January-March 2008
We are glad to present as follows what the Lord has worked among university students during the last three months. Many have come to the Light from darkness, student leaders have been equipped with knowledge and skills in Christian leadership and volunteer student workers have acquired knowledge and experience from each other as to how to serve young people/students effectively.
1. University Student Leadership Development Seminar
The 7th annual student leaders’ leadership development seminar has gathered 72 student leaders from campuses all over the nation at Gudinal Tumssa Wolilstic Training Centre from March 5-7, 2008. The training has focused on the significance of Christian leadership in the face of multifaceted challenges of contemporary social evils in the society. Participants have indicate that the training is relevant, timely and useful in their life and ministry among and with their fellow students in college and university campuses.
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Partial view of student leaders participating at the 7th annual student leaders’ leadership development Seminar, March 5-7, 2008 (Addis Ababa)
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2. Literature Distribution
The quarterly Good News Magazine that is helping students in their Spiritual growth has been distributed to 38 campuses nationwide. There is a growing demand for spiritual materials like this in the face of the ever-growing number of the student population and scarcity of such materials with sound teaching.
About 550 New Testaments were distributed to new students in campuses in Addis Ababa where as Resource material and different kinds of books were distributed among student leaders and student workers.
3. Visitation and Christian Growth Conferences
The EECMY USM national staff has travelled to local chapters (regional universities) to serve at one of their biannual Christian Growth conference and/or encourage student serving congregation to continue the good work. Hence the following campuses were visited during this period:
| Place | Date | Type of visit |
| Wollega University | February 16, 2008 | Teaching and Encouragement |
| Ambo College of Agriculture | March 15-16, 2008 | Christian Growth Conference |
| Wolliso College of Water Technology | March 23, 2008 | Discussion with church leaders |
| Dire Dawa University | March 31, 2008 | Discussion with church leaders |
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Dinku (middle) with student leaders of the new Wollega University
(330kms west) after an encouragement and teaching session
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4. Staff Capacity Building and Networking Seminars
The EECMY University Student Ministry national office staff and volunteers student workers in Addis Ababa have participated in different student and/or youth ministry related seminars and workshops to sharpen the saw for effective ministry:
| Type of training | Date | Participants |
| Youth Discipleship Alliance | January 6-12, 2008 | USM assistant coordinator |
| Alpha Discipleship Training | February 20-23, 2008 | USM assistant coordinator
& three other volunteer
student workers in Addis Ababa |
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5. Inter semester break Evangelistic Outreach Activities
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Training in mission for the mission group of the Addis Ababa University Fellowship (Feb, 18-20)
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From February 20-24, 2008 an evangelistic team of the Addis Ababa University Students fellowship has travelled to one of the 10/40 window in Ethiopia where the Gospel is least preached. Prior to its missionary trip to Muke Turi, a rural town about 170kms north of Addis Ababa, the team has participated at the three days evangelistic outreach seminar. The team that comprised 7 male and 5 female students has stayed at Muke Turi town for 5 days preaching the Good News to 658 persons out of whom finally 63 came to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In the same token, a group of Christian students from Haromaya University (525kms east of Addis Ababa) have travelled to Jigiga (627kms east of Addis Ababa) a regional capital of Ethiopia Somali to present the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ to people living there. And as a result more than 170 people came to know Jesus Christ during the inter semester break evangelistic outreach campaign per the report we received from an EECMY pastor in Jigiga who hosted the students.
The Lord is good. He has poured His abundant grace unreservedly so that we can do all things in His name and for His name. All praise and glory be to Him. May the Lord also bless all who stood with us in every kind of support so that the aforementioned result can be achieved.
For God and His Kingdom,
Dinku Lamessa Bato (Rev)
National coordinator (EECMY University Student Ministry)
Graduates Help Reduce Suicide Rate at Teji Town
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Birachis(left) and Degefa, 21 and 23 respectively are high school teachers at Teje and active church planters.
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The Lord is using graduates in His miraculous deliverance work through the preaching of the Gospel to those who are in the darkness. Two years ago two Christian graduates were assigned by ministry of education at the only high school in a small rural town called Teji (55 kms west of Addis Ababa), a surprisingly close town to the capital city but completely unreached with the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. The two new teachers, Birachis Yadessa(Physics Major, Bahir Dar University 2006) and Degefa Tarafa (History Major, Nekemte Teachers Training College 2005) burning with a zeal for the lost in this town started praying for this people living under the crushing yolk of Satan. They were specially touched by the fact that this small village has a very high suicide rate where someone takes out his/her own life almost daily either by sipping a kind of fatal poison or strangling themselves to death for reasons inexplicable. Underlining the severity of the problem, Birachis added that at least one person used to kill himself per day. As a result, the ardent and passion-motivated prayer led these young men to share the Gospel boldly to student and other young people in the town that many have surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In spite of the seemingly insurmountable challenge that unveils itself in various ways, the two young men managed to plant the first church in a rented house with a total number of 72 new people. They have reported that they are running short of seats for the ever growing membership and particularly the relatively bigger attendance of Sunday morning service where a lot of visitors are coming to see what is happening. Amazingly, they indicated, that at present the suicide rate is declining significantly. The two young graduates together with other three are now serving as elders and teachers of the small but thriving congregation under the tutelage of the Entoto congregation, an urban EECMY church in the capital city which they approached for sponsorship.
Praising the Lord for His marvelous work in Teji, I request for your prayers for this small congregation and her young leaders as they struggle to finance the relatively higher rent for the worship place and purchase of seats while effectively discharging their professional responsibility to the welfare of the people the majority of which is living under the poverty line.
Peace and Grace,
Dinku Lamessa Bato (Rev)
National coordinator (EECMY University Student Ministry)
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