ETHIOPIAN LUTHERANS MAKE NEW HOME IN U.S. Each year, thousands of Ethiopians – many who are Christians – immigrate to the United States. Over the past decade, the LCMS has begun to connect to many of these immigrants, and now LHF is adding its support with Amharic and Oromo translations of Lutheran books like the Book of Concord, catechisms and A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories. “Lutheran churches have become a safe oasis for all our diaspora (scattered) communities by welcoming them and reaching out to them with the compas-
About 40 church leaders attended the recent Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Mission Society meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., including LHF executive director Rev. Matt Heise (center, back).
sion of Christ,” said Rev. Gemechu Olana, pastor of Oromo Lutheran Church in Los Angeles since 2009. “Reaching out to the Oromo-speaking people with the sound Gospel of Christ, in a language
“[It’s important to] notice that Ethiopia is the only Christian-ruled country in the horn of Africa, which has been the major focus of the Arabs and other Muslim countries,” reflected Rev. Olana. “So
that’s meaningful to them, is critical.” LHF has already translated several books into the Amharic language for Ethiopians, and the Oromo Small Catechism and A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories are underway.
translating some of the basic Lutheran confessions into the Oromo language is a critical strategic mission endeavor that not only supports the diaspora in the United States, but the Christians in Ethiopia as well.”
2017-2018 Children’s Mission Project Reformation
Celebration
CONTINUING WHAT LUTHER BEG CATECHISMS & BIBLES FOR CHILDR As Lutherans look forward to celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation this fall, anyone familiar with the LHF mission knows that the Reformation continues to this day! Just as Martin Luther saw the need for the Bible to be translated into the language of his people (German), so today LHF continues what Luther began by translating Bible storybooks for children in dozens of countries. And when new believers, young and old, read the Bible and ask, “What does this mean?”, LHF supplies the answers Luther provided five centuries ago in his Small Catechism (now translated by LHF into more than 80 languages). This fall, your students can help provide catechisms and Bible storybooks in the languages of the people by adopting LHF’s “Continuing What Luther Began” children’s mission project. Every $5 your Lutheran day school, Sunday school or vacation Bible school students send to the LHF mission will provide a family living in places like Tanzania, India or Thailand (pictured at left) with their own catechism or Bible storybook.
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