Tangible Ministry in Ethiopia

By Stephen Kennedy
Mission Coordinator
The emergency assistance fund was established last year as we heard of the tangible needs of some of the ministers in Ethiopia. In January we left $390 USD with Negash to use for meeting emergency needs for the missionaries. On behalf of all the ministers who received help in tangible ways, he wrote last month, thanking from his heart all who gave. Below is what all was able to be done for less than four hundred dollars.
Aid for Merkebu, Seyefu, Gelana and their wives on the occasion of them all having children born into their families. Yerga and his family received some help toward a new house. Kaleb received an MRI to see if surgery would be able to help reduce the pain in his hips as he walks. Awash Buni Church was given assistance toward buying a house church near the main road. Chaka’s wife was helped with some medical expenses. Mellese was able to go to the eye doctor and get glasses.
After all of this there is still more for Kaleb to return to the doctor and to help Matteows who will see a doctor next month.
I was amazed and very encouraged by how much was done with so little. It is a blessing to serve these dear ones in Christ not only with a little monthly support but to also come alongside of them in times of need. We continue to have the emergency assistance fund available for the brothers and sisters in Christ that He has yoked us with in love.

Cafe Ministry Planned for Addis

A plan is developing to open a coffee shop, guest-house and English language reading room in Addis Abeba for the purpose of outreach ministry and discipleship, as well as a means to facilitate future teams through IOI.
A similar ministry in another part of Addis facilitates over 1,000 students per week and many students have been converted.
We are currently seeking investors for the coffee house venture. The estimated cost of this phase of the project is $20,000.00 US.
There is a need for a team that will go to Ethiopia to establish this ministry. There will also be future opportunities for interns to teach ESL.
You may receive a pound of Ethiopia coffee for donations to this ministry through www.BishopBeard.com. Donations go toward the establishment of the café ministry in Addis.

Missionary Profile - Belaynesh

Belaynesh was born in 1972 in a rural agricultural region of Ethiopia known as Eastern Gojame Mota.
While in the eighth grade, she made a profession of faith in Jesus after hearing the gospel from her older sister, who had become a believer after moving to the south of Ethiopia. Some years later, Belaynesh was baptized by a visiting evangelist who helped to start a church in her region.
Her conversion and membership in the evangelical church caused her to receive persecution from family members. Her uncle is an Orthodox priest and he threatened her to change her mind concerning faith in Christ or he would kill her.
While having many Christ-exalting traditions, some rural Orthodox priests remain ignorant of the gospel and oppose the preaching of salvation by faith in the evangelical sense. For many of the Orthodox, the church and its traditions are the means of salvation and the way that faith is received. Belaynesh was unable to remain in the Orthodox church and was forced to leave home.
She moved to Bahir Dar and the adjustment to city life was difficult. She gained employment as a teacher and joined a fellowship of believers.
“God spoke to my heart during that time in Bahir Dar,” she said, “that someday I would become a bible lady.” Two years later she moved to Addis Abeba to pursue the calling of ministry.
The first years in Addis were financially difficult. “I struggled with life,” she said. “My physical and spiritual well-being was under attack”
During this time of loneliness and desperation, she often thought of how she could have remained home and married a wealthy man. “For sure I would not have the peace that I have today,” she said. “Jesus saved me because He loves me. This I know.”
Belaynesh served several years in Addis in ladies ministry and evangelical outreach. She said during this time, “God brought me out of the darkness by using my sister as a witness. In the same way I need to be a witness to my people.”
In 2005 Belaynesh was married after years of praying for a godly husband. God sent her a husband that not only is a fellow believer but also a minister. They are now able to minister alongside each other. Belaynesh meets often with women in their home for prayer and bible study while her husband is working on a new church plant in Badessa, where they moved just over a year ago.
Belaynesh and Teferi (her husband) now have two little boys and praise God for His provision and faithfulness. Belaynesh shared that Badessa is a strongly Islamic area and is a place of great persecution and sectarian violence. Belaynesh asks for prayer that God’s Spirit would move, bring men to faith and repentance in Badessa, and also for the “ongoing fellowship, unity and love for all attached to this ministry until the end of time.”

