Sunset International Studies Division

4/ The major Sunset contributions to the schools were to be in curriculum development, in upgrading teachers, in occasionally teaching in the schools and in supporting a translation of the SIBI courses.

5/ Each year Ethiopian teachers were brought to Addis Abebe for training. Gerald Paden, Bobbie Paden, Ed Wharton, Truman Scott, Ferne Scott, Truitt Adair, and Doyle Gilliam have taught courses.

6/ First level, four month courses are being taught by thirteen teachers each year to about sixty men in the two schools. Second level courses, consisting of a second series of five courses began to be taught in Addis Abebe in 2000 to about fifteen students.

7/ A dozen SIBI courses have been translated into the Amheric language and are being used in ministry training and congregational work.

8/ Over 450 men have been trained and are busy developing churches in which there are 65,000 members and are planting new churches, often in areas that are almost inaccessible except by walking back into the dense forests.

9/ Several efforts were made to secure a full time fundraiser for the schools. Joe Boe, a long time evangelist making trips to Ethiopia, worked for a while but was not able to continue.

10/ John Ed Clark became the official SIBI Mission Coordinator in 2000 upon his retirement from the business he owned. He, since he was a missionary there in 1969-72, has been the principle fundraiser for all phases of the Ethiopian work: three deaf schools, evangelism, ministry training, famine relief, facilities, etc.

11/ Two full service facilities have been built in conjunction with White’s Ferry Road, LA brethren to lodge, feed and train students who are sent by congregations for the basic training programs.

12/ For thirty years the work has continued and grown with the leadership of national brethren with no resident Americans. Thus all of the administrators and instructors in the ministry training school are Ethiopian. There are no plans to change that situation.

13/ Behailu Abebe is the dean of the Branch schools and coordinates most of the varied activities throughout the nation. He is highly respected in Ethiopia and is widely known and esteemed throughout Africa. He and Clark form one of the most fruitful mission teams in the brotherhood.

14/ Sudanese refugees have been converted in Ethiopia and are being trained to be sent back into their war-torn nation with the Gospel. A fourth training school, mainly for Sudanese brethren, has been constructed in the Western Territory of Ethiopia. As an outgrowth of the work in Ethiopia several training schools are being developed in Uganda among converted Sudanese and led by a national, SIBI graduate.

15/ The five year Sunset/Ethiopia agreement was recently renewed without revision with Sunset scheduled to provide the same instructional services.

16/ A third, residential level of advanced training to select students will be added to the curriculum over the next few years and taught in Addis Abebe. It will consist of sixteen months of training, completing the curriculum of thirty courses.

17/ In effectively using ministry graduates an Ethiopia City Evangelism effort will be promoted by SIBI in the thirteen capitol cities. Most of the 650 churches in Ethiopia have been established in the rural and small towns of the nation through an aggressive work of national brethren using the World Bible School courses. Sunset’s partnership with Ethiopian brethren in evangelizing the cities of Ethiopia will begin to involve the World English Institute.

18/ Sunset is pleased to contribute to one of the most fruitful and sound mission efforts in our brotherhood. The challenge of evangelizing a nation of fifty-five million people largely made up of people of the Islamic and Ethiopia Orthodox faiths is full of promise and fulfillment.

A Brief History of Preacher Training in Ethiopia
	1/ Sunset had long followed the extraordinary work in Ethiopia through reports and contacts with John Ed Clark. 2/ In April 1997, Truman Scott was invited to go to Ethiopia with Clark to review the work. He found that two ministry training schools already were at work in Jajura and Sentireia in Sadamo. 3/ Going on to the All African Conference in Zimbabwe Scott made a proposal to John Ed Clark and Behailu Abebe to help develop the schools in Ethiopia. That agreement was signed at the World Evangelism Forum in the Fall.
4/ The major Sunset contributions to the schools were to be in curriculum development, in upgrading teachers, in occasionally teaching in the schools and in supporting a translation of the SIBI courses. 5/ Each year Ethiopian teachers were brought to Addis Abebe for training. Gerald Paden, Bobbie Paden, Ed Wharton, Truman Scott, Ferne Scott, Truitt Adair, and Doyle Gilliam have taught courses. 6/ First level, four month courses are being taught by thirteen teachers each year to about sixty men in the two schools. Second level courses, consisting of a second series of five courses began to be taught in Addis Abebe in 2000 to about fifteen students. 7/ A dozen SIBI courses have been translated into the Amheric language and are being used in ministry training and congregational work. 8/ Over 450 men have been trained and are busy developing churches in which there are 65,000 members and are planting new churches, often in areas that are almost inaccessible except by walking back into the dense forests. 9/ Several efforts were made to secure a full time fundraiser for the schools. Joe Boe, a long time evangelist making trips to Ethiopia, worked for a while but was not able to continue. 10/ John Ed Clark became the official SIBI Mission Coordinator in 2000 upon his retirement from the business he owned. He, since he was a missionary there in 1969-72, has been the principle fundraiser for all phases of the Ethiopian work: three deaf schools, evangelism, ministry training, famine relief, facilities, etc. 11/ Two full service facilities have been built in conjunction with White’s Ferry Road, LA brethren to lodge, feed and train students who are sent by congregations for the basic training programs. 12/ For thirty years the work has continued and grown with the leadership of national brethren with no resident Americans. Thus all of the administrators and instructors in the ministry training school are Ethiopian. There are no plans to change that situation. 13/ Behailu Abebe is the dean of the Branch schools and coordinates most of the varied activities throughout the nation. He is highly respected in Ethiopia and is widely known and esteemed throughout Africa. He and Clark form one of the most fruitful mission teams in the brotherhood. 14/ Sudanese refugees have been converted in Ethiopia and are being trained to be sent back into their war-torn nation with the Gospel. A fourth training school, mainly for Sudanese brethren, has been constructed in the Western Territory of Ethiopia. As an outgrowth of the work in Ethiopia several training schools are being developed in Uganda among converted Sudanese and led by a national, SIBI graduate. 15/ The five year Sunset/Ethiopia agreement was recently renewed without revision with Sunset scheduled to provide the same instructional services. 16/ A third, residential level of advanced training to select students will be added to the curriculum over the next few years and taught in Addis Abebe. It will consist of sixteen months of training, completing the curriculum of thirty courses. 17/ In effectively using ministry graduates an Ethiopia City Evangelism effort will be promoted by SIBI in the thirteen capitol cities. Most of the 650 churches in Ethiopia have been established in the rural and small towns of the nation through an aggressive work of national brethren using the World Bible School courses. Sunset’s partnership with Ethiopian brethren in evangelizing the cities of Ethiopia will begin to involve the World English Institute. 18/ Sunset is pleased to contribute to one of the most fruitful and sound mission efforts in our brotherhood. The challenge of evangelizing a nation of fifty-five million people largely made up of people of the Islamic and Ethiopia Orthodox faiths is full of promise and fulfillment.