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"Think On These Things:" A Brief Ethiopian TravelogueBy David Kuhtenia Prologue – The following are a few musings from a recent trip to Ethiopia to attend the Annual Conference of the Apostolic Church of Ethiopia, December 10-12, 1999. Our pastor is a "Team Leader" for a group of North American ministers who have committed to personally assist evangelism efforts for seven years in specific regions of Africa (the "Africa Team"). Should I Stay or Should I Go? My pastor, James Stark has asked me to go with him to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend their Annual Conference. This sounds intriguing, but what benefit would this be other than for my own selfish curiosity? Hmm. I had previously been asked to go to the huge crusade they have in the spring in Ethiopia, where literally tens of thousands of people have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but declined. Clearly, at such a huge event, the heavy spiritual responsibility for ministry rests with experienced crusade leaders, not with a campus ministry geek like me. As such, without a real function to fulfill, it just did not seem appropriate to go. This, on the other hand, seems different. Here is a chance to see how things actually work in a national organization that has grown from a few individuals to approximately 1.4 million members in 30 years (really!). The Annual Conference in Ethiopia is limited to ministers and their families, and is expected to have an attendance of about 15,000 people this year. It will also be possible to meet with some of the individuals who work on their college and university campuses and compare notes with our North American campus ministry efforts. Cool beans, let’s go! Nairobi, Kenya – Columbus to Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi to Addis Ababa. Now there are some frequent flyer miles! Flight schedules necessitate an overnight stay in Nairobi, Kenya, complete with an introduction to African bureaucracy – there is no charge for a tourist visa if you plan to stay for 30 days or less. It costs $20, however, if you need a transit visa. Confused? No problem, the customs officer will make it perfectly clear that you should pay the $20. Hmm. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Finally, we arrive and pass through customs. There to greet us is Bro. Tekelemariam Gehazagne, Superintendent of the work in Ethiopia. Now here is a lesson in being "the servant of all" - the highest in rank is the first in demonstrating hospitality. This proves typical of the attitude of the entire ministry that we meet. While there may be a cultural fabric that places a high priority on hospitality to guests, there is most certainly a sound scriptural basis and mandate for humbling ourselves and serving one another that we can learn from these brethren. Hmm. What is like over there, you ask? Addis Ababa is the third highest national capital city in the world, so the weather is very pleasant (mid-70’s in the day and upper-50’s ° F at night; no need for malaria inoculations) in mid-December. The buildings and infrastructure are about as you might expect, with fairly modern business buildings mixed in with areas of squalor. One thing, however, which is unexpected, is the number of people along the sides of the roads. It is unusual to my North American eyes to see large amounts of people getting around in the most basic way when a personal automobile is simply not an option. Hmm. Bro. Tekelemariam also takes us by a small "Lions Den" zoo where several of these fine beasts are kept. The man watching over the area lets us in behind the normal visitor’s wall, close up to the cages. With a little bit of politically incorrect prodding directed at the lions from the keeper, we are treated with the closest, most snarling, (and smelly) look at a lion that we have ever experienced. Makes for a great picture! We end up at the Addis Ababa Hilton, which turns out to be a fairly nice place. If you really want to be upscale in town, check out the new Sheraton. We take a stroll through the lobby, and the place is absolutely spectacular. [Nicer than most business class hotels I have stayed in back home, actually. This level of investment may be due to Addis Ababa also being the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).] Those who have been here before say that if we were going to a location outside of the capital city, the accommodations would be much more "missionary-like!" Annual Conference – The main event, of course, is the Annual Conference. The headquarters church has the room to squeeze in about 13,000 people, with several tents set up on the outside with closed circuit monitors to help with the crowd overflow. The morning services are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., and the crowd is already in gear with worship as we arrive. The guest ministers are ushered in to the platform and are seated in a large area off to one side. In the middle of the platform is a large area with built-in risers to accommodate choirs. A simple pulpit is in the front of the platform and is moved out of the way when the choirs perform. Walking into this type of atmosphere is quite moving. The Spirit of God is palpable, and the anticipation of the audience to hear from God is clear. Many of the Presbyters (equivalent to our District Superintendents) sit in the first couple rows of the audience and are definitely into the services. The speakers from North America are translated, of course, which always brings about the occasional humorous mix-ups when trying to express oneself without using colloquial English. God bless the translators! In an attempt to at least try to be in step with the Conference in a small way, I learn how to say, "Jesus is Lord" in Amharic, and try it out on the crowd. They all laugh, but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained! The choirs are serious! Representing various regions of the country, each march in singing, perform several songs with all of their might, and march out rejoicing. Some of the groups bring along a few members in traditional garb, which seems to bring a lot of smiles and enjoyment to the crowd. The best way to describe the sound is "world music meets zydeco meets gospel meets youth choir, with an Ethiopian twist" (or something like that). The choirs perform throughout the service in between preaching and status reports from around the country. According to our translators, most of these songs are newly composed for the Conference, and all directly magnify and glorify God. Imagine that, songs that are not centered around the words "I" or "me" that help to usher the crowd into a powerful presence of God. Hmm. The services are set up to combine worship with preaching and a bit of business mixed in, such as the reading of the annual report. The morning session winds up around 12:30–1 p.m., and the afternoon session starts around 3 p.m. and ends around 6 p.m. Most of the services have two sermons, with more worship, choir music, announcements, and testimonies in between. As most of the proceedings are in the Amharic language, several individuals have been provided to let us know the essence of what is being said – thank you! One specific portion of the Conference is devoted to the ordination of over 150 ministers; part of the statement that is signed by each as part of this process explicitly states that they will lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel if necessary. Such commitment is a bit challenging, to say the least. Worship – Although it is obviously difficult to always tell what is being said or what the lyrics to the songs are, a mighty Spirit of Jesus Christ is present in the worship that is instantly identifiable. Although the people are most certainly physically moved on and by the Spirit, there seems to be far fewer instances of individual extremes that are common to many "dynamic" worship services encountered in North America. Is this a cultural difference or the result of a greater corporate unity in God-focused worship? Hmm. One other difference during both worship and the preaching is hearing a sound sort of like "aiaiaiaiai" in a high trill, usually from a lady. In asking about this, one of our translators says this is much like "amen" from an English speaker, and can be heard in all parts of Ethiopia. In fact, it is the opinion of one of the translators that the word "rejoice," such as used in the Psalms, is likely the translation of a similar phonetic expression in ancient Hebrew. Campus Ministry – Now, here is an aspect of campus ministry genuinely different from what we encounter: imagine working for God on-campus in an atmosphere where "officials" show up to see what sort of dissent is being organized any time more than a handful of people are observed getting together to meet and talk about God. Lord, help our brothers and sisters to reach their fellow students in such an atmosphere, and help us to take full advantage of the openness of our colleges and universities. The Conclusion of the Matter – Forty-one hours of travel and I am back home, eight days after leaving. Was it worth the trip? Absolutely. To see a vibrant, growing organization 1.4 million members strong doing their best to "continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" is an uplifting and challenging experience not soon to be forgotten. ninetyandnine.com © David G. Kuhtenia, 2000 -------- David Kuhtenia is the North American Coordinator for Campus Ministry International by evening, and is a consulting engineer to the nuclear power industry by day. He resides in the Columbus, Ohio area with his wife, the ever-so-fabulous Michelle Kuhtenia, and Jasmine, who they rescued from doggy death row. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
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