Article I - Name

Oromo Evangelical Church of Seattle (in Oromo Language: Waldaa Warra Wangeelaa Afaan Oromoo Seattle) is the name of the organization located in and incorporated under the laws of the State of Washington.

 

Article II - Purpose, mission and vision

Purpose

The purpose of Oromo Evangelical Church of Seattle is to give spiritual and social ministries for the winning of the lost and the maturing of the believers in God's Word and Spirit. However, OECS shall be giving compassion services to the needy in the areas planned to be reached around the world.

MISSION OF RELIGION SERVICE

Our mission is to reach the people in the love of Jesus Christ by preaching His gospel in Seattle metro-area through local Church and around the world through outreaching ministries using well-trained, equipped and dedicated ministers (Mat.28-18-20, Mark 16:15); by building unwavering body of Christ on the word of God through continuous training; by supporting the needy and oppressed in the area selected for the mission , including street children, homeless, seniors and people who have been evacuating from their origin and living in exile. (Deut. 15:10-11; Prov. 14:31, 19:17, 22:9; Isaiah 58:10; Luke 4:8, 1 John 3:17; James).

MISSION OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

The mission of Oromo Evangelical Church of Seattle (OECS) is to achieve social and educational excellence and improved quality of life by providing (1) high-quality educational enrichment services for children and youths; (2) Oromo Language and Oromo cultural history and heritage education and training for all ages to keep Oromo Language and Oromo cultural heritage alive; (3) adults with cultural, heritage language, religious education; (4) A Christian Holy bible based fellowship and spiritual services in Oromo language and (5) adult health, employment, immigration, and social services programs.

VISION OF RELIGION SERVICE

Our vision is to see many people from Seattle metro-area and around the world believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to this World and died for our transgression to save us from eternal damnation and to give us eternal life; and living the lifestyle of holiness which revealed in obedience to God in their day to day activities; and live in love and peace with everyone in their society (1Peter 1:14-16; 2:9; 2 Peter 2:12-13; 1Cor. 2:6-16; Romans 8:1-4).

VISION OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

Specifically, in the Greater Seattle Metropolitan area of Puget Sound of WA State, Oromo Evangelical Church of Seattle (OECS) will provide: [1] Children and youth educational enrichment services outside of school time; [2] Oromo Language and Oromo cultural history and heritage education; [3] Adult cultural, heritage language, and religious education; [4] A Christian Holy bible based fellowship and spiritual services in Oromo language; [5] Citizenship and naturalization services; [6] Family counseling with a focus on building healthy families; [7] Healthy eating and active living (HEAL) programs for all ages; and [8] Employment services, with an emphasis on English as a Second Language and job search training for new arrivers.

ARTICLE III - STATEMENT OF FAITH

SECTION 1: Scriptures

(II Pet. 1:21; II Tm. 3:16; Rom. 15:4; I Cor. 10:11; Rev. 22:16-18)

SECTION 2: Godhead

We believe in the triune God; one God, eternally three in name–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit– in function, and in person. (Matt. 28:19-20; II Cor. 13:14)

A. God the Father

We believe in God the Father, Almighty and eternal; who created of all things (both visible and invisible) through Christ; and who sent us His Son and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1 - 2; I Cor. 8:6; I Tim. 1:17; Col.1:16).

B. God the Son

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, fully God and fully man; suffered and died for our sins on the cross, was buried, rose from the grave on the third day, ascended into heaven; who now sits on the right hand side of the Father and intercedes for us, the head and foundation of his church. We believe that Our Lord is coming again with great power and glory; in the resurrection of the dead and the eternal destination of sinners in hell and of the righteous in heaven (Matt. 16:16; 25:31-46; John 20:28; I Tim. 2:5; I John 5:20; Matt. 1:23; I Cor. 15:3-7; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 24:30; Col. 1:18; Rev. 19:11-14; 20:1-15).

C. God the Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who inspired the prophets and the apostles; who indwells, teaches, and guides the believers into all truth; who empowers and distributes spiritual gifts to be exercised by the believers for spiritual edification and growth of the church; and who convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe that all believers need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be empowered for ministry and holy living. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives diverse kinds of gifts as he wills and according to individual believer's desire for the edification of the individual and the church. We also believe that these gifts ought to be exercised orderly in accordance to the teachings of the Scriptures (John 14:26; 2 Pet. 1:21; Acts 1:8; I Cor. 12:4-11; 14:1-40;
Eph. 4:11-12; John 16:8; Rom. 12:3-8; Eph. 5:18-19).

SECTION 3: Salvation

We believe that man was created without sin; that by voluntary transgression fell; and therefore all human beings are born with a sinful nature. We believe that salvation is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that any person who repents of his/her sins and personally accept Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and Savior, is born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby becomes a child of God. He/she will not face eternal damnation but has passed into eternal life (Gen. 1:26-31; 3:1-24; Rom. 4:12-19; 6:23-24; 8:1; 10:9,10; John 1:12-13; 3:1-16; 5:24).

SECTION 4: Water Baptism

We declare that we have been united with Christ and the body of believers, and therefore, we believe that the ordinance of water baptism should be observed by all believers. However, due to the difference of faith among the believers on baptism of children, and thus to keep the faith of every individual believer, both baptism practiced after receiving salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that of children should be undertaken out of the church service according to their conviction to show obedience to the Lord (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47,48; Rom. 6:1-4; Matt. 19:13; Deut. 6:4-9).

SECTION 5: The Lord's Supper

We believe that the Lord's Supper is a holy ceremony that expresses our spiritual unity with the Lord Jesus Christ and with each other; and that it is a memorial of His suffering and death which is received by all believers in self-examination and confession of sins "until He comes" (I Cor. 10:14-22; 11:17-34; 2 Pet. 1:4).

SECTION 6: Holiness

We believe that Christians are called to obey God's Word and live a holy life; to bear spiritual fruits, and to worship and glorify God (James 1:22-25; Luke 8:15; 2 Tim. 2:19; Heb. 12:14; I Pet. 1:15-16; Gal. 5:22-24; I John 2:6; 1 Cor. 6:15-19; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Heb. 13:14; Matt. 19:3-12).

SECTION 7: Unity of Believers

We believe that, in the body of the Scriptural truth, there are areas of interpretation over which true believers may disagree. We believe in an individual's liberty of conscience to live according to his/her level of understanding, and that no-one individual should stress his/her personal view to the extent that it hurts or brings division among the body of Christ, the assembly. We believe that our chief endeavor is to glorify Christ and to love one another, as we all subscribe to the foregoing major doctrines (Article 3, Sections 1-6) Which form the basis of our fellowship (Rom. 12:3-8; 13:8-10; 14:1-23; 15:1-7; Eph. 4:1-16; I John 2:7-11; 3:11-24; 4:7-21).