Help us Build St. John, Maseru!
By Rev. Beatrice ‘Mamphethe Motokoa, 18th Episcopal District
In the past five to six years, Agnes Ball AME Church has grown to be a mother church to two churches that were started at the initiative of Bishop John Franklin White. One of the new churches, St. John AME Church, under the leadership of the Rev. Bohlale Phakoe, has blossomed into a home for 130 adults and children. They first convened on February 15, 2014, in a rented classroom at Rasetimela High School on the outskirts of Maseru, Lesotho’s capital city.
As the then Licentiate Bohlale Phakoe relates, he arrived at the school with his wife and two daughters and they waited outside a bit worried; but in a few minutes, familiar faces started arriving. They started off with a small group of members from Agnes Ball and Emmanuel AME Churches, who were living in the vicinity of the new church but ended up attracting congregants from other churches.
On April 24, 2016, they had a Sod Turning ceremony that was led by the Rt. Rev. John Franklin White and was graced by the presence of Chief Masupha Seeiso on behalf of His Majesty the King of Lesotho. They have since acquired a plot and have started construction of the church with a steel structure. Nehemiah 2:18 says, “I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, ‘Let us start building!’ So they committed themselves to the common good.”
We solicit financial support from the Connectional church and friends of the AME Church in Africa and abroad. To donate, contact the Rev. Bohlale Phakoe at bphakoe@cenntralbank.org.ls or phakoeb@yahoo.com; Brother Komane Pule at komanepule@yahoo.com; or the Rev. Beatrice Motokoa at beatricemotokoa@yahoo.com.
The Rev. Beatrice ‘Mamphethe Motokoa is the pastor of Agnes Ball AME Church and a member of the General Board.
