Ethiopia is a land that has seen decades of underdevelopment due to wars and famines. From 1974 till 1991, a Marxist regime ruled the country and persecuted Christians. But since 1991, there has been unprecedented freedom for Christian evangelism, and Protestant churches have been growing rapidly. In this environment, Rhema Gospel Mission, partnered with Intercede International, has been planting churches, teaching and evangelizing across the country – along with helping poor and orphaned children.
Pastor Eshetu Worike is the founder of RGM, which is based in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. He has been serving God through teaching the Gospel, encouraging spiritual revival, setting free with God’s power those who were under the bondage of demons, witnessing and follow-up teaching, since he was a student. Through Worike’s ministry many people have turned to the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of those who were brought to the Lord through Worike’s ministry have become leaders and ministers in various churches, some in other countries. Worike gives the glory to God.
Worike established RGM in 1989 to start Christian churches in Ethiopia, to teach the Word of God in accordance with the teachings of the Bible, to proclaim to all people the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to disciple believers. The ministry also aims to help the poor and needy, and to establish and support Bible schools.
RGM trains ministers for evangelistic work, arranges revival meetings, camps, and conferences in churches. The ministry plans to establish churches throughout Ethiopia. RGM missionaries conduct evangelism through various means, including films, distributing of Bible tracts and door-to-door evangelism. RGM also does outreach to students. Most of RGM’s church members are young people.
A divine call
Worike was born in 1964 in the southern Ethiopian countryside. He received Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour in 1977. He came from a traditional Coptic Orthodox Church background.
“As I learned the Bible and understood the Lord better, my life changed, and I continued to witness for the Lord,” reports Worike. “I brought many young people to the Lord by forming a Bible club in secondary school. Glory be to Him.
“I and my friends traveled to many places in our country to preach the Gospel. Many souls were saved. We suffered a lot under the Communist system. I and my friends were imprisoned, flogged and beaten up. However, the persecution and suffering which I underwent helped me to understand and know the Lord more.”
In 1989, Worike received a divine call, left his government banking job and started working full-time for the Lord with RGM. Even while working at the bank, he had led many people to the Lord. He traveled to parts of Addis Ababa, through the countryside and to faraway villages, which had not been reached with the Gospel. He preached the Good News to them, did follow-up and planted churches, and continues to do so. Worike’s wife, Genet, and their family also contribute much to the ministry.
“I built our first church in Addis Ababa and others nationwide,” explains Worike. “Most of our church members are youngsters. We are working most among youngsters because only in the church are their dreams, their future and their hope. Our church is growing, even though we are poor materially. But we are abundant in Jesus Christ spiritually. Praise God!
“Here in Ethiopia, our mission work is going on by the grace of God. Over the years many young people and others have come to Christ, and some people were healed from sickness and delivered from evil. The Lord is with us and He is working with us.”
RGM has its main church in Addis Ababa, one other urban church, and about 20 local congregations in the countryside. The Addis Ababa main church has about 300 members – most of them youth.
Altogether, there are at least 3,000 RGM church members. RGM has about 10 full-time workers serving the Lord.
One RGM church is across from a high school with about 10,000 students. “Two times each week we are showing Bible films and we preach Christ in lunch times,” reported Worike before the COVID-19 pandemic restricted some mission activities. “Daily we are distributing Bible tracts on the street, and we witness to the Saviour. Many students are coming to learn from far places. They are drinking water freely in our church. We are winning many souls to Christ.” Praise God that these students are finding the Living Water at this RGM church.
Jesus for Children ministry
RGM started Jesus for Children Ministry in 1991. This helps orphans and needy children. Currently, RGM is caring for about 40 orphans in private homes and orphanage buildings in Addis Ababa and in the countryside. One orphanage building has structural problems and needs to be fixed or replaced in the near future.
“We feed the orphans three times a day,” reports Worike. “For school, clothing and stationery, we pay for them. Some of them are serving the Lord, by prayers, and by instruments.”
RGM’s children’s ministry focuses on: Ministry among slum children and children in rural areas; giving economic support to children’s education; giving medical help to orphans; helping Christian instructors of children by providing them with allowances and transportation payments; Bible teaching, and distribution of Christian literature.
Pandemic adjustments
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused RGM some restrictions in its ministry. Even so, RGM missionaries are witnessing and preaching about Christ and people are coming to Christ. Some have been healed from COVID-19 and other diseases. Worike suffered from a serious illness earlier this year, but has been healed by God, the mission reports.
“We are working hard in our city of Addis Ababa,” wrote Worike, “We haven’t been able to go farther into the countryside since January 2020, because we have been locked down. Our Home Church has been closed for more than six months. Even though, we are working in Addis, witnessing for Christ. In our preaching people are saved and healed. We don’t know our future, when the Church will open, but in this bad situation we must serve the Lord.
“Because of COVID-19, churches are closed, and many pastors and Gospel workers are hungry. All Christians are locked down and stay at their homes. At this time we need your help more and more. Pray for us, and pray for our people, the Ethiopians. Pray for God’s work in Ethiopia.
“Our children are all well. They are learning at their school. Now school is open and government workers are in their offices. All in all, we have passed through this terrible time with the help of our Father God.”
Pray for this ministry as its missionaries bring the message of God’s power and love to the people of Ethiopia.
Photo: Rhema Gospel Mission leader Eshetu Worike (second from left) with children and youth in the care of this ministry.
(INS- Intercede International, Fort Erie, ON)
Alan Doerksen is Publications Editor with Intercede International and has been with Intercede for 20 years. Find his latest historical fiction novel on Amazon.
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