Twelve-year-old Bamlak [bom-lock] loves to share Bible stories with felts. She has a pile of characters and scenes to choose from. Even though she’s so young, she teaches the children’s Sabbath School class, which meets inside this converted shipping container. [children’s SS]

[show adult SS] On Sabbath morning, this church is filled with worship through song, Bible study, and prayer. Churches in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, have seen significant growth over the years, especially with the children.

On any given day of the week, children gather in churches to do their favorite activity: sing!

Children invite their neighborhood friends to join them at church. They love learning new songs and playing games like Bible trivia. They take ownership of teaching and being a part of the church service. [show kid teaching children’s story]

Teodrow [tee-oh-droh]’s family was not Adventist, but lived near this church. From his house, he could hear the kids singing. At just three years old, he wandered down the street to check it out. He loved it! Soon Teodrow and his siblings were at the church every Sabbath.

Their parents noticed that the children’s behavior had improved and were curious about where they spent so much time. What was happening? The kids begged their parents to come to church with them. When they finally did, they were impressed by what they saw; this was the right church for their family. Fifteen years later, they are still grateful to their children for introducing them to the Adventist Church.

“We love our church very much. What they are doing there is helping us to think, meditate, and be better Christians. Not only that, our home and our church is the same. What we have here, we will take to the church, and if we need something, the church will help us. The church is our family. We are one. We are very happy to be Adventist.”

The Sabbath School program has taught many children about the love of Jesus. But if you visit Bamlak’s class, there might not be enough room for you. The children only have this small, dark section inside the old shipping container.

Bamlak and the other children pray for the day when there’s more space in their Sabbath School. Then they’ll be able to invite all their friends to come and not have to turn anyone away.

A portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering this quarter will help build a new shelter at this church and several other churches across Ethiopia that need more space for the children. The offering will also go toward various projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Kenya. Please pray for these projects and consider how you can contribute. Thank you for supporting the 13th Sabbath Offering.