MCC Summer Service workers reach out to campers in Mississippi

Julie DeLuca
July 24, 2007

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Three adults with acoustic guitars sit circled around Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) summer service worker Tesfamichael Haile as he strums the strings of his instrument.

As a summer service worker, Haile shares his musical abilities with church members interested in learning guitar or singing in the choir at the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Philadelphia.

Haile, who has attended the church since 2005, said the lessons are more than teaching music skills because they create a forum for building relationships.

Students attend practice twice a week in their church’s sanctuary, where rows of folding chairs fit snuggly to seat approximately 100 people every Sunday.

His students are eager to learn guitar and enjoy coming to practices. “They would stay here until midnight if I let them; they never want to leave!” Haile said.

Besides teaching basic guitar chords and the Ethiopian musical scales, Haile uses familiar songs which help the students learn new techniques.

“(The students) have to learn everything from scratch; it’s fun for them and for me,” said Haile, who moved to the United States from Ethiopia in 2001.

Haile, who currently attends Temple University School of Pharmacy, said he enjoys sharing his music talents with others. “It makes (music playing) more interesting now that I have someone to share it with, and it also makes me appreciate my music talent more.”

He began sharing his musical knowledge even before his assignment officially began. Haile had gone outdoors to practice singing and playing a worship song at the summer service orientation. A group of Spanish-speaking participants joined him in singing the song in his Amharic language.

Together they sang for an hour and a half, “Glorious glorious, the most powerful glorious, who rules forever – our Creator, our God.”

When he closed his eyes, Haile said, he could’ve been worshiping with his church in Philadelphia, where the gray-stoned structure lies nestled behind a bed of yellow sunflowers.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Philadelphia embraces new opportunities for worship music that Haile brings to their church.

Likewise, Haile relishes this opportunity even though teaching music is a new venture. “Fear will block you from where you want to go,” said Haile.