“Apart from spiritual services the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewehedo Church is engaged in social affairs. From the beginning, the church has been used as an asylum for the poor and the orphans.
In every parish Church and Monastery, there is a hall called “gate of peace” (Dejeslam). This hall is used as the dining hall for the priest and the needy people.
It is the tradition of the EOTC followers to give their offerings in kind, especially as food and drink. Therefore, anybody who is hungry can go to the “gate of peace” to get a free meal and drink. This is practiced in every parish church and Monastery even at present.” – Kessis Kefyalew Merahi, Saints and Monasteries in Ethiopia.
This should not be a concept unique too or practiced only by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewehedo Church. It may not work perfectly in some places here in Ethiopia but at least the practice exist. But ANY AND EVERY CHURCH claiming Yeshua (Jesus) should have programs like this in place as regular services that are a major part of their Gospel work. The notion that “this is a nice thing to do” needs to be replaced by “this is a mandatory thing to do” amongst many other acts of compassion, right making and restoring dignity to people or communities with less. These are the acts that make followers of Christ really his followers. Cars, homes, material possessions and physical “prosperity” ARE NOT indicators of “Holiness, Blessedness or Conversion”. Rather it is the power and ability to be healer and agent of positive, true change for another human being or community that is a sign of true blessedness and true conversion.