As violence continues in some parts of northern Ethiopia, a delegation from Meserete Kristos Church was able to visit some congregations last month in the state of Tigray.

A regional civil war has disrupted life in Tigray since November, displacing tens of thousands of people, including members of the Anabaptist conference.

MKC has six churches in Tigray, which support 19 church-planting centers. Some MKC churches have been burned, and most church members have been impacted.

A team of five conference representatives led by MKC President Desalegn Abebe visited churches in western Tigray to provide financial support, fellowship, pray and share God’s word.

“The churches in the region are in a tense situation,” Abebe told AW in a June 30 email. “We have been supporting them both spiritually and financially. The concern has been mounting as the conflict has lasted longer than expected.”

At the end of the visit, a training was held with 53 church leaders and planters for three days at Bahir Dar.

MKC evangelism and church planting director Abayneh Anjulo expressed appreciation in MKC News for the commitment of church leaders to sustain worship services in a hostile environment.

“The travel was very risky in terms of security,” he said. “People moved from place to place carrying guns, even in public transport. It was scary. We trusted in the Lord and visited our brothers and sisters.”

The delegation hopes to strengthen churches in the region, particularly in Humera, a town on the border with Sudan. Members of the church there had purchased a plot of land for a building, but construction stopped in November when conflict broke out. The location has strategic significance to spread the gospel, not just in that part of Ethiopia but also in Sudan.