Lutheran pastor becomes Ethiopia's first ordained woman! (News).

The Rev. Bekure Daba of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus was ordained on May 16 at a colorful and spiritual ceremony in the Western Synod of the EECMY was marked as a historic church event. Bekure, 39, has been serving the church at different capacities in women's ministries ever since she graduated from Addis Ababa's Mekane Yesus Theological Seminary. She holds an advanced diploma in theology from Birmingham University and a master's degree in theological education from Chester University in England. She is married to Rev. Tesso Jaleta and they have three sons.

Her ordination brings to 750 the number of pastors in the EECMY. The Ethiopian church is said to be one of the fastest growing churches in the South. By the end of April 2000, this Lutheran church is said to have attained a membership of 3 million. It is the largest LWF member church in Africa, a region with over 9.7 million Lutherans.

Christians, majority of whom are Orthodox, make up about 40 percent of Ethiopia's population of 60 million people. Muslims represent around 43 percent of the population.