He was born 55 years ago in the African nation of Ethiopia and raised in the Coptic Church, an ancient branch of Orthodox Christianity that traces its founding back to chapter eight in the book of Acts and to an Ethiopian army officer who was converted to Christianity. Shim, as he prefers to be called, spent much of his childhood quite ill, suffering from anemia, fainting, migraine headaches and digestive difficulties.

In 1968, he accepted a friend's invitation to attend a Protestant church. He was impressed by the Bible preaching there - especially some passages from the Old Testament book of Isaiah - and accepted Jesus as his savior. Soon his health improved. He even became known as something of a bodybuilder after he threw away his medications and developed an exercise regime at the local YMCA.

Shortly thereafter, he attended a Bible conference sponsored by a Swedish Lutheran group and became convinced he should begin telling others about Christ. This was the modest start of an impressive career in evangelism.

In the 10th grade, Shim started a two-year teacher training program. Upon completion he moved to a city on the border with Sudan, teaching school for a year. But in 1972, he returned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, convinced God wanted him to preach the Gospel.

But this was a perilous time for evangelism. Coptic church officials were persecuting other Christians, and unrest against the dictatorial royal Ethiopian government was breaking out. Some of Shim's friends were in prison, and he prayed for guidance.

Almost miraculously, a friend invited him to a Campus Crusade conference in California.

Although he knew no one in the United States, he accepted the challenge. He was able to get a passport, arrange a visa and find money to travel to America. He arrived in New York City Dec. 10, 1972, a date he will never forget. Through a divine encounter with Ethiopian women working at the United Nations, Shim was introduced to Dr. Millar, a former missionary to Ethiopia who lived in upstate New York.

He, in turn, took Shim to a businessmen's breakfast. Hearing Shim's story, a pastor attending the event saw that God's will was for the young African to attend college. Through the help of Pastor Ernie Eskelin in Florida, Shim was able to graduate from a Christian college in Springfield, Mo.

By this time, the Ethiopian government had been overthrown and replaced by a Communist regime. Shim expected dire consequences if he returned home then, so he renewed his student visa and continued studying, earning a master's degree in theological studies from Assemblies of God Graduate School and a master's degree in international relations from Ohio University.

This theme of God guiding Pastor Shim through the maze of life continued as he followed several careers:

- Director of a Christian school in Woodland

- Ordination as an Assemblies of God minister and associate pastor in one of the largest churches in Sacramento

- Travel as an evangelist across the United States and Canada for several years

- Missionary to the Caribbean island of Jamaica

- Philosophy instructor at community colleges in the Sacramento area

- Transfer ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church

- Pastor of UMC congregations in Arbuckle and Williams

- Six-year pastorate at Citrus Heights UMC

The United Methodist Church has a tradition of "itinerant ministry," which features regular reassignment of clergy to other congregations every few years.

This process brought Pastor Shim in July to serve the Gilroy United Methodist Church, a congregation whose history stretches back more than 150 years.

The remarkable journey of the Rev. Shim Habte, with all its twists and turns, seems to validate his core belief: "God loves us and sustains us through difficult situations. There are no surprises to God, and he has the last word."

Pastor Shim would like to give a personal invitation to attend worship services on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. at the Gilroy United Methodist Church, 7600 Church St. "Come and worship with us. You will experience God's grace and the embracing love of the congregation," he said.

For more information, call (408) 842-4021.

Chuck Flagg Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Reach him at cflagg@svnewspapers.com.