Faith Lutheran Church

Beverly Heights Church became aware of the needs of the Anyuaa people through Carl and Pat Templin, who served as missionaries for 11 years in southwest Ethiopia. Also, one of the Anyuaa church leaders, Thwol Omot, while studying at seminary in Gettysburg, shared the need for a center to train evangelists for the rapidly growing church among the Anyuaa and for outreach into outlying areas. The Gambella region, like the Southern Sudan, has had more than its share of violence, natural disasters, famine and disease in the last 50 years. Young Anyuaa pastors and leaders are working hard to help an emerging church of nearly 65, 000 people in these difficult times. Under the leadership of Pastor Ojod Miru, President of the East Gambella Bethel Synod and Pastor Gilo Gora, the Director of Development and Social Services and their female counterparts, Abang Ojwato and Ariet Philip, the church is challenged with educating their children, providing for the spiritual needs of their own people while reaching out to adjoining people groups, caring for widows and orphans, providing essential health care, doing flood relief, and dealing with AIDS. Supporting them in these efforts throught the PCUSA, are Micael and Rachel Weller, who have served in Ethiopia since 1994. Rachel has helped to supervise the three clinics in the area, and has been instrumental in getting local Anyuaa and Nuer personnel trained to run these clinics. In order to be more effective in her work in the Gambella area, Rachel, a nurse, needs to update her credentials, and hopes to get a masters degree in Public Health. Michael, who helps give guidance to churches in the whole Horn of Africa, has been asked to do this from the U.S. for at least a year, as he is the most qualified and most knowledgable person for the job. Rachel and Michael also hope to be able to spend more time with their 4 children, all of whom are in different stages of leaving the nest. The sadness of their leaving Ethiopia was lessened when the church leaders in Ethiopia "commissioned" them to be their ambassadors here.