Location: Ebenezer Oromo Evangelical Church, 3901 36th Avenue South
For 57 years after its construction in 1960 in the mid-century modern A-frame style, this building was home to Bethany Lutheran Church LCA. In 2017 the aging congregation sold its building to the Ebenezer Oromo Evangelical Church. Driving by, one hears music emanating from the building and sees the U.S. and Oromo Liberation Front flags waving in a stiff breeze. Oromo refugees started coming to Minnesota from Ethiopia in the 1970s and, by the mid ’80s had formed their own cultural organization. Now they have their own churches and mosques, which have become permanent fixtures in the Minnesota landscape.
More information: https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/oromo-minnesotas-early-settlers-reminisce-and-reflect/
Photo: Jane Strauss