Early Summer - Ministry Highlights
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16
June/July 2024 - Mission Outreach Highlights
Jesus underscores the urgency of spreading the message of the Gospel to all people. Here in central Ohio, we are surrounded by thousands of Somali Muslims who aggressively practice the tenets of Islam. Yet they are not certain about their salvation. Because of sin, people cannot appease God’s wrath by what they do. The wage of sin is death. All our righteous acts are like filthy rags, Isa. 64:6. Jesus is the only sure Way to heaven, John 14:6; Acts 4:12. Therefore, following Jesus’ mandate, we are engaging Somali Muslims with the message of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Luke 24:47. The Lord is at work. By the grace of God, many Somalis are hearing the Gospel, and some are getting baptized and being discipled. Glory to God! Muhammed was baptized on June 19, 2024. Two years ago, Muhammed came to our Somali Christian fellowship. At that time, Muhammed described his life as “Everything in my life has been wrong.” Muhammed was indoctrinated by his former religion that Allah loves only those who do good. After months of joining our fellowship and hearing the Word of God about Jesus’ unconditional love for sinners, Rom. 5:6-8, Muhammed started to understand the Good News, trusting that “Jesus can change my life for the better.” Yes, the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is changing the lives of Somali Muslims now and forever.
Outreach and Opposition
The apostle Paul stated, “a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” 1 Corinthians 16:9. When sinners repent heaven rejoices. On the other hand, the god of this age blinds the eyes of unbelievers lest they see the light of the Gospel. Some religious zealots go even beyond objecting to the Gospel message to harass and threaten Somali Christians and our outreach at large. Regardless, we keep sharing the Gospel with our Somali neighbors trusting the unfailing Words of Jesus that, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18. While Somali converts suffer community exclusion, our God claims them His own through baptism. They now belong to God’s family, the church. In our discipleship efforts, we make sure these new brothers and sisters in Christ belong, get nurtured, and grow in faith to serve in the body of Christ. With every Somali convert, opposition is highly probable, but thanks be to God, Christ’s work is unstoppable. Therefore, we are reaching Somali Muslims with the Gospel and walking in love with our new converts as disciples and witnesses for Christ, John 13:35. Our discipleship program involves visiting Somali converts in need almost every day. We pray with, share the Word of God with, and comfort and encourage them as they grow in their faith in Christ. This Pentecost season, we engaged over 11 Somali Muslims with the Gospel. Most of them are considering inquiring more about the Christian faith. We are prayerfully pursuing these friends to point them to Jesus. For the safety of our Somali Christians, we now have two days for Somali fellowship. One is for those who have already confessed their Christian faith, ready for the Word and Sacrament ministry. The other day is when the new Somalis, “seekers”, come to learn about Jesus.
For the sake of Christ’s mission,
Rev. Dr. Berhanu Arsse
Pastor – Ebenezer Church & Missionary (COLIM)
Thanksgiving Report and Prayer Requests
Please pray for COLIM to vigorously reach more Somalis with the love of Jesus. Opposition is tough, but Christ is triumphant, 2 Corinthians 15-17!
Please pray for our two separate weekly Somali fellowships. Specifically, that God gives the increase to the Gospel message that we have planted and to the mission you, our partners, have helped water.
Please pray for a Somali Christian brother, Musa, my great aid in Somali outreach, whose old car needs lots of repair including AC and other mechanical issues.
Please pray for the Lord’s provision for me (Pastor Berhanu) as well. The SUV I stewarded for 14+ years got almost 200k miles. Now, it has become so expensive to repair and it is coming to a complete stop.
As the Lord blesses you and as you feel led, please prayerfully consider supporting our Gospel mission outreach financially. Your partnership has an eternal impact on the lives of the many Somali Muslims who are yet to hear, and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Please pray for those who infiltrate into our Somali Christian fellowship with the intention to find out and expose Somali believers to potential danger. Please pray these individuals’ ungodly zeal for harming Somali believers would be countered by the power of the risen Christ, cf. Acts 9:1-18.
Please note that we sincerely thank you for your support (prayer, financially, and in other miscellaneous ways, such as giving gas cards and/or assisting with transportation). We thank God for you as we carry on Christ’s Great Commission among the Somali Muslims here in Central Ohio!