Report on Ethiopia: Part One

The following report is based on personal observation, interviews with Bishop Grant LeMarquand, and quite a shameless amount of "plagiarism" from various reports written by a new and dear friend from Egypt, Rosie Fyfe, who works with Bishop Mouneer in the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa.  

I will be posting these in bite sized chunks...so if you come in on some part of the tail end, please scroll down to the beginning...

Unfortunately, there will be no images, but, if you go to my Face Book site (https://www.facebook.com/johann.vanderbijl?ref=tn_tnmn) you will find picture galore.  

As always, please pray for the Horn.

Report on Anglican Work in Gambella, Ethiopia

1.  The Horn of Africa Episcopal Area

The Horn of Africa Episcopal Area includes work in four countries: Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti.

The vast majority of the Anglicans in this area are in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. The approximately 70 congregations are divided into 12 Mission Centres, with new Mission Centres under development. Averages of 6,000 people attend church services each week.  This includes churches in three refugee camps.  These Gambella churches are served by 16 clergy and a number of lay readers. The congregations worship in a variety of languages including Anuak, Dinka, Nuer, Mabaan, and Opo. English-speaking churches in the Episcopal Area serve both ex-patriates and Africans who use English. These churches include St Matthew’s in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and St George’s in Asmara, Eritrea. A new English-speaking congregation has recently formed in Mekele in northern Ethiopia. The Area also includes Somali speaking Christians.

As well as church life centred on worship and biblical teaching, the Episcopal Area is also involved in literacy training, training school teachers in non-violent conflict resolution, providing libraries where school children can study, sports ministry, agricultural projects, community-based health care, among various other events including ecumenical gatherings.

2.  Geographic Location of the Gambella Anglican Centre

The Gambella Anglican Centre is in Gambella Township, the capital of Gambella Regional State. Gambella is in the west of Ethiopia, bordering with Sudan, and has a population of 307,096 (2007 Census, Central Statistics Agency of Ethiopia). Gambella is one of the poorest and least-developed of Ethiopia’s nine states.

The Episcopal / Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa is part of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East.