Background

The spreading of the Gospel in Ethiopia has been the preeminent long –term vision of the Presbyterian Church since the turn of the last century. The united Presbyterian mission of America planted the first Presbyterian Church in 1920 at Sayo Danbi Dollo wellaga West Ethiopia.

In 1919, because of the dangerous disease the Hedar Beshta (Spanish Flue) Dejach Birru later Ras Birru sought a medical help and invited the Presbyterian missionary doctor called Dr. Thomas Lambie. Dr, Lambie was working in Sudan as a missionary and then, accepted Ras Birru’s invitation and came to Sayo. Dr Lambie started medical work and school at Danbi Dollo. As a result the work of the United Presbyterian Church of America mission has started.

The planted church has played an enormous role to the spiritual, educational and social development of the country till 1974, and formed the Bethel church synod. When the government was taken over by the communist regime with anti-capitalist sentiment, the Presbyterian Church since known as American Mission was handed over to the Lutheran mission nationally called “Evangelical Mekane Yesus Church”. This was the end of the Presbyterian Bethel Church in Ethiopia and there was no church under the name Presbyterian any more.

The Presbyterian Church of Ethiopia (PCE)

The Presbyterian Church of Ethiopia (PCE) was established by four Ethiopians: Pastor. Fikre H. Norcha, Solomon Gossaye, Fresenbet Beser, and Tessema Bekele, together with a Korean Presbyterian missionary, Pastor Jo Changhyun Jo, under the theme of Scripture verse "…O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).

On August 3, 1997, the first local church, Emmanuel Presbyterian, was planted in a Southwest Suburb of Addis Ababa among a primarily Muslim community in an area called Karakore. Despite multifaceted challenges, the church gradually began to grow and multiply. Precisely, in 2005 the church succeeded in buying the Karakore Emmanuel Church rented land with the support of partner friends from Australia and the Netherlands. This incident encouraged the church leaders and the whole congregation to further church planting. It became a significant turning point and a divine intervention that brought great inspiration and motivation to do more for the glory of God.

As a result, in the last 25 years, the PCE has grown to 140 local churches and 120,000 members all over the country, and it has become a recognized denomination and became a member of the Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia (ECFE). The Lord also inspired us to organize the Presbyterian Church Development Association (PCDA), Eight Church schools, various holistic activities with Compassion International Ethiopia, Food For All (a charity from the Netherlands), and other organizations. The PCE is stable and continued to plant new churches in unchurched areas and expanded her ministry to different people groups over almost all of Ethiopia.