An Immensely Successful Exhibition

The exhibition Mahber Kidusan has staged from 2-16 march 2008 at the Addis Ababa exhibition center has been extremely successful. In his concluding report, Mahbere Kidusan's millennium committee chair, Kesis Doctor Mulugeta Seyoum, has been visited by his holiness patriarch Abune Paulo's, their Graces Archbishops, Government Ministers, Eminent personalities, thousands of the laity and by followers of other denominations.

The exhibition has nine parts which serve as a flashback of the church's past and for cast the future.

Here is a precise of the exhibition in its different scenes.

Scene one

• How Ethiopia worships God (past and present)
• Shows Ethiopians worshiped God in conscience, the laws and the Gospel.
• Presents mosses' marriage to an Ethiopian as evidence at a time Israel was forbidden to marry non- believers.
• Presents God himself as evidence to show Ethiopians' remain his chosen.

Scene two

• Ethiopian church's apostolic service for two millennia.
• How the Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
• How monasticism spread in the country and Ethiopians' effort to preach in neighboring countries.
• The rise of Graph and missionaries retarded the church's effort

Scene three

• Ethiopia's calendar with its biblical basis
• How unique the calendar is by contrasting it with western calendars.

Scene four

• Shows socio - cultural contributions of the church.
• Humanitarian contributions
• Orphanage and nursery of the aged.
• Inculcating working culture

Scene five

• Laws and administration
• Set a trend for codifications following the example of old and new testamental laws.
• Introduction of law of the kings

Scene six

• Roles in economy and ecology

Scene seven

• Roles in art
• Literature
• Hymnology
• Architecture
• Iconology

Scene eight

• Vision for the third millennium
• How the church shall exploit its untapped resource to capture the future
• The church must reach both blacks and whites.
• The faithful shall contribute their part to achieve such a goal

Scene nine

• Mahbere Kidusan
• How it became a model for the youth to get organized and serve the church.
• The youth could join already established organizations or may form their won with well defined, transparent objectives.

Representative opinions

We are so happy to see our children in God doing such a marvelous work. As long as they remain unaffected by self-centeredness and they abide by the church's order, they remain stalwarts of the church.

His Holiness patriarch Abune Paulo’s.

I am happy in the exhibition. What I saw about the youth's contemporary challenges, about Islamic extremism and about our calendar is particularly interesting. It is up to us all to stand up and work together not to be overtaken by the future.

His grace Archbishop Abune Samuel

Praise be to God for I have seen this exhibition which has a lot about my cause of pride, my church and my country.

The church and the nation at large should be proud of our calendar. I say thank you to all who made the exhibition possible. God bless you all‼

Ato Wubishet Workalemahu, an Eminent Personality.

From the exhibition, I have got a lot that I do not know. The briefing about the church's past and present was very informative. I pray to the lord to give Mahbere Kidusan grace fro they have made this possible.

w/ro Fikir, a visitor

I have been badly in need of quenching my thirsty spirit. Your exhibition is indeed timely for me. As you know the truth, it will set you free. I give you my words to contribute my share.

Ato Tesfa-Mariam Tilahun, a visitor.

Newspaper Apologizes for Misinforming Readers

The Daily Monitor, an English Daily published in Ethiopia, has apologized the readership for its misinforming report concerning the recently held Exhibition of Mahbere Kidusan.

The apology was published in its tuesday, 18 March 2008 issue  (Vol. XIV .No 65).

As the paper said, it deplores its reporting as if the exhibition was closed while it was still on show and in its purporting as though the event incurred a financial lose. “To err is human, to forgive is divine,” the paper has concluded.

Following is the full text of the Daily Monitor’s report of apology which also covers other issues about the exhibition.

Church exhibition more than successful: organizers

By Fikremariam Tesfaye

ADDIS ABABA-  A Grand Millennium Exhibition showing the deeds of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church over the past two millenniums concluded on Sunday with success, organizers said at the closing ceremony at the Exhibition where it was on show for the past two weeks.

The organizers said the exhibition met its desired objectives given the number of visitors who showed great interest in the history of the church-its achievements in evangelical, economical, social, artistic, legal, administrative, ecological, tourism and other spheres of activities.

Well over 50 thousand people of different religious faiths visited the 10 day-exhibition which had to be extended for another five days, to allow more people get the chance, priest Dr. Mulugeta Seyoum, Chairperson of the Mahbere Kidusan Millennium Committee which organized the exhibition on behalf of the church said at the closing ceremony.

The exhibition highlighted the Churches contribution and direct role in the country’s over all development endeavors.

The exhibition also showed the relationship between the church and state institutions, the church’s place in Development and social justice, and the church’s Administrative structure with parish councils and Sunday Schools in focus.

Priest, Dr. Mulugeta said that by demonstrating the past, present and the future-during  which the church prevailed after many ups and downs, the exhibition aimed to inject citizens’ sense or responsibility.

He said the committee plans to organize similar exhibition in the regions of the country, including foreign countries-South Africa (in Johannesburg) and neighboring Kenya (in Nairobi) with a view to extend the churche’s mission thereby allowing more and more people benefit out of the historic event.

Government ministers, ambassadors and head of missions of staes and governments, members of the international community, higher governmental officials, the patriarch and holy fathers attended the closing ceremony.

The Mahbere Kidusan has been preparing various exhibitions since 1996 both in the country and abroad under the broad theme the Ethiopian Church Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.

Editor’s Note

The Daily Monitor would like to take this chance to apologize for factual errors committed on its news coverage under the headline Church concludes exhibition, encurs costs (The Daily Monitor March 12, 2008)

1.
On that story, we wrongly reported that the exhibition was closed after 10 days on show to the public, while it was actually decided to extend it by five days, which as the Church said was in response to visitors’ request. This has to do with our being a daily newspaper.

All the same, we say sorry

2.
On the same story, in trying to show the church was exposed to unforeseen costs, we reported that organizers incurred a lose of 100,000.00 birr, which unintentionally made it sound like the Church had financial motives behind organizing the exhibition.

We acknowledge that the exhibition was only informative and persuasive.

Once again, sorry.

To err is human, to forgive is divine. 
  

      Praise be to God. Amen!!