Lancaster Friends of Meserete Kristos Seminary in Ethiopia will hold its annual fundraising banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at Stumptown Mennonite Church, 2813 Stumptown Road, Bird-in-Hand.

The banquet will include the option of authentic Ethiopian food - injera and wat - or American fare. Admission is free, but an offering will be received to benefit MKSeminary located in Bishoftu, Ethiopia.

The featured speaker will be Ayalnesh Erku Asefaw, who graduated from the seminary in 2008. She lives in Ethiopia and is now an instructor at the school. She is also the assistant women and family coordinator for Evangelical Churches Fellowship of Ethiopia.

MKSeminary is owned by the Meserete Kristos (Founded on Christ) Church, an Anabaptist-related church that has close to 1 million members. With rapid growth in recent decades, the church has an immediate need for training new leaders, pastors, counselors, peacemakers, and evangelists. The mission of the seminary is "to equip men and women for the holistic transformation of the church and society."

The proceeds from the banquet will go directly toward scholarships for student church leaders at MKSeminary, which draws pupils from all over Ethiopia. To learn more and to register for the banquet, contact Phoebe Nafziger at pnafziger@gmail.com.