July was a month of celebrations. In mid July, Perspectives, the course God used to birth Horn of Africa Mission, celebrated its 50th anniversary in Chicago. A week later, the Ethiopian Evangelical Churches Fellowship of North America celebrated its 50th anniversary in Washington D.C. I (Dr. Markos Zemede) had the opportunity to attend both celebrations.
In Chicago, we celebrated the rich history of how God has used Perspectives over the last 50 years. We rejoiced in the growth of the global church in reaching the nations and were able to shed light on the remaining Unreached People Groups. I had an opportunity to speak in three small groups in the area of Christian Discipleship for Holistic Engagement.
In Washington D.C. we celebrated God’s faithfulness to Ethiopian Evangelical Churches in the US over the last 50 years. Like many other ethnic churches, the last 50 years held many struggles but also witnessed extraordinary growth. Many of these churches are well-established and are ready to play a significant role in missions. We have established many partnerships to do missions together in Ethiopia and outside of Ethiopia. I am hopeful the coming years will be the golden years for Ethiopian Evangelical Churches in the US as they extend beyond their four walls to reach the unreached in Ethiopia and beyond.
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Let me take the celebration closer to our ministry. We are overjoyed to share that our ministry has been incredibly fruitful. Your unwavering support and continued prayers have been instrumental in taking the gospel to more people and witnessing the salvation of many.
In the second quarter of 2024 (April-June), our partners reported more than 49,000 people who have heard the gospel message, and over 5,300 received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, which has resulted in 414 churches were planted.
One of our West Africa missionaries reported it this way: “During this month (June 2024), God opened the doors to a Fulani community in our locality. These are three large Fulani families who lived on the Mali border. Because of the terrorist attacks, they immigrated to our locality. God directed us into this community to tell them about Jesus Christ. Twelve people from this community accepted Jesus Christ.” As a result, there is now a newly planted church serving these new believers and their community.
As we celebrate what God has done, we are even more excited about the future and the opportunities that lie ahead. In August we will be training and sending our first missionaries in India. In October we are planning to train and send new workers including workers in 5 new West African nations. Our passion is to see Jesus worshiped by all people of the world and to have many more brothers and sisters in heaven.
Your generosity, prayers, and encouragement are greatly appreciated. Your faith in our work fuels our passion and drives us to continue running toward the unreached with the gospel. I am reminded of the words of Proverbs 11:25: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Thank you so much for your partnership. May God continue to bless you and your family.