A Model Apostolic Church In The Making

Long before 1998, the year that a pioneer church plant called Crusaders Ethiopia was launched in the capital Addis Ababa, God had imparted a vision to a young man named Eyob Mamo and etched it on the table of his heart. This charge was his destiny: To see the glory of God poured out on his beloved Ethiopia, and to be used as an instrument for revival, reformation, and restoration in a land where war, famine, political upheaval, poverty, suffering, and persecution of the church had become the norm.

BECOMING A REFUGEE IN SUDAN AND KENYA

Little did he realize when he left Ethiopia in 1985 as a 19 year old young man, that the journey he was about to embark on would prepare him to one day return as an apostle of God that would have the opportunity to influence for the Kingdom of God hundreds of thousands, and some day even millions. That journey initially took him for two years to Khartoum, Sudan as a refugee. Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian refugees had made their way to Sudan in those days, and a strong church of refugees had sprung up in Khartoum. It was here in 1985 that Eyob met an apostle named Axel Sippach (currently the Executive Director for IMPACT) that impacted his life, and that would come to play a pivotal role in the future of his ministry.

Eyob began to serve in that church, especially ministering to young people who were hungry for God. God poured out His glory, and many were saved, healed, delivered, and filled with the Spirit. Some of them are now in full time ministry. It was a powerful beginning to his ministry, even as he lived in challenging conditions as a refugee in a Muslim country hostile to the gospel. Two years later his journey continued with an open door to go to Nairobi, Kenya where he was accepted into an immigration program to come to America. But those two years were also fruitful years for the ministry as Eyob began to see God use him in Kenya even as He did in Sudan, but with even greater results. He also was involved in producing anointed Amharic language gospel programs for Christian short-wave radio ministries broadcasting into Ethiopia.

COMING TO AMERICA

When Eyob left Africa for the States, deep in his heart he knew one day he would be returning. Many had come to America saying they would return, but never did. He knew he would be different! In the States as his journey continued, God led him to enroll in college. Working full time jobs, and going to school full time, and also ministering occasionally, he was able to earn not only a

Bachelors Degree in Christian Leadership, but also a Masters Degree in Christian Education. He has also work on his doctoral thesis. During this time of pursuing education, he also remarkably found time to pursue romance. While ministering in an Ethiopian Christian Conference in the States, he came to meet a young lady named Addy who actually was one of those he had led to Christ in Nairobi. Sometime later they were married, and now their family includes a daughter and son.

As Eyob's educational goals had been achieved, his heart was now burning with a passion to move back to Ethiopia. He had already returned for short ministry trips of a few weeks at a time, where he taught leadership seminars in various churches. By now, he also had written and published several books in Amharic which where being distributed in the churches of Ethiopia. Even though Eyob and Apostle Axel Sippach had maintained their relationship over the years while he was in the States, it was at this season in Eyob's journey that God reconnected them in a special way.

DIVINE CONNECTION

In the 1990's, God had given Apostle Sippach a friendship and special ministry partnership with Apostle John Eckhardt, which had encompassed apostolic outreaches to the Middle East and the former Soviet Union. Through this relationship, God arranged and orchestrated a strategic appointment for Eyob to meet Apostle Eckhardt who has a special heart for Africa, and had had prophetic words concerning planting churches there. Apostles Eckhardt and Sippach flew to Ethiopia from an apostolic conference they had just finished in Moscow to meet Eyob, who was in Ethiopia for leadership seminars. It was definitely a divine connection. Eyob's dream to return full time to his beloved Ethiopia was about to become a reality.

Within the next few months strategic plans were drawn up. Eyob went to spend time in Chicago with Crusaders Church where the apostolic ministry of Apostle Eckhardt powerfully affected his life. And just 5 months after meeting Apostle Eckhardt, he and his family were on their way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The journey had come full circle bringing him back home to the Ethiopia he had left. The commitment he had made to return was fulfilled. He had come home. He had returned as a new breed of emerging young apostles that God was raising up in the nations today. Crusaders Ministries Ethiopia was officially launched in 1998 as the pioneer apostolic church plant of Crusaders Church in Chicago with Eyob Mamo as its leader, and under the apostolic oversight of Apostle John Eckhardt. The church has quickly grown in this short period of time to over 2,000 solid members.

INCREDIBLE GROWTH

The growth of Crusaders Church Ethiopia and the IMPACT Network since 1998 has been exciting and incredible. It has really become an apostolic movement in the nation. There are now over 200 churches throughout the country with approximately 100,000 believers that are now part of Crusaders Ethiopia/IMPACT, and many more new church plants planned. Apostle Eyob’s influential bi-monthly magazine is the most popular Christian magazine in the country.

IMPACT SUDAN LAUNCHED

There are also now 10 congregations totaling 10,000 Sudanese refugees in the Gambela region of the Ethiopia/Sudan border which was birthed through this apostolic movement of Crusaders/IMPACT. Apostle Eyob has released them now to function under the leadership of Apostle Simon Deng. These precious people from the Nuer Neolithic tribe are the "poorest of the poor" financially, but rich and strong in their relationship with the Lord. This region of southern Sudan has been through over 20 years of brutal civil war, and even though there is now a fragile peace treaty in the south, they are still experiencing the effects of what that long conflict has done to their region. A small $700 donation to them last fall allowed them to take a ministry team deep into southern Sudan from their headquarters church in Gambela, Ethiopia for an evangelistic outreach. The results were that over 2,000 were born-again, many were healed and delivered from demonic power, and many new churches were planted. Averaged out, that’s around 30 cents per person, a pretty good investment to populate the Kingdom of Heaven. Please consider investing in this tremendous harvest field. Your gifts will go for evangelism, church planting, training leaders, mercy ministries, and supporting indigenous church leaders.

