ABOUT US
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IDENTITY |
As our name indicates, the majority of our members belong to the Oromo national group. The Oromo have a distinct linguistic group today constituting about 45% of the 70 million population of Ethiopia . Some Oromo national groups are also found in neighboring nations in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Kenya . Of the 53 nations in Africa , the Oromos speaking nationals are among the largest in population. In terms of religion, the Oromo are Christians, Muslims, and followers of traditional religious practices. Recent decades have seen the emergence of a new category, this time on a wider international scene: the Oromo Diaspora. And among this category are the immigrants to Canada , who founded and maintain the OCCT.
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The idea of having an Oromo church was born in the early 1990s. It was motivated by the desire to have a center where the new immigrants could worship God in their own language, Afaan Oromoo . A handful of those immigrants residing in the Great Toronto Area came together and went about having an Onomo Church effectively. For the first few years, they congregated at the Boon Avenue Baptist Church . In March 1996 the congregation found a new home at the Walmer Road Baptist Church .
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The founders wrote a constitution and by-laws for the church. They named it the Oromo Christian Church of Toronto , the first of its kind in Canada . Those documents were formally adopted in February 13, 1997 . This date marked the official birth of our church. However, by way of acknowledging the worthy efforts of the founders prior to this formal occasion, we also state that the church came into being in the early 1990s.
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DISTINCTINESS OF OURCHURCH
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Aside from being Afaan Oromoo speaking, our church is distinguished by the fact that its members come from a variety of denominational backgrounds. We introduce ourselves to newcomers and visitors usually as a multi-denominational congregation.
Christians of all denominations call the OCCT home. It was in order to emphasize this distinctive character that the founders included the term ‘Christian' in the official name of the church.
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VISION: |
Our aim is to create a vital, growing community of faith that shares the blessings of Christian life within itself as well as with others around it with a gland and generous heart.
We wish to be a congregation that fulfills a ministry of hospitality, welcoming, and nurturing to all those who are in need. We endeavor to care for the needs of each member of the community, by encouraging the spiritual growth of our children and young people. We hope to be a caring church in everything we do and towards everyone we come in touch.
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From its establishment, our church has always had a strong commitment to mission. We are reaching out to ministries and communities in Canada and Oromo congregations and fellowships in Kenya , Sudan , and Ethiopia . We give them as much financial assistance as we can, to some on a regular basis and to others occasionally. We responded to Tsunami disaster.
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Emerging institutions are bound to face certain difficulties of one kind or another. Our church has not been immune to those difficulties either although space will not allow us to go into specifics here. We are glad to report however that, with help of the Holy Spirit and the dedication of our members, the church has not only survived the pains of birth but has also shown significant growth over the years. We are now looking forward to years of faith, mission, and fellowship with a great sense of optimism.
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The OCCT is a member of a global union of Oromo speaking churches known as “The United Oromo Evangelical Churches” that was founded in 1998. Through it, we the Oromo Christians spiritually support each other, pray for our troubled native land and undertake some missionary work in the Horn of Africa.
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Several friends have very generously helped our efforts to establish and maintain the OCCT over the last ten years. They are: the leaders and congregation of Boon Avenue Baptist Church , the Walmer Road Baptist Church , the Oromo Evangelical Lutheran Church of Minnesota, Baptist Convention of Ontario & Quebec, Berlin Lutheran Mission , Wycliffe Bible Translators, Blossom Hill Mennonite Church , the Rev. Ron Ward and his wife Joan Ward, Dr. Joseph Burkholder and his wife Helen, Garland Hoel and his wife Mavis. Cooperative Baptist fellowship, Marc Wyatt and Kim. We are very grateful to all of them.
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