The Dallas Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church

Church Welcomes Oromo Immigrants

 Lay developer Tsena Dinssa remembers the 1970s persecution of Christians that drove Oromo-speaking  Ethiopian and Kenyans out of their countries.  Some of those people settled in Dallas, Texas.

“The Dallas Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church—since September 2006 and with Mission Partners support—reaches out to Oromo immigrants in their language and culture and equips them for evangelism with discipleship training and solidarity,” Dinssa said.

Evangelism and discipleship training is very important to this ministry which has already commissioned lay leaders to begin ministries in other geographical areas.  In the photo to the left, a member is prayed over and blessed before beginning an Oromo congregation in Houston.

Partners have also been crucial:

• St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Richardson, provides space and has helped purchase Bibles in the Oromo language.  Volunteers from St. Luke’s have taught English as a Second Language classes.
• Preston Meadow Lutheran Church, Plano, have funded leadership training coordinated by Dallas Oromo and led by the Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission unit of the ELCA (which also provides financial support for the developer’s compensation package.)
• The Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod has funded spirituality conferences hosted by the congregation.
• AND, the ELCA Fund for Leaders recently announced that Dinssa is the recipient of a scholarship for TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries studies leading to ordination.)  Of that Dinssa notes, “The scholarship lifts my burden.”

To partner with this ministry, contact Dinssa at tsenab@netzero.com