Bread Ovens to be Provided

It is our desire to not only send enough support to help families eke out an existence. We want to minister holistically, to improve the whole economy of life for our brothers and sisters.
With this in mind, Arlene Norton has begun raising funds to purchase ovens that will allow mothers of TLCP supported children to bake local bread and sell it. This will enable these families to add to their very small income with a business that is not based on ongoing support.
Arlene has already raised $1000.00 of the $3000.00 goal which will be enough to purchase every mother in the program an oven who desires one.
Pray that Arlene can meet this goal and that God will use these ovens to feed His own.

Churches supporting the new SPARK Outreach Programme

BALLYMONEY, NORTHERN IRELAND, UK
Published Date: 13 May 2009 (Ballymoney Times)

CHURCH leaders gathered at the Mayor's Parlour in Ballymoney last week for the official launch of the SPARK 09 Outreach Prgramme.

Press officer, Dr. James Wilson, thanked the Mayor, Councillor John Finlay, for hosting the launch.

He said: "I am absolutely thrilled that so many of the Reformed churches in Ballymoney have opted to support the initiative."

I first came across SPARK whilst working amongst the communities in Ballymena, and was impressed how it motivated young Christians to get out of their confounded holy huddles and get out amongst the people, showing the characteristics of the Lord Jesus in their community; loving compassionate, kind, humble - loving their neighbour in practical ways."

The SPARK programme will effectively run from Monday to Saturday, August 10 to 15 and will involve projects such as: litter picks, free face painting, free games, free gospel concerts, night time coffee bars and free football coaching by the highly-acclaimed FIFA approved Coaching 4 Christ team.

The teams will be drawn from local churches and the teaching pastor for the week will be Stephen Kennedy from Indigenous Outreach, Jackson, Tennessee.In his reply, Cllr. Finlay congratulated the Ballymoney churches on adopting SPARK.

He said: "One hundred and fifty years ago young men from Ballymena carried the spark of the '59 revival to Ballymoney."As Mayor of the Borough and a committed Christian, it is my sincere prayer that the actions, deeds and witness of these young people will, indeed, be the spark mightily used by God in transforming lives and reviving our churches again."

April Newsletter

It is both an honor and a privilege to share with you some of the news and needs associated with the ministry of Indigenous Outreach. As a supporter of this ministry I know that you are interested in how the funds you give are being used. It is my hope that you will be encouraged to share this ministry with other so that we might have the blessing of helping even more poverty stricken churches, missionaries, orphans and widows.

RUSS COOPER
We have been praying for some time now that God would raise up a co-worker to partner with us at the office here in Jackson. With proposed projects in Ethiopia and the United Kingdom, and a growing number of individuals being ministered to the need for additional ministry staff is evident. Russ Cooper has answered the call. He plans to move with his wife Meredith and their two children from Shreveport to Jackson in June. Russ has served as a pastor in three Louisiana churches and he also serves as the administrator for Calvary Baptist’s senior care facility. Russ will be the Financial Director for IOI. In addition to accounting and fund raising responsibilities Russ will be involved in discipleship both at home and abroad. Please pray for the Coopers in this time of transition.

OFFICE
Due to the addition of Russ on staff and the needs associated with ministry growth we are now in need of a larger office space in Jackson. For years we have had the privilege of utilizing donated office space. We have an opportunity to purchase an office suite for $65,000 which would meet our needs for years to come. Please join with us in prayer that God would provide.

CHILD SPONSORS NEEDED
Over 100 at risk children are being ministered to through the TLC Project. This is a project that is dear to our hearts as we have witnessed with our own eyes the transformation that is made in the entire family of the children ministered to. In addition to spiritual training children served through TLC attend school, receive food aid and clothing. We are in URGENT need of 38 sponsors who will give $25 per month to change the live of a poverty stricken child.

TRANSFER DOUBLE FREQUENT FLIER MILES—NWA & Skyteam
A unique and painless way to give to IOI is by donating your Northwest Airlines frequent flier miles. Now through May 31 you may donate your frequent flier miles from Northwest to account number 921561605 (in the name of Patrick Beard) and Northwest Airlines will double your gift! These miles will be used to purchase ministry travel. www.nwa.com

PRAYER ALERT
Are you a prayer warrior? Are you on our weekly PRAYER ALERT email list? Would you like to join with us in regular prayer and have the joy of sharing in answered prayers? Log on to www.ioiusa.org and follow the link to “Get Involved” and “Prayer Worker”. (This site currently only works with Internet Explorer - we are working on it).

