Following Faith; Olana leads dual parishes in Austin, Brownsdale as new pastor

Published 8:57 am Friday, November 16, 2018

Sitting inside a quiet sanctuary at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Rev. Gemechu Olana reflected on his journey that brought him to Austin only a month ago.

The new pastor at Holy Cross started leading dual parishes on October 21, with Holy Cross in Austin, and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Brownsdale. On Sunday mornings, he’d first conduct a service in Brownsdale, and then would travel quickly to Austin to begin the next set of services at Holy Cross.

Yet, this does not deter Olana, as his desire to continue leading two congregations drove his spirit, especially his vision of holistic multicultural ministry outreach initiatives to begin reaching out to diverse communities in Austin.

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“Both congregations were very receptive and gave a good indication that they were willing for whatever it takes to have intentional outreach into the community,” he said. “As a church, we have to deal with this. Human beings are looking for a safe place to worship and to develop personal relationships. Helping others has both social and spiritual connections to our faith. We do not have to shy away from this.”

Having immigrated to the United States 13 years ago, Olana had seen and experienced many things that had tested the foundation of his Christian faith and shaped his dedication to the church and to the people who sought a place to practice their faith safely.

Olana grew up in a Lutheran Evangelical Christian family with three siblings. His father was a pioneer Ethiopian Lutheran pastor, and served in that capacity until his passing in 2005. His mother was a nurse who worked her entire life for a local church hospital until suddenly passing away in 2002. While growing up, Olana’s faith had continued to be tested when Christians in Ethiopia were persecuted for practicing their faith, which led to his father’s imprisonment and torture because of his faith.

“My father had been imprisoned twice, tortured and kept in prison for about four years without any guilt or trial in the 80’s, simply because of his confession of Christian faith,” Olana said. “From childhood, this experience of persecution and injustice created in me a great sensitivity for great commission, religious liberty and human dignity, the passion which has continued with me to the present day.”

Olana was heavily involved in ministry from a young age, including being part of the Sunday school choir and eventually became a theology instructor after graduating from seminary. After two years in Addis Ababa University in the faculty of educational physics in 1991, he joined Mekane Yesus Theological School and graduated in 1997. Olana then finished his post-graduate studies at Humboldt University of Berlin in 2005.

Olana married his wife, Yeroon Melaku, and had three daughters (Dori, 9, Makki, 6, and Beki, 4).

“We are very excited to be here in Austin, to experience God’s providence and engage in the proclamation of the Gospel in word and deeds as a family,” he shared.

Rev. Gemechu Olana

Difference in backgrounds, but not in faith

After inserting himself into the community in Austin, Olana became more aware of what the immigrant communities in Austin sorely searched for: a place to belong, a place to grow their faith within a safe environment, as well as a place to connect with other people from various backgrounds.

For many multicultural congregations, the church doesn’t only serve as a place of worship, but also a place where they can build a community and establish personal relationships with one another.

“My desire is for my two congregations to revitalize and have intentional outreach into the diverse communities in Austin,” Olana expressed. “There is good potential for ministry that addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people. Whether there’s cultural and language barriers, I want this church to be a safe space for them to engage in worship in a meaningful way.”

Acknowledging that it would take time for many of his dreams and initiatives to take root and grow, Olana eventually hopes to establish workshops for community members to partake in regarding financial management, parenting classes and also having an English Language Bible Study that would help people who aren’t fluent in English be able to study the Bible’s text together.

There was also hope for connecting youth in Austin and Brownsdale together and forming a place where teens can get together and build on their faith. Most importantly, Olana wished for immigrant communities to have a place where a gap could be bridged based on their experiences and share their stories with each other.

“I was listening and visiting people in the community, and I didn’t want to duplicate what was already here in Austin,” he said. “I wanted to create a ministry that would be meaningful. I want to focus my vision on collaboration with other churches, our district and with others.”

Amid the political landscape that immigrants have been subjected to within the recent years, Olana still held steadfast optimism that progress was still on its way, even in faith-based communities, and that there was a desire to progress forward.

“Change is a problem for everybody,” he said. “Change is huge, but the idea is how to respond to change and that it’s OK being honest about it. You can’t control it, and the best way is to adjust in a meaningful way. It’s not easy to do an intentional multicultural outreach, but the world is changing, and there’s change everywhere. There’s many layers.”

It will take time, but Olana sees hope at the end of the road where people from diverse backgrounds could worship together.

“If we were able to have authentic, vibrant fellowship here, make meaningful impact in this community, then we are successful,” he said. “It’ll take time.”