Summer Mission Trip Email 3 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 25-26 We are in the midst of our first TPI Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is being put on in partnership with SIM International, Great Commission Ministries, and Training Pastors International. I am being joined this week by Dr. Ernie Frey, the Spiritual Ministries and Leadership Trainer with SIM, to train pastors from many different denominations under the leadership and administration of Eremias Bekele, the CLM (Church Led Movements) National Team Leader of Ethiopia with Great Commission Ministries, the Ethiopian arm of Campus Crusade for Christ in the United States. The fourth day of the TPI Institute, Thursday, July 25thrd, I got ready and had a nice hot shower, got dressed for the institute, and had my Visalus Nutritional Shake in my room. Then I finished getting ready for the drive to the institute. At 8:00 AM, Eremias Bekele picked Ernie and me up in his Great Commission truck, and we proceeded through the traffic in the city. We arrived in the Gullele Region in Addis Ababa at the Bethel Mekane Yesus Church, which is our venue for the week. When we got there on a nice sunshine day, the pastors were there on time, and one of the organizing team, Gizaw Asefaw, led a devotion and a time of prayer and worship, and we started at 8:45 AM to begin our TPI Institute. We had 156 pastors, evangelists, and national missionaries in the morning session of the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. Eremias Bekele invited me to come up and begin the teaching of the fourth day of the TPI Institute, and so I taught the session on Expository Preaching. I reviewed over what I taught the pastors the first three days. I also reviewed over the three-step process of studying the passage of Scripture all week long, which is Observation, Interpretation, and Application. I also asked some of the pastors to share some of the observations that they made from Acts 1:8 last night as an assignment. Then we went to the dry eraser board and I reminded the pastors about the study of the subjects and verbs from the passage of Eph. 2:1-10. Then we continued the grammatical analysis and examined other parts of speech in the passage such as all types of pronouns, adverbs and adjectives, direct and indirect objects, participles and infinitives, and prepositions and conjunctions. I involved the pastors to help me as we discovered together the specifics of the grammar of the text. This process helped the pastors to see the specifics of the text, which helps to correctly interpret the truth of the passage. After this longer first session, we broke for a short tea outside the church and came back for the second session. Ernie Frey taught his Spiritual Formation session on “What is your Ministry Box? – Moving to a Relational Model of Ministry.” He first reviewed over the three training areas in your life: (1) Training in Convictions, (2) Training in Character, and (3) Training in Competency. Ernie introduced the concept of a ministry box, which is composed of ministry experience, philosophy, and leadership models that define the way we do ministry. He mentioned the Preaching Box and the Positional Box as inadequate models to effect lifechange. Then he taught the People Box, which involves information through relationship to effect life transformation, as the best model to accomplish truly lasting lifechange – the model that Jesus used in His ministry. He then concluded with several Biblical examples and practical steps of relational leadership and ministry. After this session, I got up and taught the Old Testament Overview session looking at the conquest of Israel by Joshua, the period of the Judges, and the lives of Ruth and Samuel. Then we reviewed over the signs covering the whole Pentateuch and Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. Then we broke for lunch as all the pastors went over to an adjacent building next to the church to have their lunch. Meanwhile Ernie Frey and I stayed in the sanctuary since we were trying to prevent an upset stomach from earlier in the week, and I had a Visalus Nutritional Shake and two packs of crackers and a coke. We had 147 pastors, evangelists, and national missionaries in the afternoon session of the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. After lunch, we came back to the sanctuary, and the worship leader led in a song and prayer, and I came up and taught my session on Evangelism and Missions. I preached a message on “The Mission-minded Church of Antioch – the Four Marks of a Great Church.” We first analyzed how we evaluate church ministries today, and then we moved to what made the Antioch Church such a great church that God used that one church to reach the world for Christ. Then I looked at the four marks that made that church such a great church: (1) An Evangelist Explosion Thrust, (2) A Church Planting Movement Strategy, (3) A Leadership Development Mentality, and (4) A Missionary Expansion Vision. Then we closed in prayer and challenged the pastors to surrender to God concerning allowing Him to help them build a church like Antioch to please the Lord and reach the world, and the pastors just raised their hands to the ceiling and cried out to the Lord to do that very thing. After my session, we broke for a very short tea break outside the church and came back for the final session, which Ernie Frey taught on “Mobilizing Church Leadership for Discipleship.” He first reviewed over the seven steps regarding “The Jesus Method of Making Disciples.” Then he taught that discipleship is leadership intensive and demands a growing number of leaders who are capable of leading others. He further taught the following principles of leadership