Shenandoah
Hosts Bruce and Lora Whearty
The Wheartys are coming to Shenandoah. They are arriving here on Friday evening,
April 18, will itinerate through April 22, and then return to the Warrenton
and Strasburg areas on Saturday evening, April 26. They will return to Louisville
on Monday, April 28.
To see their full schedule, visit the presbytery website.
A link to their schedule is located on the presbytery homepage.
Bruce and Lora Whearty are no strangers to our
presbytery. Bruce spoke at a February meeting of Shenandoah Presbytery several
years ago at Massanetta Springs during a mission fair. Later they visited
several congregations in the northern part of the presbytery.
Others from Shenandoah attending the Mission Celebration
'07 event in Louisville met and talked with them as they shared about the
possibility that they would be going to Ethiopia as mission workers. For many,
putting a face with the name was all it took.
Bruce and Lora have been called to teach at the Bethel
Mekane Yesus Girl's School on the Bethel Synods Compound in Addis Ababa. Bruce
will also be working with area schools while Lora will focus on studies a
the Girls School.
If all goes as planned they will be leaving in early
August for Addis Ababa to begin their work there. In the meantime there
is much to do. They have been mission workers in the Louisville offices
of PCUSA doing mission interpretation for a couple of years. Their two daughters
are in school there, and when Bruce and Lora get on the plane, they will be
leaving their children behind in Louisville where their local congregation
will help support and be a home for them.
|
Illubabor Bethel Synod
Reports Growth of Synod
Our mission partners, the Illubabor Bethel Synod, held their
10th Convention February 21-24, 2008 in Metu, Ethiopia. The gathering was
joined by a Millennium Celebration, to celebrate with the whole country the
beginning of a new Millennium. There is an 8 year difference between the U.S.
and the Ethiopian calendars.
Representatives attending from Shenandoah included the Revs.
Bob von Oeyen and Reed Hopkins, and Cliff and Betty Gilchrest.
The synod reported the following in a letter send to Shenandoah
dated March 8, 2008:
- Bekelech Bulli, the first female pastor in the history
of IBS, was ordained.
- Thirty-eight new congregations were established.
- Thirty-nine new pastors, including the first female pastor,
were ordained.
- The IBS Millennium vision that was written
on a billboard was explained to members and the community.
- the establishment of a synod in Jimma
is to happen within the next 5 years.
- Sylem Shunga Parish became a presbytery.
- The participation of women in leadership
was given special attention.
- Many EECMY leaders and other guests
were recognized.
- Special Millennium Hymns were sung in
six languages along with a mass choir of 7 congregations.
- An exhibition showing different holistic
activities was shown to those attending.
|
