Church Planting in Botswana

Pastor Peter is a small man, with kind eyes and a gentle voice. But the ministry he runs is anything but small. He and his family are church planters at heart, taking on the Palapye plant of Christ Citadel International Church which is a large church in Gabarone with many locations. CIC Palapye has services almost every night of the week, for families, for prayer, for youth and for children. Each Sunday averages about 70 members crammed into a tiny little rented room. Pastor Peter is the only staff, and his week is filled with visiting primary schools [5 a week = 500 kids!], praying with patients at the hospital, preparing services and sermons, and driving people around the community [he's one of the few blessed with a car in Palapye]. But when you meet him, you'd never know he has all that on his plate. He looks like he has all the time in the world. But I think that comes naturally to an African. Pastor Peter and his wife Monica are from Zimbabwe, and moved to Botswana just a few years ago, with their 3 kids. Pastor Peter himself is a YWAMer, and his DTS outreach was to Botswana! He fell in love with the people and felt burdened to plant churches. The vision for CIC Palapye this year is to plant 10 new churches. This Sunday, we were part of one of those plants. Sunday night, we traveled to a neighboring village of Serowe to launch its first service. We got there a little early, and walked to the houses nearby and invited them to a special prayer service. And 13 people actually came! I can't imagine that ever happening in America...inviting someone to a church service the day of, with about 30 minutes notice. But T.I.A....This is Africa. It just works here. The service was celebratory. Jumping and dancing and praise and shouting. We knew we were part of something great. As we talked to the visiting members of the community, they said they would come to church every week, because they could just walk to it. And that was Pastor Peter's plan all along. He mentioned all the bigger churches being planted across town, but no one is planting the villages, where the people don't have cars. That's the heart of this man. Bringing the gospel to the people, not making them come to find it. It's been pretty awesome to be a part, and partner with this godly man and his ministry. He says we blessed him, but I think he's blessed us more.