Mennonite Weekly Review

MEHAL MEDA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian Mennonites are working to break a deadly tradition of vengeance and to build a culture of reconciliation through faith in Christ.

Meserete Kristos Church Prison Ministries director Solomon Gebreyes teaches a Bible study in prison. — Photo provided by EMM

For centuries the practice of vendetta — an obligation to avenge wrongs against family members through violent retaliation — has plagued the Amhara region.

Despite the influence of Christianity since the fifth century, old customs and ways of doing justice have continued.

Prisons are filled with inmates who have committed murder against their neighbors to fulfill an obligation to their families. As many as 60 percent of prisoners have committed crimes of vengeance. Often they are imprisoned alongside members of the families with whom they have been in conflict. Violence and vendetta continue behind the prison walls.

Historically Ethiopian Orthodox, the people of Amhara have been suspicious of evangelical efforts in their communities — until recently.

Ministries of the Meserete Kristos (Christ Is the Foundation) Church, the Mennonite church in Ethiopia, have proven successful in ministering to prisoners, their families and communities.

A collaboration among three MKC departments — the Relief and Development Association, Prison Ministries, and Peace Ministries — has gained the respect and cooperation of the local government and Orthodox Church leaders.

The MKC has served in prisons for many years, building schools and churches within the prison walls, teaching and evangelizing. Church members also minister to the families of prisoners, who live near the prisons to care for incarcerated family members. Many female inmates are obliged to keep their children with them in prison.

In 2005 MKC Prison Ministries director Solomon Gebreyes took Jesus’ message of forgiveness, and of peace with God and neighbors, inside Mehal Meda Prison in the Amhara region. In his preaching he refuted the tradition of vendetta.

Many prisoners repented of their vendetta killings and came to Christ. Prison officials noticed a decline in vendetta-based violence among inmates.