The Amanuel Ethiopian Evangelical Church holds a significant place in the ecclesiastical history of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its roots are intertwined with the work of dedicated individuals and the growth of the Evangelical movement in the region. This article explores the church's history, highlighting key figures, significant events, and its lasting impact on Ethiopian society.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Dawit Amanuel: A Pioneer of Scripture Translation
Dawit Amanuel (1862-1944), known as "Dawit" by local custom, is a pivotal figure in the church's history. He is celebrated for his monumental work in translating the New Testament into the Tigre language, a project that culminated in its publication in 1902. His dedication to making the scriptures accessible in the local language laid a crucial foundation for the growth of the Evangelical faith among the Tigre-speaking people.
In 1877, around the time his father converted from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Islam, Dawit became the first Evangelical believer from the Mänsa people. Dawit was educated at Gäläb at a school run by the Swedish Evangelical Mission. There, he worked on Scripture translation, for some years together with Tewolde-Medhin Gebre-Medhin. In addition to translating, Dawit began a Tigre dictionary and collected many Tigre songs and proverbs. Many of these were later published by the German scholar Enno Littmann. Dawit was also active serving the church as a pastor and evangelist and was ordained in 1925.
Early Influences and Growth
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) has played a significant role in the growth of the Evangelical movement in Ethiopia. The Mekane Yesus Church (with a membership of 20,000) was officially constituted in 1959 with the cooperation and support of Lutheran foreign missions from Scandinavia and Germany and from the former American Lutheran Church. In the spring of 1974, synods which had grown out of the foreign mission work of the Presbyterian Church (USA) joined the EECMY.
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Historically, together with Ethiopian Gospel pioneers, the Swedish Evangelical Mission, American Presbyterian Mission, and German Hermannsburg Mission work encouraged the growth of many strong synods in Western Ethiopia. The Norwegian Lutheran Mission has sent 600 missionaries to Ethiopia since beginning work in 1948. This has brought fruit with active growing churches in many ethnic groups in the south. The ELCA work began under the American Lutheran Church in the north. There are now thirteen congregations and 36 outreach places in the North Central Ethiopia Synod, and three congregations in other northern regions. Other European missions worked in more locations together with Ethiopians who have planted the Gospel throughout Ethiopia.
Map of Ethiopia
EECMY: A Dwelling Place of Jesus
In the second year of our decade-plus serving as “Global Mission Volunteers” in the ELCA (1995), Marie and I were in Addis Ababa at the seminary of the EECMY, the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. Here “Evangelical” = Lutheran, and “Mekane Yesus” = Dwelling Place of Jesus. Our initial caretakers and mentors upon entry there were Loren and Edith Bliese, pioneer missionaries from the American Lutheran Church, a predecessor body of the ELCA. They arrived in 1960, just one year after EECMY was constituted-and stayed for 48 years. They have been major shapers in what the EECMY has now become. Just one facet of that is this: When constituted fifty years ago EECMY membership was 20,000. Today it’s over 5 million. EECMY today has the second largest church membership in world Lutheranism. They know something about missions and evangelism that we mainliners don’t.
Two weekends ago the EECMY celebrated its 50th birthday. Also the 110th year since the start of Evangelical missions in Ethiopia. One such student is the festival peacher mentioned below, Dr. Gemechis Desta Buba, now also an ELCA staffer.
50th Anniversary Celebration
The EECMY celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gathering of guests from Ethiopia and abroad in the Ethiopian Conference Hall in Addis Ababa. Rev. Iteffa Gobena, the President of EECMY, welcomed everyone, and summarized the spiritual and developmental growth of the church, which has come about through the grace of Jesus. Bishop Jim Arends of the La Crosse Synod of ELCA led opening prayers along with representatives of other churches from Europe and Africa. Mr. Degefe Bula, the spokesperson of the Ethiopian House of Federation, delivered a speech.
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Dr. Gemechis Desta, a Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary graduate now serving in the ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission Unit, proclaimed the word on the basis of the Jubilee fifty year celebration of freedom in Leviticus 25. He noted the past times of persecution, and how by the blood of Jesus the church now has been freed. Rev. Rafael Malpica, the Executive Director of ELCA Global Mission Unit, brought greetings, noting the blessings the immigrant sons and daughters of EECMY have brought to the ELCA. Greetings were given by representatives of many partners. Getachew Bellete traced the historical origins of Christian witness in Ethiopia.
Medals of honor were awarded to many Gospel pioneers, and a list of places to be named in memory of many departed leaders was read. Included in these was the designation of the men’s dormitory in Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary in memory of Dr. Herbert G. Schaefer. Lunch was served to the guests, after which a panel presented “Christian Social Responsibility and the Role of the Church in Society.” The wholistic ministry of EECMY was traced from its beginning with both Gospel proclamation, and medical and educational services.
