From October 9 to October 11, 2026, 57 members of our EGST family—faculty and staff joined hand-in-hand—gathered in the scenic town of Arba Minch for an unforgettable three-day retreat! It was a powerful season of spiritual renewal, joyful fellowship, and rededication to the service of the Kingdom of God.
Key Highlights of Our Retreat
Spiritual Reflection & Unity: Each day, we spent dedicated time sharing the Word of God, worshiping together, and lifting up passionate prayers for our staff, students, and the peace of our nation.
Hands-on Cultural Immersion: In Dorze Hyzo Village, we experienced local traditions firsthand! We learned how Kocho Kita is prepared from the inset plant and observed the intricate art of traditional cloth weaving—with many of us jumping in to try our hand at it!
Peacebuilding & Elder Blessings: We gained profound insights into indigenous peacebuilding mechanisms and restorative justice—a tradition honoring truth, justice, and reconciliation. We were deeply honored to receive traditional blessings from the village’s elder mothers.
Local Culinary Delights: No trip to Arba Minch is complete without its famous lake fish! The unforgettable taste of fresh fish prepared in various cuisines at Mamush Restaurant in the heart of downtown Sikela remains fresh in our memories.
Nature & Creation: Visiting Arba Minch (“Forty Springs”) to taste the fresh, cold spring water straight from the source reminded us of the vital importance of nature conservation and living in harmony with creation.
Warm Hospitality & Thrilling Entertainment: Our stay at Haile Resort Arba Minch was exceptional as always! The staff provided outstanding service, and we were treated to a spellbinding circus performance that left us spellbound—a breathtaking display of skill that was as nerve-wracking as it was astonishing!
Heartfelt Gratitude: A special word of thanks goes to the EGST Board and Executive Leadership for making this retreat possible. Your vision, support, and dedication to investing in the holistic well-being and unity of our community are deeply appreciated by all 57 participants!
We return from Arba Minch refreshed, energized, and filled with gratitude—ready to serve our institution, students, and mission with renewed passion.
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We seek to subject our thoughts and actions to God’s Word and affirm the power of Scripture to effect change in individual lives, churches and society.
We come together as a community of learners not for our sake only but also for the sake of others. We seek to grow in our understanding of God and his ways, so that we may help others to acknowledge his governance over the world with its rich possibilities for both individual transformation and for social and cultural renewal.
We believe that theological education speaks to and out of its local context as a dynamic interaction between the local context, the global context and Scripture.
We strongly believe that unity among the churches of Ethiopia is important and can be fostered through cooperative, inter-denominational graduate-level theological education. We also seek to partner with individuals, institutions, churches and organizations within and outside Ethiopia.
We value learning alongside people from different traditions and churches. Exposure to varying traditions challenges thinking about God and the diversity of his work in the world. While EGST promotes unity, it also appreciates and respects diversity.
We value the importance of worshipping God with our minds and strive for excellence both in our rigorous study of Scripture and in our critical analysis of context.
We seek to be people who model Christ’s values such as love, humility, compassion, justice, integrity, self-control, and holiness.
We seek to promote ecumenical relationships among churches in Ethiopia in order to enhance mutual understanding.