New Logo

Thanks to Ben Williams of BW Creative for our new logo!

Sanctuary Village Update

We were recently notified that the Ethiopian government has ceased all NGO registrations for the time being. This means that our progress in acquiring land for Sanctuary Village has stalled. There is no indication when the process will resume, however progress in the discipleship ministry continues.
Fikadu has been spending his days doing research and proposal writing in preparation for the resumption of the official paperwork process.
A plan is developing to open a coffee shop and guest-house in Addis Abeba for the purpose of outreach ministry and discipleship, as well as a means to facilitate future teams through IOI. This company may also serve as a vehicle that provides local funding and a legal entity for the establishment of Sanctuary Village.
All funding given to date for Sanctuary Village construction is being held in an account, and will not be used for the coffeehouse ministry. Therefore we are currently seeking investors for the coffee house venture. The estimated cost of this phase of the project is $20,000.00 US.
Proceeds from the sale of The Bishop’s Beard Coffee will go toward the establishment of the coffeehouse ministry in Addis. www.BishopBeard.com v

Patrick's Paragraphs - Confident Giving

In the weeks since my return from Ethiopia I have been doing a bit of soul searching concerning how it is that we raise funds. I witnessed such great need in Ethiopia that I came home burdened to be more active with the raising of funds. The ministers we support have been in hardship with over 100% inflation this past year, and we are lacking enough sponsors for the childcare project that does so much good.
I visited with many missionaries supported through IOI and some of the children served through the TLC project. To say that they have been good stewards is an extreme understatement. Two of the indigenous missionaries had even neglected their own health in order to minister to the needs of their families and fellow church members.
In the Didache (an ancient pastoral) we are taught that a prophet that asks for money for himself is false. However, it is considered good practice for a true prophet to ask on behalf of others. We see this example in Scripture when the Apostle Paul seeks funding for the poor church in Jerusalem. (2 Corinthians 9)
A series of false prophets and programs have plagued the American airwaves over the past four decades. Charlatans have pronounced curses over Christians who do not give, all the while promising riches to those who do. We have learned of ministries that send only a small percentage to the poor while keeping the majority of funds for “administration.” Many have grown cold and sarcastic as we have watched and maybe even at times been victims of these swindlers.
The fact is that God does not need our money, nor does He require that we give Him our money so that He can bless us. The requirement for the Christian is that any giving be generous and cheerful! (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)
I can in clear conscience appeal to you today on behalf of your brothers and sisters in Ethiopia, and the ministry of the True Light Childcare project. Indeed it is my joy to share this opportunity with you today, and it will be my joy to be the conduit of this blessing to the Church in Ethiopia.
In closing I want to thank those who join in this ministry of blessing by giving to the CORE fund in order that all the designated giving goes to directly benefit the ministers and families in Ethiopia.v

January Mission Team to Ethiopia

January Team to Ethiopia and Bible Conference

Patrick and I just got back from Ethiopia after taking a team of seven brothers from the states to see the work there. The team members were; A C Curtis and his son Jon, Ted James, Skip Purdy, Steve Foglesong, Claude Wilson and David Mondt. It was a joy to see how the Lord put this team together and how each were a vital part of what the Lord had us do while there.

The week began with attending Kebebush's wedding. She has been supported by IOI for almost five years. It was a great blessing to see the answer to her many prayers for a godly husband.

Monday through Wednesday found the team along with Negash, Fikere, and myself in the countryside, visiting the new churches planted in the Oromo region. We saw nine different villages and churches that the Lord has planted in each of these. Patrick and Fikadu met over these three days discussing the progress of Sanctuary Village being registered with the government, and looking at the land we would like to use for the village. Many exciting things are going on with Sanctuary Village, pray that the Lord would bring it to pass.