development: (1) Importance of Church Leadership owning the Vision of Discipleship, (2) Importance of Selecting the Right People for Leadership, (3) Importance of Multiplication of Disciples, (4) Importance of Implementation Immediately, and (5) Importance of Simplicity and Sustainability. He finished the session by inviting 12 pastors to come forward to represent 12 disciples being discipled in the church, and an additional two groups of 12 disciples for two of the original 12 pastors to reflect the impact of the discipling process as it develops in a local church. Then he closed in prayer and led the pastors to surrender to God’s call for discipleship in their ministries. We closed out the fourth day with some announcements and a closing prayer by Eremias Bekele. After the completion of the teaching of the institute, Ernie Frey and I drove back with Eremias Bekele in quite a bit of traffic as he drove us in his Great Commission truck over to the SIM Guest House and let me off after Eremias and I talked a little about the closing day plans for tomorrow. Then he drove Ernie back to his home at the Norwegian Lutheran Mission Elementary School in the Kasanchis Region of the city. Then I went outside and retrieved my laundry for the adjacent building, and went to the SIM Dining Room to have my dinner that was left in the refrigerator for me, which was rice and beef, a tomato salad, a homemade cake, and an Orange drink. While I was eating dinner, I met a family from Church at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, who live not far from where I grew up near South Park in Southeast Charlotte. I met Brad and Teri Bradley and Bryce Bradley, who are going to the Langano Camp in Langano, Ethiopia this week. It was such a small world connection to meet them and talk with them about people we both know. It made me feel right at home. Then I went upstairs to my Room # 214 and signed certificates for tomorrow’s Celebration Ceremony and typed my Email Report on my laptop at my desk. I finally went to bed after another great day at the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. The fifth day of the TPI Institute, Friday, July 26thrd, I got ready and had a nice hot shower, got dressed for the institute, and had my Visalus Nutritional Shake in my room. Then I finished getting ready for the drive to the institute. I was delayed a few minutes because before leaving for the institute, I had to pay my bill at the SIM Guest House, and they did not open the offices until 8 AM. So I met with SIM Guest House Office Administrator, Yimenashu Getaneh, and paid my bill for accommodation and meals for the week. At 8:15 AM, Eremias Bekele took me in his Great Commission truck, and we proceeded through the traffic in the city. We arrived in the Gullele Region in Addis Ababa at the Bethel Mekane Yesus Church, which is our venue for the week. When we got there on a nice sunshine day, the pastors were there on time, and one of the organizing team, Tariku Mamo, led a devotion and a time of prayer and worship, and we started at 8:45 AM to begin our TPI Institute. We had 161 pastors, evangelists, and national missionaries in the morning session of the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. Eremias Bekele invited me to come up and begin the teaching of the last day of the TPI Institute, and so I taught the session on Expository Preaching. I reviewed over what I taught the pastors the first four days. I also reviewed over the three-step process of studying the passage of Scripture all week long, which is Observation, Interpretation, and Application. I also asked some of the pastors to share some of the observations that they made from Acts 1:8 last night as an assignment. Then we went to the dry eraser board and I reminded the pastors about the study of all of the grammatical details of the passage, which included the subjects and verbs, all types of pronouns, adverbs and adjectives, direct and indirect objects, participles and infinitives, and prepositions and conjunctions from the passage of Eph. 2:1-10. Then I taught the author’s use of Structural markers (conjunctions) to organize his material and the truths of the passage/book. Then we developed a Biblical outline of the passage in order for it to be used or further developed into a preaching outline for the message. Finally, I concluded the teaching on Expository Preaching by using the outline to explain all the Biblical details of the passage, and illustrate them and apply them to the people. To further organize the sermon, we looked at the main dominating theme, the integrating thoughts contained in the outline, and the main motivating thrust that the author is getting across in the passage. Then we looked at developing an introduction and conclusion of the message so as to make final preparations to preach the sermon. After this longer first session, we broke for a short tea outside the church and came back for the second session. Ernie Frey taught his final Discipleship session on “How can your Church begin to make disciples, who then make disciples?” He reviewed over the seven steps of “The Jesus Method of Making Disciples.” Ernie set up a semi-circle of 12 chairs to represent the 12 disciples in the pastor’s small group, and then used the chairs to role-play among the group as they interacted with the implications of the discipleship process. He then taught the five principles of developing a discipleship movement in a local church ministry, which involve the following steps: (1) Have a single, undivided focus and ethos of making disciples, (2) Start discipling immediately, (3) Begin in your church/ministry with those right around you, (4) Begin small groups as the primary venue for making disciples, and (5) Develop a