THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS IN MATTHEW 25:14–30

BY ESAYAS EMENE ENICHA (REV.)

mainly for upper primary and high school students at the expense of the congregation, and, further, they have been building houses for aged poor people and feeding them, irrespective of religion and ethnic background. In addition, they have prepared and constructed pedestrian roads and crossing structures to link rural villages, and they have tried to open a public library for the students in the community.

3. In terms of evangelism (spiritual work), the congregation has employed three pastors who have been working in the Mafo congregation. Furthermore, they have sent outreach evangelists to a place called Lisha. The people in Lisha were mostly non-believers, thus, some of the evangelists and congregation leaders experienced persecution from the people. However, after many years of struggle in Lisha, there is now one strong congregation established. Now Mafo has continued its outreach evangelism to other places.

The two key aspects of Use Your Talents, looking to what we have at hand (as opposed to seeking external aid), and serving our neighbors (lending our hand to others) have been implemented in this congregation. This tremendous gain of the congregation has happened because majority of the members are paying their tithe; they work in the congregation farm every Friday, and they are voluntarily involved in the congregation businesses. For them, working for the growth of the kingdom of God is an integral part of their life as Christians; those who are not willing to work are recognized as the servant who buried his talent and such a person could be rejected to be a leader in the congregation.

What was the Reason for Mafo congregation to be Effective in Use of Talents?

It is awesome to find such a model congregation of Use Your Talents in a rural area where many of the congregation members are poor farmers. Use of the talents has become an integral part of Christian life of this congregation. The reason was related with their initial introduction to Christianity.

Mafo congregation was established around 1938 by three notable indigenous missionaries who were sent from Entoto congregation (from Addis Ababa). These ministers were 1) evangelist Kasa Konde 2), pastor Wolde Kassahun, and 3) Rev. Daniel Arke. The first believers of Mafo congregation were very poor sick men, and socially marginalized. The above mentioned gospel preachers, besides preaching the gospel, also started to share their clothes with those who had no clothing, they fed the hungry, and they totally identified themselves as part of the situation. Moreover, they started primary education in the congregation and encouraged the parents to send their children to the governmental schools.

Ms. Lidya Kasa, the daughter of evangelist Kasa,3 witnessed that her father was passionate for all the people, he fed the hungry and their house was open to guests. He was so eager for education besides teaching in the church, that he brought ten children to school whose parents were negligent in education. In order to help the needy, he used to work at home, and the work was weaving.