Beyond Our Prayers: An Amazing Half Century of Church Growth in Ephiopia

Hege, who served in Ethiopia as teacher and church planter for Eastern Mennonite Missions and the Meserete Kristos Church, here tells the story of the establishment and development of the Meserete Kristos Church. During the 1950s, when the emperor of Ethiopia was eager to build elementary schools in every town and village, he welcomed missionary teachers sent to the newly independent African country by various mission agencies. The Mennonites were instrumental in starting and directing many of these schools, including the establishment of a school in Addis Ababa for the blind. The Mennonites became involved in ministering to Ethiopian farmers by teaching them farming skills and also encouraged individuals to take ownership of their own land, in opposition to the Marxist government's emphasis on collective farming. Because of these policies and practices, Hege says, the Meserete Kristos Church became popular with the people and grew rapidly under Marxist rule. Hege also points out that the doctrine of church-state separation practiced by the Meserete Kristos Church is similar to that of the Anabaptist reformers of 16th-century Europe. Through firsthand knowledge, Hege presents a lively overview of the rise of the Meserete Kristos Church. (June)