By Gemedi Geleto,
NW Adventist,
Reviewing the abundant blessings the Lord bestowed on their church in 2022 and 2023 has filled the members of Oromo Adventist Church with gratitude, joy and praise to God.
As a result of baptisms held in 2022, the Oromo congregation welcomed 24 new souls into their faith-filled fellowship. And, even as they rejoiced over those who have already given their lives to Jesus, they continued to actively reach out, inviting others to personally know and love the Lord. Doing so resulted in more souls accepting Jesus as their personal Savior in 2023.
Oromo Church partnered with It Is Written and other churches to visit Ethiopia on a mission trip, which included doctors, pastors, clinicians and support staff in 2022. Medical professionals performed almost 2,000 cataract surgeries and 15,000 other medical procedures, taking time to pray with every patient. Over the course of the trip, almost 3,000 people were baptized!
In response to their long-held desires, careful fiscal management and fervently faithful prayers, God has provided the means for the Oromo congregation to purchase land on which to build their own church home. Crediting God’s guidance, the congregation managed to successfully navigate the long and arduous building application process of the City of Gresham, Oregon, and has received final approval from the city for their church building plans.
Having a designated plot of land for their future church home has already proven to be an enormous blessing to the congregation. When the facility they had been renting for worship services became unavailable, Oromo members pitched a tent on their newly purchased property, and, instead, worshiped there. Oromo Church’s ultimate goal is to transition to worshiping in their own permanent structure, but with a projected cost in the millions, they need the prayers and the financial support of others to help make this goal a reality.
As they look towards the construction of their new church home, Oromo church members are planning an expansive vision of ministry, not only for their local church members but also for their wider community. They dream of providing a dedicated place of worship and discipleship training for their own rapidly growing congregation of families, young adults and seniors. They are especially proud of their growing Pathfinder club and can’t wait for space to accommodate the club’s various activities.
Additionally, the congregation aims to be a service center, providing refugee/immigrant orientation classes, health education classes and at-risk youth mentoring. And, they desire to be considered a safe gathering place for seniors, those with disabilities and the immigrant/refugee community.
Your partnership with Oromo Church — through your prayers and financial support — will go a long way toward helping them realize these goals. Visit oromosdachurch.org to contribute or learn more.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Oromo Church at [email protected] or 503-501-9937.
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.