Above was our mode of transportation, keep in mind there were 10 of us in there which made sure that we were all very close by the end of the trip.
At each of the locations in the countryside Negash asked us to "bring what ever word the Lord has given you from the scriptures". Pictured is Steve giving a word of encouragement to the church at Tulobolo, which is where we slept that evening.

After returning to Addis we had the annual Bible Conference for the IOI missionaries. The theme was based off of 1 John 4:1-6 and dealt with testing the spirits to see if they be from God. It was a good conference and our time with these brothers and sisters was a great joy, reminding us of why we do what we do, in short we love these dear ones in Christ.


After finishing the conference and meeting with all the missionaries we spent a few hours showing the team the wonderful work of the True Light Childcare Project. We played with the 102 children, distributed Christmas gifts brought for them, and then visited some of their homes. Above is a picture of some of the homes that we visited with a crowd of beautiful children holding our hands.

We praise the Lord for the time He gave us in Ethiopia and for the team that He put together. Doing this ministry is truly a joy because we are again reminded of how much we believe in what God has given us to do. May He continue to be so gracious as to use us to bless these dear brothers and sisters in Christ.



Peace of Christ to you all

By the grace of Christ,
Stephen
Missions Coordinator

Prayer for Laborers

In these past days I have had strong mixed emotions. With Negash in town Stephen and I have traveled more miles than I care to count, and we shared about the ministry of IOI with hundreds of people. This is a direct answer to prayer, but it also brings a new set of challenges.
When we prayed for a multiplication of the ministry it was because we believe that what we are doing is truly a ministry from God. We want to raise up 300 new missionaries in Ethiopia, continue to support current ministers on a greater level and send out 70 Ethiopians to neighboring nations to share the Good News in places we often cannot go. For this to happen there will have to be an increase in resources and already we are seeing it begin to happen.
We have a great need now for help in these ripe fields.
I recently got a call, “Why don’t you guys answer your phone?!?” The simple answer is that we have not been in the office to answer it. As the work of sharing about the ministry has increased and the paperwork involved with growing the ministry has increased we simply do not have enough time to do it all. Granted, these past eight weeks have been unusually busy, but there seems to be a little light at the end of the tunnel as the annual Bible Conference is just around the corner and the Spring Speaking schedule begins in February.
In addition to teams to Ethiopia, we need help here at home as well. I believe God will raise up laborers and provision for all the dreams He has given us. Will you join us in praying that the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers?

Fruitful Fall Visit

This fall has brought many blessings and many events that have helped to further the ministry of IOI.
We have been blessed to have Negash Gemeda (National Coordinator for IOI in Ethiopia) and his wife Becu with us for the past eight weeks. They traveled to ten states and spoke about the ministry of IOI in Ethiopia.
This was Negash’s third visit to the United States, and Becu’s first. In addition to speaking at church meetings and other gatherings, they had opportunity to visit with friends and extended family. They also visited with the leadership of two sister ministries (The Oromo Project and Mission ONE) that work alongside IOI in Ethiopia.
While in Fort Myers, Florida the Gemedas, Patrick, and Stephen were able to visit with the ministry of ECHO and a couple of former missionaries to Ethiopia. While at ECHO, the group learned some techniques that may be very useful in the future ministry of Sanctuary Village.
The Gemedas, Ecki and Nadine Breitenmoser (missionaries in Bremerhaven, Germany supported in part by IOI), and Dr. James Wilson (IOI Contact for the United Kingdom) joined with several board members and wives for a weekend meeting at Pickwick State Park to discuss the current work of IOI in Ethiopia and the possible expansion of the ministry. They were hosted in part by Patrick’s father Bobby Beard who took the group on a fishing excursion.
Dr Wilson has recently been in Ethiopia for the purpose of surveying the work of IOI, assess the Sanctuary Village proposal and investigate the possibility of youth teams from Northern Ireland serving as volunteers. Currently the ministry of Exodus 360 (a Northern Ireland ministry) is seeking leadership for a possible team to Ethiopia this summer.
In addition to speaking in churches and small gatherings Negash, Patrick and Stephen were invited to the campus of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia where they made many contacts with students.
As the holidays approach, it brings an end to our busy season of sowing. We pray for good fruit to come.