Culture Shock at Debre Genet Medhane Alem Church in
MD: History Celebrated, History Made!
By Emebet Sabela
Why is it that the Ethiopian Orthodox churches, especially in the US, aren’t well connected to
their community? Even though the doors of the churches remain open to everyone, they
don’t seem to be taking much effort to invite other communities in. Well, last Sunday (Feb.
24th), the Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church at Maryland
broke that tradition by opening its doors and reaching out to members of the community as
it celebrated Black History Month.
The event took place after the Sunday Mass in the presence of the congregation who seemed
to have little idea about the culture
shock that was about to follow. Kesis
Memeher Zebene Lemma, Head Priest
and head of the church, started the
program by delivering the sermon of
the day in English. For the
congregation used to listening to the
gospel being preached in their own
language, there appeared the first
culture shock of the day. Memeher
Zebene explained the origins of the
term Ethiopia and the biblical
importance of the land that stretches
its hands unto God. It seemed that
many in the audience didn’t know
what to make out of the event but as
the preacher progressed into his facts
about the land of the Cush, it was getting more interesting.
Following Memeher Zebene, Mr. Andrew Lawrence, guest speaker of the day, talked about
various events in history that showed a strong connection between Ethiopians and African
Americans; among these were: the Ethiopian merchants who co-established the first nonsegregated church in Harlem, New York; Colonel John Robinson, a Tuskegee Institute pilot
who fought alongside Ethiopia and led the Ethiopian air force against Italy; Madame C.J.
Walker a self made African American female entrepreneur and civil rights activist who went
to Ethiopia to visit Empress Zewditu in 1922 to witness the wealth and beauty of the
empress. However, not surprisingly, the subject that most resonated with the youth was
that of Beyonce visiting Ethiopia. At the end of his speech, Mr. Lawrence was given a
standing ovation by the energized audience; it seemed that his efforts to remind a people
about their forgotten history were well received.
Students and professors from
Bowie State University then
talked about their journey to
Ethiopia which was organized
by one of the University’s
professors, Dr. Fiseha Eshete, as
a study abroad program to
Ethiopia. The students
delivered their message calling
upon the youth to visit Africa
and give back to the people.
This step to reach out to the
community has far reaching
implications. The young
generation, born to Ethiopian
nationals, has questions of
identity as they are raised in two different cultures. If they can’t answer where they come
from, then the world will define it for them. The problem is, the Western world knows very
little about Ethiopia’s history. The media feeds the news about our hunger and political
strife, not the days of our glory. And if the young generation doesn’t have a true sense of
where they come from and who they are, they won’t have the courage to travel very far. The
church has taken a step towards the right direction in educating the youth about Ethiopia’s
past and encouraging current events. In fact, talking to a member of the committee that
organized the Black History Month, I was told that the idea to celebrate the event came as a
way to educate the youth about its history. Cheers to the committee in hitting their goal!
Promising signs of the youth taking leadership at the church is already evident from the
lively choir of beautiful kids to the young event announcers who were proudly adorned with
Habesha kemis.
The church has also fulfilled its purpose as it preached the gospel of hope, love, and courage
for the Diaspora, who at times find it difficult to live outside their home country. For such
people, sometimes, the only words of encouragement come when the clergy begin their
sermon with “You, the people that God loves.” As such, the churches have responsibilities to
unite and uplift their congregation. Far too many times though, they have failed to rise
above their differences. It was as though they had stopped practicing what they preached
about the messages of unity and love. And many people have stopped going to churches as a
result.
We need to understand that the Ethiopian churches aren’t only places of worship but also
pillars of social gathering. And so carry the responsibility to echo time and again, “Lift up
your hands.” Kudos to Debre Genet Medhane Alem for making history and for being the light
bearers of its people! Other churches should learn from this. When we stop focusing on our
differences, when we stop being politically driven and divided, maybe we can start thinking
about and doing such worthy and noble causes.
A final note: time and again our churches keep telling us that they struggle with
membership. People come and go for Mass but those that register as members aren’t too
many. Personally, I’m not a member of any church and in fact, I have membership-phobia to
any group organized under the sun; perhaps an influence of my youth as people holding
political membership were haunted down and jailed. However, sitting inside the church on
Sunday, as I watched Black History Month celebration unfold inside the church, all I could
think about was how to be a member and live up to the message of giving back. I have found
a church with integrity and right causes – yes Debre Genet Medhane Alem, you got me on
Sunday!