The clergy in Gambella, Ethiopia, are bringing the light of Christ to the people around them, yet the context in which they are serving is overwhelming due to poverty, natural disasters, and tribal conflict. Bishop Grant LeMarquand, the Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa, and I are requesting support for clergy in Gambella.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Advent is the time of the year when we look back to the birth of Jesus Christ and we prepare our hearts for His second coming. It is therefore also a time when we look at various ways to bring Christ to one another.
The clergy in Gambella, Ethiopia, are bringing the light of Christ to the people around them, yet the context in which they are serving is overwhelming due to poverty, natural disasters, and tribal conflict. Bishop Grant LeMarquand, the Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa, and I are requesting support for clergy in Gambella.
Therefore, this Advent we as a Diocese have decided to commit ourselves to supporting these clergy both prayerfully and financially. While our churches throughout the Diocese will be contributing to this Appeal, it will not be enough to meet the needs of the priests and the 70 churches in Gambella.
We invite you individually or as a church or a small group or even as a family, to join us in supporting these clergy, either as a one time gift, or as an ongoing partnership. $2,000 is enough to support 1 clergyman for 1 year.
I pray that God will move in your hearts to help these churches.
May the Lord Bless you!
+Mouneer
Advent Appeal for Churches in Gambella
Giving in Gambella
There is a little church in a town called Ilea in Gambella. The church’s walls are made of a few bamboo sticks; its roof a UNHCR tarp. There is nothing inside but a bare, smooth floor of packed mud. Bishop Grant LeMarquand recently taught at the church about the woman who had given Jesus her wealth (her gift of costly ointment worth a year’s wages); had given her pride (in the ancient world only a slave could be required to attend to a person’s feet); and she had given her reputation (she had let down her hair to wash Jesus’ feet). As it came time for this church to give the offering, to the handfuls of grain and little one birr notes (worth six cents) that were laid on the mat, were added the gifts of the women. One laid down her head scarf, the next her necklace of plastic beads, and one by one, women, who from a western perspective had ‘nothing’, came and brought their gifts – ‘costly’, because that was all they had.
About Gambella
Each week over 6,000 people worship in 70 congregations in Gambella, a region in the west of Ethiopia. These congregations are active in Mothers’ Union, Bible studies, youth ministry, literacy classes, prayer meetings and community development and serve both nationals and refugees from neighbouring Sudan who worship in a variety of languages including Anuak, Dinka, Nuer, Mabaan and Opo.
The Road to Sustainability
Under the leadership of the Right Revd Dr Grant LeMarquand, the Area Bishop for the Horn of Africa, the churches are growing rapidly. And although people give sacrificially, it is not enough to cover the salary of the priests who are active in discipleship, evangelism and planting new churches.
The challenge now is to support these clergy prayerfully and financially. With the long-term goal of establishing self-supporting churches, the congregations are expected to pay increasing percentages of the priests’ salaries each year. In the short term, however, our congregations are not able to cover the full amount of these salaries. We need you to consider partnering with these churches on their journey to become self-supporting.
Partner with Us
Please pray for the churches in Gambella, and consider supporting the salary of one or more of these priests as a one time donation or an ongoing relationship.
Cost of a priest: $2,200 per year
Church contribution: $200 per year
Balance needed: $2,000 per year
Just click on the buttons below to download printable PDFs and a PowerPoint Presentation that you can share with others.
How to Contribute
You can contribute directly into the bank account of the Anglican Church in Ethiopia
Bank name: Awash International Bank S.C.
Branch: Awat Kilo Branch
Bank address: PO Box 12638 Addis Ababa
Account name: The Anglican Church in Ethiopia
Account number: 476-01304221297000
SWIFT code: AWINETAA
If you are in the USA, you can make a tax deductible donation through the Friends of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt, a registered 501(c)3 corporation.
www.friendsanglicandioceseegypt.org
If you are in the UK, you can contribute through the Egypt Diocesan Association, a registered UK charity, and if you are a UK taxpayer you can “Gift Aid It” – adding 25% to your gift.
