The Addis Hiwot Ethiopian Evangelical Church has a rich history rooted in faith, perseverance, and community service. From its inception to its present-day activities, the church has played a significant role in the spiritual and social lives of its members and the wider community.
The Founding and Early Years
Tsega Kale Heywet church was founded in 1972 by six people at a school compound, Grace Christian Academy in the center of Addis Ababa. Though the number of believers at the time was very few, they spread the Gospel in the school and community.
Challenges and Perseverance
But the church was forced to close by former Ethiopian military junta, dispersing the number of believers. The church leaders at the time used home cell groups and other special events to keep the congregation and members connected. This diligence and perseverance of the leaders helped to keep the church together through the hardship.
Reopening and Growth
Though the church did not get the school compound back after the fall of the military government, it was reopened a few blocks away from the school with its original name “Grace Kale Heywet Church.” Now the members are more than 300. The church further stretched its ministry for its members by opening a Bible college in 1992.
Ministry and Leadership
Three full time pastors, children and youth ministry, and women’s ministry serve the members in spiritual and administrative work. The main pastor of the church is Pastor Wondemagen Biro. He served in the church for the last 20 years. It’s been eight years since he became the spiritual department head. He is married and a father of one. The church is led by a board of seven elders.
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The church reaches out to the local community with different religious backgrounds like Muslim, Orthodox, Catholics, and evangelical Christians.
Community Outreach Programs
There is one department in the church named Pineal. The role of this ministry is to mobilize, motivate and encourage members to support children, elderly people, and women who are very poor in the community. The women’s ministry has a special ministry for people who are in prison, supplying them with different items and visiting them.
The goal of the Home Based Care (HBC) program is to equip, inspire, and mobilize churches to build relationships with at-risk families within their communities. Relationships grow through frequent visits to families in their homes to offer prayer, biblical training, counseling, and overall encouragement. Funding for the HBC program comes from a combination of church partnerships and fundraising campaigns.
The HBC committee works to identify 20 orphaned or vulnerable children in the community who are in the greatest need. From there, they meet with the caregivers to determine if the family is a good fit for the program. Each family in the program receives at least one monthly home visit from the HBC committee. These visits ensure each child is receiving proper care and meeting pre-determined milestones in his/her development.
With long-term care of each child as our goal, World Orphans is serious about ongoing accountability. World Orphans staff members frequently communicate with the Ethiopian pastors and HBC committee to monitor and assess each child and the overall structure of the program.
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Home Based Care Program
The Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (KHC), which is an outgrowth of the Evangelical SIM missionaries, has the largest following of Evangelical Christians in Ethiopia, comprising over 7 million members.
The Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church was founded in 1927 in southern Ethiopia by the evangelical missionary organization Sudan Interior Mission and Dr. The first missionaries had initially planned a trip into the western part of Ethiopia, but after prayer felt that they were being led to the South Central area.
The following table shows the growth and expansion of the church:
| Year | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Church Founding | Founded in Southern Ethiopia by Sudan Interior Mission |
| 1972 | Tsega Kale Heywet Church Founded | Founded by six people at Grace Christian Academy |
| 1992 | Bible College Opening | Church expands ministry by opening a Bible college |
| Present | Current Status | Over 300 members with various ministries |
Historical Context and Influence
After World War I, Protestant missions had gradually been allowed into the country and Evangelical churches had taken root under the protection of the ruler of the country who had proclaimed himself Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930.
Eide expounds the attitudes and policies of the central leadership of the church on the eve of revolution and then during the revolutionary period, not least the stance taken by Rev. Gudina Tumsa (Guddinaa Tumssa), General Secretary of the EECMY from 1966, a stance which led to his death at the hands of the central government on July 28, 1979. Eide dedicates his book “To the memory of Gudinaa Tumssa and all those who suffered during the persecution”.
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Eide’s study has broken new ground and is a major contribution to Ethiopian history as well as to African church history.