APOSTOLIC ACCELERATION

Part of the phenomenal success of the work in Ethiopia has been due to the spiritual principle of "apostolic acceleration" that Apostle Eckhardt has been teaching. He believes that what he has learned and achieved in the ministry in over 20 years can be apostolically imparted to others for the same results in a much shorter period of time. That apostolic impartation comes through, revelatory preaching and teaching of present truth, through prophetic ministry, apostolic ordination with prophetic presbytery, laying on of hands, along with sending apostolic teams to teach, train, activate the saints in prophetic and deliverance ministries, etc. for the work of the ministry. He has done that in Ethiopia and the results are self-evident. Eyob Mamo was also recognized and ordained as an Apostle of Jesus Christ by Apostle Eckhardt in 1999.

We have now conducted several powerful apostolic conferences in Addis Ababa (1998, 1999, 2000, 2005), which have also had tremendous results not only for Crusaders/IMPACT, but for many other young leaders from other churches and ministries that attended and received apostolic impartation. IMPACT 2000 in 1999 was our hallmark conference with over 5,000-7,000 in daily attendance for 7 days of powerful apostolic and prophetic ministry, along with 50,000 attending a one-stadium crusade. Over a dozen anointed speakers from around the world ministered. Prophetic teams prophesied to over 5,000 leaders in personal ministry during those days. Many leaders from all over Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and other regions were sponsored to attend. The testimonies of what God did in their lives would fill pages. The week ended with Apostles Eckhardt, Sippach, Mamo, being afforded a one-hour private meeting with the President of Ethiopia.

CHALLENGES

The New Apostolic Reformation has now been released in Ethiopia, and nothing can stop it. Crusaders Ministries and the IMPACT Network Ethiopia has been a catalyst for this, and is truly becoming an apostolic model of a governing territorial Antioch church. The needs though are very great at this time. A couple years ago Apostle Eyob stepped out in faith to purchase a one acre parcel of land in the capital. Costs for land in the countryside are very inexpensive, but in the capital city, they are extremely expensive now as land is at a premium, with one acre costing about $300,000. Most of the members of the headquarters Addis Ababa congregation do not have cars and must use public transportation. So moving outside of the central part of the city is not an option.

They have erected a solid temporary structure for about $60,000 seating about 2,000 to house the growing congregation until funds could be secured to build a more permanent one. They have paid about one half of the amount for the land now, but now need to quickly pay the remainder. It is not possible in places like Ethiopia to have long term mortgages on land or buildings. Two to three years is the maximum arrangement that can be made. So they now have a tremendous need to pay off the remaining $150,000.

THE HARVEST IS RIPE

The majority of the 200 churches under Eyob’s leadership are in the rural southern part of Ethiopia. Some of the congregations have very simple structures to worship in; others worship in the open under trees because they have no worship facilities. The leaders who minister in this region live completely by faith, with no regular income. They trust the Lord for their daily provision. None have cars or even motorcycles. They walk from place to place. Recently an IMPACT team from the States held a conference in a place in the south called Agre-Mariam, eight hours by car from the capital Addis Ababa for 300 of our key apostolic and prophetic leaders in the region. Some of them walked from as far as 100 miles to come to the meeting. They told of so many supernatural things God was doing among His people. The experience of ministering to these dedicated faithful servants of Christ who have laid down their lives brought tears to the eyes of the team.

OPPORTUNITY

This part of Ethiopia is a very ripe harvest field. But Islam is also trying to take advantage of the spiritual hunger of the people. We must act now to help them take this region. There is a tremendous need to build a $25,000 facility in Agre-Mariam that can hold about 5,000 people to be used for conferences, as a training center, and as a southern regional headquarters IMPACT church. IMPACT already owns a 10 acre parcel of land on a hilltop over looking the region.

There is also a great need to build simple mud walled, dirt floor and tin roof church structures to seat about 800-1000 members for around $3000 for local churches; to support some of the key apostolic leaders; to provide motorbikes for some of the leaders to be able to do their ministry more effectively. Most of them walk for many miles to conduct their ministry, some through dangerous areas to reach villages where there have been many lion attacks and large deadly python snakes to deal with.

Another opportunity to invest in what God is doing through Crusaders/IMPACT Ethiopia is to sow toward evangelistic crusades and apostolic conferences to be conducted in the remote rural areas where multitudes live, especially in the south. A gift of $2,000 could sponsor a crusade and or conference with 20,000 in attendance, $5,000 for up to 50,000 in attendance, and so on. We have the potential in the south to attract an audience of up 200,000 or more if properly equipped for it. People are so hungry for the Word and the power of God. They will come if we can but make provision for it. There is a Kingdom opportunity to see a fantastic harvest in southern Ethiopia and they have the apostolic leaders in place to disciple the harvest so the fruit will remain.

PARTNERSHIP

Please pray about becoming a prayer and financial partner with IMPACT, and pray about which specific areas He would have you sow into. The opportunities are tremendous awaiting those that God will speak to for investment for His kingdom advancement in Ethiopia and Sudan. Be apart of the prophetic fulfillment of Psalms 68:31b "Ethiopia will soon stretch forth her hands unto God".

Remember also what the Apostle Paul had shared with the saints at Philippi (Philippians 1:5-7) where he told his ministry partners: "…ye all are partakers of my grace". According to this revelation and spiritual principle, there is a release of apostolic grace for those who partner with apostles for kingdom advancement. As you partner with Apostle Eckhardt and IMPACT, you can expect the same apostolic grace and favor that flows from his life to begin to flow into yours also. Imagine how that could bless your life and ministry.