara Hirpo presented two books to the two guests: “The Evangelical Faith Movement in Ethiopia” and “A Biography of Onesimos Nesib”.
There were unique experiences to this conference:
Abtew Kebede, Kefa and Mesfin Gutu
This socio-political dynamics and historical episodes that Ethiopia has undergone have created a lot of mistrust among different group of people, nations, and nationalities for many decades.
Shaped by the same historical experiences as other peoples of Ethiopia, Christians were not impervious to these tensions, spirit of hatred and mistrust. Dubbed as politically motivated, the establishment of Oromo churches was not received well and appreciated by many Ethiopian Christian brothers and sisters. Oromo Christians were viewed as working primarily for political objectives. Undoubtedly, this resulted from experiences shaped by Ethiopia’s long history of mistrust among the people in the country of Ethiopia. So the relationship among the Oromo and Amharic speaking churches has not been characterized by mutual respect and brotherhood.
At this year’s conference, however, things begun to change dramatically by the appearance of gospel soloists, such as Abtew Kebede, Kefa Midhaksa and Mesfin Gutu, to serve in this conference. It was such a blessed time for Oromo Christians to have these brothers serve at this important event. Especially, when Abtew presented an Oromo song; “Aboo Waaqa keyyaa galatomi malee maal jenaree.” The entire congregation rose up and joined him as he walked singing among the large crowd in the church. The congregation was overwhelmed with joy and brought to tears. The coming of the soloist to serve on this international stage of Oromo churches has shown the beginning of a promising future for the good purpose of the ministry of our churches and mutual understanding.
Two great fields of ministry
- Dr. Belay Guta, who came from Ethiopia, gave a presentation on the growth of university Oromo student’s fellowship. Dr. Belay made a great impact in his brief statement. This fellowship started by not more than ten students about nine years ago, but today the fellowship has more than 22,000 members around the country at 72 different universities and colleges and the ministry has shown remarkable growth. Dr. Belay stated that Oromo students constitute a majority in almost every college and universities (from Moyale – Axum, from Asosa – Jijigga) but have so many challenges. This body of Christ understood the great urgency of the call to support this ministry.
- Borana Mission: Pastor Haro Guyyo, the vice president of the union, Pastor Aden Halake and Obbo Abera explained about the mission in Borana. Pastor Haro, who recently traveled to Borana, spoke in tears what he saw in the land. Churches are growing there but they don’t have adequate support. There is no worshiping shelter or church building. In many places, people worship under a tree. The churches do not have enough money to support their pastors and as a result there are no spiritual leaders in many places. In contrast, Islam is growing rapidly because of the continuous support from countries in the Middle East. There was a great passion among the people to do everything possible for the Borana Mission.
Largest Choir gathering
The United Oromo Churches Choir presented most beautiful moments in the Saturday afternoon session. There has not been such a large gathering in the past. This year the choirs come in big numbers from four Oromo churches. This big choir gathering was made possible by the growth of the church of Washington DC, which resulted from the “great reconciliation” that was conducted in Washington last year. More than sixty choir members stood on the stage for the service.
DC Church Youth Choir and the Agape Band
It was also unique to our experience to see a teen-agers choir singing in Afaan Oromo so nicely and eloquently at this conference. The host church youth choir members with the exception of two were all born in the USA and we thought they may not be interested in using the Oromo language at this public event. To our pleasant surprise, they were proud to sing in Afaan Oromo and they did it extremely well. It was a high moment and the entire congregation rose up to sing with this choir who gave us hope that anything is possible if we put our energy and effort to it.
Another Oromo youth group, “Agape Band,” also performed Western style music using different modern music instruments. This shows that our children will carry on the mission not only to Oromos but also to all other people in this land and elsewhere. Their effort is greatly appreciated. We believe that the Lord who planted this seed in their life will bring it to fruition and fulfillment.
Food services
The food service was great at this conference. What made it unique was that people were happy to buy the food served by the church without going around the city looking for restaurants. We are learning to pay for our meal instead of expecting free lunch which will help to reduce the expenses of the host church. May God bless our sisters of the church of Washington DC who served us with most delicious meals through out the conference.
End of the conference
At the conclusion of the conference the president of the union gave his closing remarks and made a call to different groups. Pastor Gemechis
- Exhorted the Oromo churches, to the body of Christ in these words: Be strong in the Lord and in his power. Keep the unity of the spirit. If we all are committed to serving the Lord and his church with integrity of hearts and with passion we will go far and do greater works with the power of the Holy Spirit to carry on the Good News of the kingdom to our people and beyond. Learn to solve the difference without going into conflict. Our call is not limited to our comfort area. Our mission must expand to other people in our neighborhood.
- Reiterated that it is our call and Christian responsibility to work with all people for the sake of the mission of the kingdom. He stated the joy and pleasure of our churches to have the famous soloists: Abtew, Kefa and Mesfin in this conference.
- Extended his call to Oromo political leaders on behalf of Oromo churches to resolve their differences through discussion. He emphasized that failure to resolve political differences through dialogue will have serious consequences for the Oromo people.
- He also sends the call of Oromo churches to political leaders in Ethiopia to stop persecution against the Oromo people. Historical facts tells us that the Oromo people have come through a lot of persecution, occupation of their property by force, and denial of their God-given human rights in Ethiopian for decades. We continue to pray and appeal to church leaders and other human right organizations.
Host Church
We would like to express our gratitude to the host church elders, leaders, and all others, especially to the women who worked tirelessly to make this conference the most successful ever. We realize that a simple “thank you” is a small reward for the great service and sacrifices you have made. Words are not enough yet they are all we have with which to express how pleased and gratified we are with the work you have done so well. Thank you and may the Lord bless you from His riches as He always does!
We would like also to express gratitude to the Voice of America and its reporter, Jalene Gemeda, for taking the air time to broadcast about the news of the conference. VOA has millions of listeners both in the county and around the world.
The following were speakers and worship leaders:
Speakers
- Rev. Dr. Gemechis Buba, the President of the Union
- Rev. Melkamu Negeri, Senior Pastor of Oromo Eva. Church in Minneapolis
- Pastor Fiseha Tesfaye, guest preacher from Oromia
- Eva. Fikru Eticha, from Oromo Church in Minneapolis
- Eva. Desalegn Etifa, led a prayer service
Worship leaders
- Dagim Tesema
- Fikru Jaleta
- Etefa Tesso
- Engida Dheresa
- Abdisa Belay
- Mesfin Gemechu
Soloists
Tirfe Abera and Dinke Melka served in and provided beautiful moments during the conference.
Pastors and Council Meeting
Prior to the actual conference, pastors and mission developers of the Oromo Churches held a one-day meeting. The Rev. Tesgera Hirpo conducted a Bible study for them.
The UOEC Council also held its 11th annual meeting on July 23 2009. Rev. Teshome Woge presented bible study. The Council discussed several administrative, financial, and spiritual issues, in the process passing various resolutions. The Council accepted the request from Oromo Church in Portland, Oregon to hold the next year, 15th Annual Conference.
In his gracious service, respectfully,
Challa Gebissa Baro
UOEC Coordinator
