The Ethiopian and Eritrean Church at Gateway

Every Friday night, they pray from 10 pm to 6 am. For eight hours, a diligent group from Ethiopia and Eritrea gather to petition God through the night for Gateway Church and the Dallas–Fort Worth area. As believers, we are called to go to other nations, and the nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea have come to Gateway Dallas. 

In December of 2023, Helen Gebrekidan, a North Dallas pastor from Eritrea, reached out to Gateway for help with her children’s ministry. During the church services with her people, the children would get bored and become quite distracting to the Ethiopian and Eritrean families who wanted to learn about Jesus. Helen knew the children would love Gateway Kids because her son loved it. She longed to teach her people how to worship Jesus, pray, and follow God, but she needed help. Gateway hadn’t partnered with a group like this before but they wanted to help, so Gateway Dallas provided a place for them to meet on Sunday mornings.

The Ethiopian and Eritrean children are learning English in school, so they love Gateway Kids; however, the young adults and parents who are still learning English need Helen to lead them. So, she joyfully teaches them in one of the Gateway Dallas classrooms! Every Sunday, Helen loves and leads her friends in worship for an hour and then preaches in their native language. Through this beautiful and supportive community, God has united people from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the US as Christian brothers and sisters. 

The Struggle of Learning a New Culture

Helen’s church gatherings at Gateway Dallas also give her and other believers opportunities to support the young adults and families immigrating to the DFW area. The cultural and language barriers can make adjusting to the US even more challenging and discouraging. So that’s part of the reason why Helen and her small church pray every Friday night—they want to bring hope to these young adults. They want to share the love of Jesus with Ethiopian and Eritrean families, and they want to pray for the people of Gateway, DFW, and our nation. 

If you visit Gateway Dallas on a Sunday morning, you might see these beautiful people from Ethiopia and Eritrea worshipping Jesus, learning about Him, and getting baptized. And on Friday nights, know that they are praying for you, too.