The Dayton Debre Hail Saint Gabriel Church was founded in December 2000 to provide spiritual and social services for Christians in Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding area, based on the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church faith and teachings. At the time, there were only 15-20 individuals, including children, who followed this faith in the city and no priests or deacons. Despite these challenges, the church followers organized themselves and started monthly church services with the help of priests and deacons from a nearby city. After two years, the church faced challenges with unattended kids interfering with sanitation and maintenance, leading to the church administration asking them to worship elsewhere. It took the followers a year to find a new place to worship, which they were eventually able to secure at Christ the King church in August 2003. In 2007, the Ark of the Covenant of St. Gabriel was brought to Dayton and officially blessed by Abba Zekarias, the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. The church was renamed as the Debre Hail Saint Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Priests and deacons from the Kidanemhiret church in Cincinnati would come to perform church services as there were still no priests or deacons in Dayton. With an increase in Ethiopian refugees in Dayton in 2011, a new church committee was formed and a bylaw was established. A temporary priest, Abba Zemichael, was hired from Seattle and the immigration process was started for a permanent priest, Abba Gebre Meskel. In January 2014, Abba Gebre Meskel arrived in Dayton and the church saw significant advancements in its services and growth. The church now has three Ark of Covenants, two priests, 11 deacons, and many more in the process of becoming deacons. The church provides various services including preaching, praying, and kidasie services every Sunday and on holidays. The church has grown significantly with many more followers and a stable financial status.

Board Members: