Caroline Kurtz

Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship

Caroline Kurtz, Associate Director
Address:  2925 Oak Knoll Rd.
Salem, OR 97304
(503) 566-5860
Contact
www.pff.net
Caroline's Blog

Caroline is an Associate Director of Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship (PFF), a "Validated Mission Support Group" of PCUSA, dedicated to advancing faith in Jesus among the unreached or sparsely reached peoples of the world. Caroline devotes much of her effort toward growth in Christian spiritual development among the peoples of southwestern Ethiopia. Caroline and PFF also work with Light of Hope Ministries to deliver Christ's saving message among the Arssi Oromo people (a regional tribe of about ten million) in Ethiopia. Read the latest news.

Caroline is knowledgeable about Presbyterian frontier mission work also in Hungary, India, and Turkey.

Ethiopa Mission 

PFF leads Presbyterians to partner with what God is doing around the world where the love of God, shown through Jesus, is being introduced into new populations. In Southeastern Ethiopia, PFF partners with Light of Hope Ministries among the Arssi Oromo peoples. PFF and Light of Hope use literacy training to establish a Christian presence in Arssi Oromo villages, where they have established over 20 village schools or literacy centers. PFF and Light of Hope train young Ethiopian Christians as “tentmaker” teachers who become self-supporting local missionaries in the Arssi Oromo communities. In the last three years, Light of Hope has trained over 200 young Christians in local Training Colleges.

Caroline Kurtz, the daughter of the late Rev. Harold Kurtz, former missionary to Ethiopia and former Executive Director of PFF, was raised in Ethiopia and graduated from the Good Shepherd School there, where she met her husband, Mark Rasmussen (another missionary kid). After her college education in the U.S., Caroline returned to Ethiopia in 1989 with Mark and their three children, and served about eleven years in Ethiopia and Sudan in teaching and missions. See the following links for more on the PFF Ethiopia missions:

• Arssi Oromo leaders are looking for Christian partners to help establish schools in seven villages in the Kore District of Ethiopia.
• Partners are Needed for Tentmaker Evangelists  to the Arssi Oromo People of Ethiopia!

Members of SPC Mission Commission brunch with Caroline Kurtz  and San Jose Presbytery Mission Advocates Don and the late Dorothy  Metzger.

Caroline renews her relationships with Christian friends in Ethiopia.  Here she poses with Zewde, Tegegne and their daughter Hirut (Ruth) after being hosted at their house for supper.

Caroline meets with partnership church leaders. Kes (Rev.) Iteffa is president of EECMY -- our Presbyterian - Lutheran sister denomination, with 4.3 million members and growing by about 10,000 per month.  With them is Dr. Urgessa Biru, President of Light of Hope Ministries, leading outreach  to the Arssi Oromo people.

Christian woman proudly shows  Caroline her home.  The community is part of Unity Parish, deep in SW Ethiopia.  The parish has 14,000 members, one ordained pastor, and 1600 trained lay leaders.  From there, the Bensch people have sent their own missionaries further into the countryside to share the gospel with the Me'en people.

Ethiopian Christians worshipping in a chapel connected to the school in Chalalaka Village.

Tentmaker teachers from Arssi Oromo outreach leading worship -- singing songs they've written in their language.