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Illubabor Bethel Synod
Illubabor Bethel Synod (IBS) is one of 14 Synods of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECME). It is located in the western part of Ethiopia encompassing the region of Illubabor and actually extending beyond the bonds of that region. A variety of people groups are represented in IBS and a number of languages are spoken. As a generally accurate statement, the Presbyterian influence started and is strongest in the western regions of EECMY. Presbyterian Missionary Rev. Don McClure, and his family, entered Ethiopia from the Boro River coming in from the Sudan. Today some of the “Synods” in the west have the word “Bethel” as a part of their name. This reflects Presbyterian influence. Before a regional church in Mekane Yesus Church becomes a Synod they are typically given “Presbytery” status, as in the “Western Gambela Presbytery”, which adjoins IBS to the west and directly boarders the Sudan.
The Partnership between the Shenandoah Presbytery and IBS celebrated its 10 year anniversary in 1999. When the Partnership began IBS had 30,000 members. Today IBS has over 200,000 members and EECMY has surpassed 2,300,000 in Ethiopia. Many in the Shenandoah Presbytery feel that this Partnership is a gift from God and further evidence of His grace.
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus was established in 1959 with the cooperation of Lutheran, Presbyterian and other groups. EECMY began with 20,000 members. In 1991 its membership topped the million milestone and in 1997 EECMY reported a membership of almost 2.3 million members, roughly equal to that of PCUSA. One of EECMY’s greatest challenges has been and continues to be finding and building effective leadership to keep up with its phenomenal growth. EECMY was described by one PCUSA, World Wide Ministries executive as being one of the two fastest growing Christian Churches in the world, the other being in Korea.
EECMY, and IBS, have always maintained a holistic, or “whole person” philosophy. While their theology might be described as conservative and solidly with in the Reformed Tradition, they also maintain a philosophy and a practice that “serves the entire person.” Besides support of a Bible School in Gore and the a Seminary in Addis Ababa, IBS is active in managing the Gore Home for Children, a residential facility for orphans and other children from desperate circumstances in the region. They have also initiated and support coffee growing as a commercial crop within individual parishes, medical care, AIDS prevention, hunger programs and education programs. IBS continually asks for and receives assistance from Shenandoah Presbytery in teaching church leaders Bible, leadership styles, and counseling skills.
IBS provides its services in the backdrop of extraordinary material poverty, with Ethiopia being regularly listed by the UN as one of the three poorest countries on earth. Financial resources to help their fast growing church is a constant challenge and IBS is always working on creative ways to meet their many material needs. At the same time Shenandoah Presbytery visitors, returning from visits to IBS, continually talk about the spiritual wealth of this church. One recent returning visitor stated “This kind of spiritual experience may be available somewhere in the US, but I haven’t experience it if it is here.” It is common for returning visitors to speak of their IBS brothers and sisters being “totally committed” or “completely confident in what they believe”.
Ethiopia has many people groups that speak over 82 main languages. While the official language of Ethiopia is Amhara, in IBS the native language of the majority of church members is Oromifa. There are at least 8 languages spoken as first languages by the members of Illubabor Bethel Synod, creating yet other…..interesting….challenges for the church.
The Afaan Oromo dictionary (link below) is an approximately 500 word and phrase dictionary commissioned and purchased by the Ethiopian Partnership Committee. The dictionary, and pronunciation keys, were constructed Kebede Bekere, a native Ethiopian who is studying at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, VA. This dictionary may be copied for personal or small group use. Under no circumstances may this electronic version or copies made from it be sold or its authorship misrepresented. This document will likely result in a printed document of 16 - 20 pages when printed from your computer to your personal printer and will likely take approximately 64 seconds to load. This page will not have wide interest to the general public.