Project Oromia
The following letter was received from Pastor Alayu in Ethiopia.
Just to let you know that 7 days of fast and prayer is announced in Jeldu for you, your family, your church and for the work of the kingdom that we are going to begin in their region.
God is faithful to continue blessing our effort.
We are praying for you.
God Bless,
Alayu
Pastor in Ethiopia
250 Churches in 2010
Can an entire nation be won to Jesus Christ?
Yes! We are seeing it happen before our eyes in Ethiopia. Just a century ago, there were only a handful of born-again Ethiopian believers. Today, evangelical Christianity makes up 18% of the population, according to the latest government census. That represents a double-digit increase in just the last decade. Truly Ethiopia is a fertile mission field! Before us is a window of opportunity of unknown duration in which we can plant churches throughout the nation and reap an even greater harvest for the kingdom of God.
Church Planting Is The Key
Ethiopia is also a spiritually strategic region in the Horn of Africa—the key to not only the evangelization of the African continent, but to stemming the rising tide of Islam throughout Africa. The strategy for spiritual victory in Ethiopia (and therefore, in all Africa), is simple: Plant churches! Since 2003, The Ethiopian Call (our ministry name within Ethiopia) under the leadership of the late Dr. Charles Blair and Pastor Ray Noah, has established 1,397 churches in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region—one of Ethiopia’s 9 federal regions. Now, in this remote and previously un-churched territory, almost 70,000 converts have now been added to the church.
A New Region - A New Opportunity
Though Dr. Blair passed away in August of 2009, Pastor Ray will now carry the church planting vision forward in the largest of Ethiopia’s regions—Oromia. Oromia is made up of 17 zones, and the core zone of West Shewa will be the initial target of the new church-planting project. In 2010, working with the Evangelical Church Fellowship of Oromia (nine participating Ethiopian denominations), Portland Christian Center will plant 250 new churches. In the next three to five years, using a proven and effective church planting strategy, these 250 churches will plant another 750 self-sustaining, self-generating churches, giving a total of 1,000 new Oromian churches.
A Lofty Goal - A Burning Passion In Our Hearts
We believe that God has called us to plant 10,000 churches throughout Ethiopia in the next decade. Knowing that the local church is the hope of Ethiopia, it is our sense that millions of people will experience salvation, and that ultimately, all of Ethiopia will belong to Jesus Christ. 10,000 churches— a lofty goal. But with God’s help and your partnership, it is possible!
Quick Facts
What Portland Christian Center will do:
Plant 250 churches in 2010-2011
Cost to plant one church:
$1,600 one-time investment
How you can become a church-planting partner:
First, pray and ask God what he would have you do. Second, obey what God says to you. Third, decide how you will give. There are five ways to sponsor an Ethiopian church:
- Give a one-time gift of $1,600.
- Give $67.00 per month for the next 24 months.
- Make 4 payments of $400 each to coincide with strategic launch and training dates during the first year of this two year program (1/31, 4/1, 8/29, 12/26).
- Partner with three other donors at $400 each or get your class or group to join you in sponsoring an Ethiopian church.
- Your choice—you tell us how you want to provide funding for a church plant.
What you will receive as a church planting partner:
You will get to name the church.
You will receive a report twice per year over the next two years from the pastor of your church plant. This report will include a picture of the pastor, details of his/her prayer needs, a description of his/her community, and a progress report of converts, baptisms, offerings, church attendance, and churches that have been planted out of his/her church.
You will be given the opportunity to travel with us during one of our training conferences to visit with your pastor and, if conditions permit, to travel to your sponsored church.
You will get the rare privilege of investing in something that will transform an entire nation, change countless lives for all eternity, release heaven’s blessings back to you, and bring great glory to God.
Our Work In Ethiopia Since 2003
- 1,397 churches planted
- 57,570 new converts baptized in water
- 70,000 believers attending our churches
- 12 water wells drilled
PCC's Ministry Partners
- Evangelical Church Fellowship of Ethiopia
- Every Home For Christ
- Charles E. Blair Foundation
- We Care International
- Water For The World
A Miraculous Beginning
A matching grant of $150,000 has been pledged to help us launch the Oromia Church Planting Project. That means God has already provided the resources for over 90 of the 250 churches we will plant…if we will do the rest.
Download the Oromia Proposal (pdf)