The July 26 Regional gathering in Lititz, PA, was completed successfully and surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Below are some highlights of the day. Until we prepare the final and detailed report, we hope this summary report serves as an update for those who wanted to come but were unable for various reasons.
Many others in our network who could not attend this regional gathering would want to know how the Saturday meeting went, so we have compiled this preliminary report.
We were expecting 43 people to show up, but we were surprised by the 50 people in attendance and their enthusiastic participation.
The Landis Homes facility, where we met, couldn’t have been more accommodating, and we couldn’t have had a better meeting place to host a large gathering.
The staff was kind, highly professional, and very generous with their time from the beginning to the end. They provided everything we needed and requested. We are grateful for their support.
Our meeting started with singing and devotion time led by Pastor Hyiwot Teshome. We even had the opportunity to sing some Amharic songs. We encourage you all to check out his 6-minute video.
“Late Gratitude, Lasting Grace” by Hyiwot Teshome.
The URL is https://bibleacademyalumni.com/event/ba-academy-alumni-association-regional-gathering/
The five board members who attended the meeting each played a significant role in making the event go smoothly and showing how united we are in working as a team.
Two executive committee members from our team in Addis Ababa (Ato Negash Kebede and Ato Desta Yilma) gave our meeting a special breadth to the content as well as informing us about their day-to-day challenges. Ato Negash provided the latest update on where things stand regarding land acquisition in Nazareth. He also emphasized the importance of adhering to a philosophy of education emphasizing quality education as opposed to education as a financial investment with a
financial return.
Beyond the information gathered and exchanged, the gathering facilitated time and space to reconnect with old friends and meet new people interested in our vision.
Finally, we want to acknowledge the local planners who not only gave their time but also contributed financial resources to accomplish our meeting goals.
They provided financial support for the gathering space, drinks and snacks, lunch, dinner, and more.
We would like to add that all the speakers’ reflections of their time at BA were wonderful. Those who listened to their remarkable stories were impressed and found their enthusiasm contagious.
We will provide more details in the coming days and weeks. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Zenebe Abebe,
Director of Development
BA Alumni Association, NFP, CORP
