The year is flying by! Just weeks from now, we will be starting our Gospel Crusades in Ethiopia. The team have been hard at work there for months, working with the local churches to get them ready for the coming harvest. It takes a mind-boggling amount of effort and dedication to organize these mass crusades. For the team and all the church volunteers alongside them, these last days of preparation are crucial.

What is also crucial is your support! We are currently facing an urgent cost of £160,513 to meet the budget for the Ethiopian campaigns. Please pray with us for financial provision – and if you are able to help, thank you, with all our hearts.

Women’s Seminars:

We are currently conducting Women’s Seminars across each crusade city as part of our ongoing efforts to promote the upcoming CfaN crusades and minister to the women of these communities. Following the first two women’s seminars conducted in the city of Sodo, the women’s response has been incredible. Not only were they excited to participate in the upcoming CfaN campaign, but they were also encouraged and touched by the seminars. In one of the seminars, we had a woman who had pain in her stomach for the last 16 years; while the message was being preached, she began to feel something moving in her stomach as she was being healed. Afterward, we prayed for her again, and she said that the pain was leaving her body. The hunger among the women here is undeniable; they look forward to what will occur in October.  After the seminars, the women began to call our executive local team, sharing how blessed and encouraged they were by the seminars.

First phase of publicity kicks off:

Word is spreading rapidly – the Great Gospel Crusades is officially happening! The banners have gone up in all four campaign cities, creating a buzz of excitement. Our dedicated CfaN teams, together with the local churches, have been working tirelessly, day and night, to fold, distribute, and hang banners throughout each city. The response has been phenomenal, with locals eagerly talking about the upcoming Great Gospel Campaigns.

Captains Training:

The Captains Training, held over a three-week period in August, was designed to equip nearly 2,000 leaders – two from each of the almost 1,000 participating churches – with essential skills in counseling and follow-up ministry. Led by CfaN directors and local church leaders, this training prepared these selected captains to effectively guide new believers during and after the upcoming campaigns, ensuring sustained spiritual growth and integration into the local church community.

The total number of participating churches in the initial Captains Training sessions was 931, and as we continue to train more churches for this purpose, the number will increase.

Campaign Field Selection:

In July, our teams also focused on scouting, negotiating, and securing the best locations in all four cities for the campaign grounds. Our goal was to select sites that could accommodate large crowds while maximizing our reach to the city’s inhabitants and surrounding areas. We are pleased to announce that all campaign venues have been successfully secured, authority permissions obtained, and preparations are currently underway.

Building Choirs for the Campaigns:

In keeping with Ethiopian culture, where praise and worship through large choirs play a central role in church services and campaigns, the city of Hawassa has set an ambitious challenge for their upcoming campaign. The city aims to assemble a 1,000-member choir – the largest choir ever seen at a campaign in Hawassa. Choir practices are already underway, with members from 50 evangelical choirs, with great anticipation for the powerful impact this choir will bring to the campaign.

Zonal Pastor Meetings:

The Zonal Pastor Meetings, held from July 15th across the four campaign cities, were crucial in engaging and motivating church leaders from each zone. With 3 - 4 zones per city, these meetings aimed to inspire leaders to actively participate in the campaign by providing Captains (counselor leaders), ushers, and other essential roles. These gatherings ensured that each church understood its vital role in contributing to the success of the campaign, fostering unity and commitment among the participating churches. More than 1,140 churches and over 2,000 church leaders personally committed to supporting the campaigns.

As you can see, preparations for Ethiopia are well underway. Any support you can provide now would be greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping make these crusades a success.