TEAMS Model (Teaching, Equipping for ministry, Accountability, Missions, and Supplication) as an example of how small groups can function in a local church ministry. He then concluded with several Biblical examples and practical steps of developing a small group discipleship thrust in the church. Then he closed in prayer and had the pastors join hands and surrender to the Lord in the task of making disciples in their churches and ministries. After this session, I got up and taught the Old Testament Overview session looking at the United Kingdom of Israel, the Divided Kingdom of Israel and Judah, the destruction of Israel, deportation of Judah, and the return of Judah and building of the Temple in preparation for the coming of the Messiah in the New Testament. Then we reviewed over all the signs covering the whole Old Testament, and ended with a celebration of praise in thanksgiving to God for this wonderful story of the Old Testament ending with the presentation of Christ to the world. Then we broke for lunch as all the pastors went over to an adjacent building next to the church to have their lunch during a heavy downpour of constant rain. Meanwhile Ernie Frey and I stayed in the sanctuary since we were trying to prevent an upset stomach from earlier in the week, and I had a Visalus Nutritional Shake and a coke. We had 158 pastors, evangelists, and national missionaries in the afternoon session of the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. After lunch, we came back to the sanctuary, and the worship leader led in a song and prayer, and I came up and taught my last session on Evangelism and Missions. Before I began my session, I invited Kibru Tadesse, the Great Commissions Ministries National Director, to come up and I thanked him for his partnership with TPI and all the work of Eremias Bekele and his committee did to put on this TPI Institute. He gave a greeting to the pastors and also thanked us for coming to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and teaching these pastors. Then I did an overview of my session on “The Gospel of the Kingdom” because of the shortness of time left for the rest of the day. I introduced the verse of Matt. 24:14 as the command of the Lord to be actively involved in taking the Gospel of the Kingdom message to all nations of the world before Christ returns again to bring an end of the world. We discussed the meaning of the term Kingdom and the mystery of the Kingdom as it is now revealed in the New Testament while once being “hidden in the counsels of the Godhead,” including the misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God among the disciples. I also introduced Jesus’ statement of how to enter the Kingdom of God – “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). We also discussed the message of the Kingdom (Victory of Sin, Victory over Satan, and Victory over Death), the mission of the Kingdom in taking the Gospel Message to the nations of the world – in so doing, to expand the Kingdom of God, and the motive of the Kingdom in light of the certainty of the Lord’s return and the urgency of the task in light of Christ’s return. I concluded with a few injunctions regarding the urgent task of getting the Gospel of the Kingdom out to a desperate world. Then I had a pastor to come forward and lead our whole group in a prayer response to this message and task of taking the Gospel to the world. After my shortened session on the Kingdom of God, Eremias Bekele, with Great Commission Ministries, came up and did a session on the Follow-up Overview of the Ethiopian Church and how we must respond to the task of preaching the gospel and planting churches to reach every area of Ethiopia for Christ. He presented many slides on a projector up on a screen to show the statistics of the population breakdowns for Addis Ababa and for the whole country of Ethiopia. He also showed the statistic that there are 18.6% Evangelical Christians in Ethiopia, which means that there are 81.4% unbelievers in Ethiopia. There are many who are of the Coptic Church or Orthodox Christianity, going all the way back to Alexandria, Egypt. Girma Altaye, one of our translators for the week and also with Great Commission Ministries, also go up and presented a session on what the Church in Ethiopia needs to do to respond to the enormous task of reaching Ethiopia with the Gospel Message. He also shared a video in English of the ministry to villages taking place with Great Commission Ministries (GCM). It was a very practical session given completely in Amharic and Ernie and I received a few translated truths from the two speeches from our translators. There were two other Christian leaders who spoke to the group. First, Buli Feyissa, the International Missions Society missionary from Ethiopia, who is serving in a tentmaker role in Islamabad, Pakistan for one year, got up and shared about the Love Ethiopia Festival this November, and gave out materials to the pastors about this great event. Then Andrew Hawkins from the United Kingdom, also got up and promoted this Luis Palau Love Festival with Andrew Palau, and helped the pastors to prepare for the event. Then Eremias had a pastor come up and close out the session in prayer, and this ended our teaching for the TPI Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Then we immediately started the Closing Ceremony, which includes the commissioning service and the handing out of certificates. The first thing we did was that our TPI Acting Ethiopia Coordinator, Eremias Bekele, called forward the entire local TPI Addis Ababa Committee and introduced them and recognized their service in putting on this TPI Institute. He introduced them individually and had them all come up so we could meet them personally and