He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the Fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
Psalms 91:1-2
Dear friends and Partners of ETC, we know that these are perilous times and things we didn’t even think will happen are taking place. This has drawn fear in many hearts. We can also see fear not only caused by the dire pandemic but also its impact, and the economic downturn that is spiraling rapidly. The uncertainty on people’s lives and their livelihood has touched every family, business and service, small and big all over the globe. ETC has also encountered its share of this crisis both in its program delivery and finances. However, this has also been a time of encouragement for ETC to see how God has used our faithful friends and partners to stand beside us and support us through prayers and finances in a miraculous way. Therefore, we are so grateful for being a blessing to us in these challenging days.
ETC’s Response to COVID-19
After the initial shock of the COVID-19 Pandemic, ETC had to adhere to the national lock down which required us to cancel classes. All residential students had to leave to their home towns. ETC staff and faculty members started gathering daily to seek God’s face through prayer and the reading of the Word of God keeping their social distance. We also sought God’s mercy and direction. Each day, God faithfully spoke to us through His Word in a marvelous way. We clearly witnessed that He is a God who hears our cries and answers our prayers.This encouraged our staff and faculty and we were able to experience the peace of God that passes all understanding. Subsequently, ETC started planning for the upcoming Rainy Season and fall 2020 semester.
Continuing The Rainy Season and Fall 2020 Semester Through Remote Learning
The lockdown has continued throughout the spring 2020 Semester, hence, ETC was forced to give classes through remote learning modes. Accordingly, all the Masters classes were carried out electronically except for the undergraduate classes. Students who live in remote areas of the country; who have no access to both computers and the internet were not able to finish their classes. Therefore, we had to put the undergraduate students from the remote areas on hold. Because of the financial constraint we encountered in the middle of the spring 2020 semester as a result of the COVID-19 impact, we have been forced to suspend the use of the services of part-time faculty. In the way forward, we have planned for most of our classes to be covered by our full-time faculty. We appreciate your prayers for the additional burden that the full-time faculty will have to shoulder.
Prayer points and Financial Support
- ETC generates its major income from school fees that students pay. This quarter was the peak time for ETC to generate its major income. However, because of the Pandemic and the lock down, students were not able to pay and register for the Rainy Season and Fall 2020 classes. The uncertainty and the lock down coupled together have made it impossible for ETC to collect students tuition fee necessary to run the institution. Therefore, this is an area we ask you our friends and partners to pray and support us financially.
- Pray for our students specially the ones that live in remote areas so that the Lord will open ways for them to peruse their education through remote learning.
- The mode of teaching has also changed due to COVID-19. Please pray for our faculty and students to be able to transition easily to the new way remote learning. Pray especially for the faculty will be able to adjust and be creative in addressing the needs of students in a way that adds value.
- Please continue to pray for safety and protection of ETC family in light of the sudden increase of COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia.
Financial Donations Information: Please visit the how you can help page.