Our Mission

Our mission is centered in the proclamation of the seving Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

  • To spreading this good news throughout the community and the world so that all people might be won to Christ;
  • To bring a healling a holistic sense, to soul and body, mind and spirit, to spiiritual and material, to church and the world.
  • Encopasses the individual and the community, the global family and natural environment;
  • Tto reach out to bring hope to the hopeless, bread to the hunger, medical care to those in need, freedom for those who suffer unjustly in prison.
  • To offer a welcoming community to all who are pushed aside. It is to speak God’s Word of judgment and grace to the structures and practice of injustice whether at home or abroad;
  • To be open to the gifts of the spirit that others from different cultures and faiths have to offer to us for our growth in understanding and for our own healing;
  • To support the young people of OEC as they face challenges of life in American society.We are committed to listening to their hopes and fears and walking with them on this journey;
  • To ensure that OEC is sustainable into the future through good stewardship of the gifts that God has given to us. The good management of our finances and our organizational structure will ensure a viable mission in areas of evangelical outreach and service.

The ELCA Outreach Office for Region Eight placed the Oromo Mission at Reformation Church, located at E. Capitol Hill Street.Washington, DC. In April 1996, The ELCA Region 8 Outreach Division and Grace Lutheran Church made an arrangement for Grace Lutheran Church to be the home for the Oromo Mission. With immeasurable help of Grace Lutheran Church, the Oromo Mission began to experience a speedy growth. Peace Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA also supported this mission by providing financial assistance for the pastor at this initial stage.

Thanks to the generous hospitality of Grace Lutheran Church, the Oromo Congregation found not only a home for worship, but also a valued partner in ministry. It is therefore not surprising that the newly arriving people from Oromia find their way to Washington, D. C.

Under the care and guidance of the Grace Congregation, the Oromo Mission started to function in full capacity, developing its own worship life, administration, constitution and bylaws, outreach and partnerships. Eventually the mission established its office on the Church premises.

By 2000 the Church already claimed over one hundred confirmed members. The mission was also rendering spiritual and social services to a larger number of Oromo immigrants. The Church also extended its Spiritual and social services to Oromo community in general. In conjaction with the office for UOEC (United Oromo Evangelical Churches), the mission has been facilitating immigration and asylum issues and providing temporary shelter and other basic living needs for newly arriving immigrants. Consequently, the Washington Metropolitan became the primary destination for many new immigrants.
Since its inception in 1995, our Church, Oromo Evangelical Church of Washington D.C. continued to grow, even though we had no permanent home. We are grateful for the hospitality afforded by Grace Lutheran Church and Christ Lutheran Church. We are very thankful for the spiritual leadership provided by pastor, the Rev. Waaqtola Dinagdee from 1996 to 2010. Rev. Waaqtolaa Dinagdee retired in 2010.

The Sunday worship service remains the center of our life, which is accompanied by Sunday School, Confirmation Class, Second Generation (teen) Bible Study Classes and fellowship. We follow the basic contours of the Lutheran liturgy and incorporate elements of traditional Oromo worship, including the vibrant music and testimonies of the “worship singers” and spontaneous prayers.

Also OEC provides a “gateway” for many Oromo immigrants who receive orientation to the American life in Washington, DC area before moving on to the other communities in the United States, while those who remain in the area are received into our Church membership. We continue to grow in numbers and in excitement for ministry based on our mission statement.

“Through worship and prayer, fellowship and discipleship, we seek to bring healing to our community and hope to our world through the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ”

Ibsitu Dufera

OECDC