thank them. Then Eremias invited me to come up and say a few words of recognition. I thanked several other people who have helped to make this institute a success. I recognized, Jennifer Balmer, the TPI Executive Administrator, who has done a lot of behind the scenes work to make this institute possible, such as helping to put the TPI Notebooks together and also the certificates. We also recognized the churches that gave to make this institute possible. I called up Eremias Bekele and recognized him for all the hard work that he and his committee did to put on this TPI Institute. I gave him a book on the Kingdom of God by Dr. Jeff Richards as an appreciation for his great work. I told the whole group of our appreciation for the partnership this week of TPI, SIM International, and Great Commission Ministries, and how God used the partnership to accomplish much this week. I also thanked Dr. Ernie Wade for coming to share in the teaching and he shared a few remarks of how much he appreciated being a part of this great week. I had been trying for several years to have Ernie come and share the teaching with me at a TPI Institute, so this week was truly an answer to prayer. Earlier in the day, one of the ladies gave Ernie Frey and me an African shirt and pants for her appreciation for the teaching this week, so we could wear the shirts as a remembrance of the week. Then we had the Commissioning Service where we challenged the pastors to preach the Word of God, lead the Church of God, and reach the world for God. We had the pastors stand and present themselves to the Lord, and I read Eph. 3:14-21 as a prayer for the pastors, and had Dr. Ernie Frey lead the people in prayer as we dedicated the pastors to the Lord. Then we called out each of the pastors, evangelists, and key leaders of the churches, and gave out 146 certificates that were presented to the pastors. They each came forward and received their certificates and shook both Ernie Frey and my hand, telling their appreciation for the whole week. Then we closed out the whole TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. All of the pastors immediately went to the front of the church outside and took a group picture, and then said goodbye to the pastors. After the completion of the teaching of the institute, there were a total of 33 pastors who came forward immediately and expressed their concern that they did not receive a certificate, which is based on being present at all of the teaching sessions of the week. Eremias and his registration committee spent the next hour or so trying to find out whether their claim of attendance was true or not. They did find 7 of the candidates, who were qualified to receive their certificate, so we gave those 7 pastors a certificate rather late, and they were appreciative of getting their certificate. Eremias will look at the other 26 candidates to see if they are qualified to receive a certificate, and if so, they will receive one as well. Meanwhile, Ernie Frey left early in this process to pick up his two daughters to meet us at the Chinese Restaurant for dinner. He had taken one of my bags in his car, but we did not know this to be the case. It took a long time to search for the bag and finally get in touch with Ernie to in fact learn that he had my bag. We finally completed the certificate debacle, and also finished other details that had to be finalized. Then, Eremias Bekele drove me and one of his team members in his Great Commission truck over to the SIM Guest House and let me off so I could leave some of my extra things and freshen up before leaving again, as Eremias and I drove in his truck over to the China Bar and Restaurant, where Ernie and I had eaten earlier in the week. We had a wonderful Chinese meal of Chicken and Peanuts over rice, a Spring roll, and a coke and coffee. We spent a long time talking about the great week that we had at our second TPI Ethiopian Institute. We also finalized the institute by giving Ernie Frey money for the translation of the notes, and Eremias the money for the printing of the notebooks and money that was leftover from the TPI Budget to make all last minute payments to complete the institute. We also discussed the completion of the 26 unknown certificates that still needed to be determined by Eremias’ committee. After dinner, Ernie took me back to the SIM Guest House, and we made plans for the trip to the airport tomorrow to begin my trip to Bujumbura, Burundi for the second TPI Institute. Then I went upstairs to my Room # 214 and signed 26 certificates for the pastors who did not receive their certificates, which Eremias will check out later this week to find out if any of these pastors will legitimately qualify for a certificate. I then typed a little on my Email Report on my laptop at my desk. I also spent a good amount of time packing up my suitcase and other bags for the trip to Burundi tomorrow. I finally went to bed after a great week at the TPI Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Institute. This brings us to the end of our first TPI Institute in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Please pray for us as we seek to conduct three other such institutes in three other countries (Bujumbura, Burundi, Gweru, Zimbabwe, and Zomba, Malawi). If you would like to still give to support the training of pastors for these institutes, you can still do that this summer. You can send a check to TPI, 5132 Wedgewood Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503. Thank you for your prayers and support for us to complete this key mission assignment. Yours for Christ and His Mission, John M. Balmer, Jr.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 21:19:54 +0000
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