Ethiopian Partnership Committee A subcommittee of Worldwide Ministries Shenandoah Presbytery Photo By Howard Simmons

Job Description What is a Partnership? Resource Cabinet Activities & Events Partnership Programs Travelers' Journals Ethiopia Mission Network Metu Library Book Project Links Buy a Pastor a Cow Prayer Concerns 2009 Partnership Banquet

The Committee's Mission The Ethiopian Partnership Committee is a Sub-Committee of the World Wide Ministries Committee (WWM).  Through the WWM, the Partnership Sub-Committee is charged with the following responsibilities: Preparing prayer requests for regular prayer for our Partner Synod. Planning visits and interactions with the partners. Serving as a link to missionaries from Shenandoah Presbytery to Illubabor. Providing information and publicity about the Partnership utilizing Partnership web site and Presbytery communication tools. Making budget requests to support these efforts and monitoring the expenditures. Plan regular celebrations of the Partnership. Many opportunities are available for learning and supporting the Partnership activities and events. Use the links shown in the left column here to learn about the history of the Partnership, about Ethiopia's history and customs, about the iCARE Program and the Gore Home for Children, and to read stories written by past travelers to Ethiopia.

What Is a Partnership?     As several churches in IBS seek partners and churches in Shenandoah consider forming partnerships we should give some thought to what we as Shenandoah churches have to offer and what we seek in a partnership.  We are all seeking fellowship with Christians in other areas and countries.  Sharing experiences in our faith and worshiping with others and our partners is a major part of and essential to any Christian partnership.  Each side of the partnership has a wealth of unique Christian experiences; though we Americans often feel we benefit more from sharing the experiences of others than from relating our own experiences, the dialog interchange is important.  Clearly we may enrich our own faith experience by working with fellow Christians in different cultures.  Partnerships offer the opportunity for each of us to grow in our faith journey through exposure to faith experiences others.     American churches are blessed with an abundance of financial resources and I believe it is imperative that we find productive ways to share this wealth with others.  At the same time the abundance of dollars creates a situation where we may suppress our partners’ growth toward financial independence and in fact we may actively foster financial dependence.  First, we must listen to our partners and seek their input as to which projects need external funding and ask them to prioritize their various projects.  As individual churches and as a Presbytery we are unlikely to be able to support all the projects and dreams of our partners.  We need to look at their prioritized needs and seek ways to fund those that we reasonably can help.  It is of utmost importance that we listen to our partners’ leadership with their extensive local experience and not try to impose western ideals and methods on a divergent culture.  Secondly, we need to critically look at our own goals in giving financial support.  Are we really looking for projects that benefit IBS and our partners or we looking at projects that make us feel good?  American churches have traditionally funded new church construction, but the infrastructure necessary to support a congregation is also vitally important, though not as attractive or as easy to fund.  Office buildings, computers, generators and dependable power, and other infrastructure may be equally necessary to grow and nurture a congregation.  However necessary, funding infrastructure is not as glamorous as new church construction.  Finally, short term fixes often have positive immediate impact but we need to look for projects that will significantly impact the larger community in 5 or even 25 years.  We can not ignore the hunger and famine present today, but what benefits more, giving a family a fish or teaching the bread winner to fish for him/herself.  Education and infrastructure development can empower the congregation to make long term changes in the community and may promote financial independence.  Short term fixes often may make us feel good while having only limited impact in the larger and longer term view.     So what can we offer that reaps long term benefit for both individuals and congregations on each side of the partnership?  The answer is simply PRAYER and sharing prayer concerns.  Prayer is the constant denominator in the requests from IBS churches.  Each of us can include our partners in our individual and corporate prayers on a regular basis.  On the last day of one of my trips to Mettu I was asked to visit the home of a young carpenter who was almost bedridden with a mysterious paralysis and back pain.  He had been to a major teaching hospital in Addis Ababa and no cause or diagnosis could be determined.  I examined the young man, looked at his x-rays and hospital reports and it was obvious I had no good answer for him and had no more insight into his problem than his other physicians.  After talking with him and his family and expressing my frustration and ignorance, I got up to leave.  He stopped me and said: “ Will you pray for me?”  He made no request for pain medications or money, short term fixes I could easily supply.  He asked only for prayer!   We need to remember his example when we consider partnership requests and our own needs and motives in working within the partnership.  It is through sharing fellowship, our experiences, meals, worship and maybe most importantly our prayers that we may grow in faith both individually and collectively.                              Dr. Bill Burslem, Ethiopian Partnership Committee, Shenandoah Presbytery.