My Brief Biography and Ministry Visions

I was born and raised in a Lutheran Evangelical Christian Family. My father was a pioneer Ethiopian Lutheran pastor, who served the church his entire life with great integrity and sacrifice until passing away in 2005. My mother was a nurse who worked her entire life for a local church hospital until she unexpectedly passed away in 2002. I have three siblings, and I would say as a family, we had a fulfilling childhood life, even though we went through some very tough times during the communist persecution of Christians in our country. My father was imprisoned twice, tortured and kept in prison for about four years without any guilt or trial in the 80’s, simply because of his confession of Christian faith. From childhood, this experience of persecution and injustice created in me a great sensitivity for great commission, religious liberty and human dignity, the passion which has continued with me to the present day.

I am married to Yeroon Melaku and we have three beautiful girls. The oldest is Dori, age 9, the middle is Makki, age 6 and the youngest is Beki, age 4. We have a strong belief a in stable Christian family, modest life style, where kids are nurtured with love and responsible care within the limit God has provided us. We are very excited to be here in Austin, to experience God’s providence and engage in the proclamation of the Gospel in word and deeds as a family.

From a young age, I was involved in ministry starting with Sunday school choir, and later as instructor of theology, just after I graduated from the seminary. It always amazes me how God graciously provided me opportunities to grow in faith through ministry, caring friends and loving family. After two years in Addis Ababa University, in the faculty of educational physics in 1991, I joined a Mekane Yesus Theological School, where I was still not certain of where it would take me, until I clearly discovered the will of God for me was to further my theological studies. Later graduating from seminary in 1997 and completing my post graduate studies at Humboldt University of Berlin in 2005. My ministering to people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ both in word and deeds has become not only a fulfilling call and a vocation, but a lifestyle which I relish.
I have always seen ministry as a ministry of body and soul – ministry of the whole person . It is this concept that has captivated me, and kept me a faithful Christian, throughout all the challenges of my faith. I believe in Jesus who redeems me and at the same time that practically cares about all my physical needs. He provides me with a sound mind and ideas on how to address those issues, a community of believers, a family and network of caring friends. Beside pastoral ministry, I also worked in different health institutions as a chaplain, caring for emotional and spiritual needs of patients and folks in health care emergencies and other situations, and provided support and counsel with Christian compassion and love.

I came to the life of the immigrant and multicultural community at the beginning of the year 1999, when I went to Germany as an ecumenical, international reverse practitioner, by Ethiopian Evangelical Mekane Yesus, and later in 2005 when I moved to the states and joined the Pacific South West District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I was surprised to discover that so many people from my home country, who spoke my mother language, shared my experiences, and worshiped with the flair and fervor I that worshiped in my home country here in the diaspora. It offered me a kind of familiar social, emotional and spiritual environment, where I was able overcome some of my homesickness, but also continue to practice my call as minister and the way I would understand from this personal experience. I know and can imagine what that means for most of our new immigrants, who were driven out of their homes and country under dehumanizing circumstances, passed under harsh conditions until they reached this new but better world, having such familiar safe spaces of worship and communion.

My desire and visions for Austin are two things. Frist and foremost is ministering and help reinvigorate our LCMS congregations here in Austin for Great Commission, especially through the Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Austin and Our Savior Lutheran of Brownsdale, in partnership with our district, local LCMS congregations, and our committed mission minded saints to fulfill Christ’s command for us to “go and make disciples of all nations”. I consider this as a sacred opportunity to fulfill my call and vocation as a minister of the Gospel.

The second one is using the God given mission opportunity we have here in Austin for intentional holistic outreach. My objective is providing holistic minister to our diverse multicultural communities, cultivate and resourcing them for installing hope and transforming lives. We have a huge growing number of immigrant communities and new Americans moving to Austin from neighboring cities and states. For most of our new immigrants, who flee harsh political repression, and economic poverty, America is a beacon of promise. They conceive and hope, in contrast the harsh political and economic situation they endured in their respective countries, America would offer them a fuller path to fulfil their dreams. And indeed, to succeed and to overcome the challenges of being stranger in a new homeland. The fact is, most of them face many challenges, uncertainty and confusion until they are able to get some form of normality and familiarity that would offer them hope and consolation. Usually, places that offer such hope and familiarity are often the churches. From my personal experiences, I know that most our Lutheran congregations in our various urban centers have played important role in offering most these new immigrants that familiar social, emotional and spiritual environment, where they may encounter hope through Christ and promises for tomorrow. My hope is by applying this rich tradition of hospitality and compassion ministry of our Lutheran tradition we may reach out to the diverse new communities in the City of Austin.

Since I arrived here, I’m extremely encouraged and animated by the sincere desire and willingness of the community of saints of both congregations to provide such sort of familiar social, emotional and spiritual environment for our new growing multicultural communities here in Austin. My goal is to enable them to continue to worship in a culture and language meaningful to them, and assist them to become good Christian citizens who will contribute to the welfare of their immediate communities.
In my free time, I like reading, spending time with family and enjoying nature.
Rev. Gemechu Olana