Loren Bliese: A Legacy of Translation and Education
Rev. Loren Bliese came to Ethiopia in 1960 with the American Lutheran Mission, and served for 44 years as a missionary under the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus. During these years he helped to organize EECMY congregations in Waldia, Worgesa, Wuchale and surrounding areas. He started the EECMY outreach to the Afar ethnic group in 1963, conducting a mobile clinic service in the nomadic area, and building a literacy school. He also initiated literacy work in the Wuchale area, and by 1976 was administering 70 literacy centers of EECMY.
From 1970-1972 Rev. Bliese served as principal of Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary. During this time the Theological Education by Extension program and the BTh program were initiated. During furlough in the US the next year, Rev. Bliese completed course work for a PhD in Linguistics. In 1976 EECMY seconded Dr. Bliese to the Bible Society of Ethiopia to be coordinator for the Afar Bible translation project. Three books of the New Testament were published along with New Reader Bible stories. From 1979-2006 he served as United Bible Societies’ Translation Consultant for Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Besides his dissertation he has published numerous articles on Afar linguistics, music and culture, two on Amharic, one on Konso, and many on Old Testament studies analyzing Hebrew literary structures, and on Bible translation. A study of Song of Songs was published by Yemissrach Dimts as Yefiqr Qine. He also published “History of the North Ethiopia Area Work: Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus-1957-1972” in Mission to Ethiopia: An American Lutheran Memoir 1957-2003.
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| Area | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Missionary Work | Organized EECMY congregations, started outreach to Afar ethnic group |
| Education | Principal of Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary, initiated BTh program |
| Translation | Coordinator for Afar Bible translation project, Translation Consultant for Ethiopia and Djibouti |
| Publications | Numerous articles on Afar linguistics, music, culture, and Bible translation |
In the afternoon a ceremony inaugurating the Mekane Yesus University was held at the seminary. The university will incorporate the various theological and educational colleges of the church. Many leaders were honored for their service to the church. Four honorary doctorates were awarded by Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary. The recipients were 96-year old President Emeritus Emmanuel Abraham for his long leadership to EECMY, and three for language development: Rev. Tesgara Hirpo for work on Oromo, Rev. Neils Reimer from Presbyterian Church USA for his work on Anuak, and Rev. Dr. Loren Bliese of ELCA for his work on Afar and 20 other languages while serving as Translation Consultant for the Bible Society of Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Edmonton
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Edmonton first started in July 1989 as a Bible Study group in the home of Terefe Sereke and his wife Firehywot Leikun, with about ten members. A little more than a year later, the Lord provided a meeting space at Grace Lutheran Church on 114th Street, with the help of a dear member, Mr. Bisrat, who had recently emigrated from Egypt. We worshiped at that location for many years.
In 1999, Pastor Seifu Kebede gave a prophetic declaration that the Lord would soon provide us with our own building. Shortly thereafter, the congregation mobilized and purchased a building, which we took possession of as we entered the new millennium. The Lord has blessed us in so many ways. We have been very involved with mission works via Covenant International Ministry and have given several hundred thousand dollars toward important projects, in order to advance the Kingdom of God in Ethiopia and other countries. The church is also very active in evangelism in the community.
Today we have over four hundred members and are still growing. We purchased a second building which can accommodate up to five hundred people. We also planted a church in downtown Edmonton and started an English-language fellowship called Hybrid Church for youth and young adults, in order to reach the broader demographic in our city and beyond.
We continue to expand our involvement in missions to include our city, province, and nation, along with several regions of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Beirut and other countries. We believe that giving to missions, even beyond our comfort zone, is the model laid out in the New Testament. It is our desire for God to receive the glory in everything.
Revolution, Religion, and Persecution
Eide’s general subject matter is the nature and character of the modern Ethiopian state and its relation to religion (Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical, and Muslim) and how the various religions/churches fared during the revolutionary upheaval. Efter 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”.
During the decade 1968-1978 the EECMY was legally prohibited from using the word “Ethiopian” in its name, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church having argued that it alone was truly “Ethiopian”, the other Christian groups coming from abroad being foreign. Documents from this period refer to the Mekane Yesus Church as “EC-MY” or “ECMY”. There is in the former capital, Gondar, an Orthodox Church named “Mekane Yesus” (“Place of Jesus”).
The mass movement can be seen from various “angles”. “Central to the proclamation and witness of the believers is the idea that Jesus saves. This is repeated very often, and one can never miss it in one form or another. There is no distinction between curing from malaria, pneumonia, or saving from sin. “Jesus Christ saves” means that He literally cures from physical diseases, as well as from the burden of sin. The simple preaching of the Gospel was very often accompanied by healing, exorcism, or by some other signs which were interpreted to be the new God demonstrating His power.
Over against this, the Mekane Yesus position paper asserts “an integral” “understanding of man and his needs”, to which the proclamation of the Gospel is a fundamental part of the response of the church which cannot be allowed to be missing.
