Ethiopian Church Aids Wisconsin Congregation
The Central Synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) gave a gift to the La Crosse Area Synod for flood relief, which was delivered to the congregation on the coldest day of the 2007-08 winter! Pictured (l to r) Pastor Pam Lojewski and Ron Hayden, council president (Luther Memorial Lutheran Church of Gays Mills, Wis.), the Rev. April Ulring Larson (former bishop, ELCA La Crosse Area Synod), and Fekadu Begna, executive secretary (Central Synod of the EECMY).
When flooding damaged Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Gays Mills, Wisconsin, the people of the Central Synod of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) wanted to help.
They took up a collection of 20,000 Ethiopian birr ($2200) for the ELCA La Crosse Area Synod’s Flood Relief account.
The gift is just one facet of the long-term relationship between the two synods, which relate through the ELCA Companion Synods program.
He was a gift sent by God from our companion synod.
– The Rev. April Ulring Larson, former bishop, La Crosse Area Synod
The EECMY Central Synod’s executive secretary Fekadu Begna and Bishop April Larson visited the congregation in February 2008 to present a combined check of $25,000 to help Luther Memorial rebuild its building and parsonage.
Fekadu spent four months in the synod serving as evangelist, teacher, and preacher. “When he arrived, it was 100 degrees colder than the beloved Ethiopia he left 36 hours earlier,” noted Bishop Larson. “He was a gift sent by God from our companion synod. He was a missionary to us, pointing us to Jesus Christ.”