Award of Excellence
Amy Beth Bennett America 24-7
"Ethiopian Church"
Two-year-old Roble Ayanaw, of Las Vegas, left, is
scolded by three-year-old Mulu Hilufe, of Las Vegas, after Ayanaw nearly
disrupted the weekly church service when he began playing with a drum used by
the choir at St. Michael Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on Thursday, May
15, 2003, in Las Vegas. Although typically services are held on Sundays,
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Christians in Las Vegas have observed the weekly
rituals on Thursdays because the church has not yet obtained a permit for
Sunday services. The Ethiopian Mutual Association of Nevada estimates that at
least 5,000 Ethiopians now live in the Las Vegas area, however U.S. Census
figures show that in 2000, only 1,756 Clark County residents stated their
first ancestry as Ethiopian.
