I have been attending the Ethiopian Orthodox Church every sunday for two years now. I have been studying deeply the teachings and history of Orthodox Christianity for at least 8 years now. I have learned a major portion of the Ethiopian Liturgy, a chant in an ancient language that even Ethiopians have no understanding of aside from the Priests. Further, this Church and this Ethiopian community have given me fulfillment and joy like nothing else in my entire life, and I must continue on. So anyways, I am also a dreadlock Rastaman, and as such, I have interesting interactions with people on the street to say the least. Last wed, coincidently of the Holy Week in the Eastern Church, this cool security guard at the Market i go to every week, hit me up and asked me about Rasta and reggae. When I told saluted him properly and exchanged names, as "Chris" he was like, "Chris? What kind of name is that?" I say, "I dont know what you mean, that is the one my momma gave me..." he says, "no no, you should have changed it already, isn't that what y'all [I think he meant Rastafari people] do?" so I say, "well actually I am just waiting to get baptised in the Ethiopian Church, they will give me a new name then." We then proceed to have a long chat about Ethiopians, turns out he also works security on weekends at an Ethiopian club where they spin reggae of all things! small world...
the next night I have a dream where I am talking with the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Church, Abune Melketsedek, who was in fact Emperor Haile Selassie I's personal priest in the 1970s, and whom I met in January and received a wonderful hug, blessing and conversation with [he is apparantly a bishop of specializes in dealing with Rastafari people]. In my dream he tells me very clearly, it is time to get baptised. The next night I also dream that I am having a similar conversation with my Abba at my local parish, who tells me the same thing. so, next month when the schedule is open, I will be getting baptised into the Tewahedo Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and a council of no less then three priest will chant around, say a dozen prayers and then bestow me with a new name, different from the one I have had these past twenty four years. It feels good to embrace this new identity and become fully invested in this community which I have been working for years towards helping. I also graduate from university in Dec with a degree in Ethiopian History.
