Monametsi is one of our newest partners. He is the pastor of Central Baptist Church in Gaborone, Botswana. CBC began as a mission under the supervision of Kabwata Baptist in Lusaka, Zambia.
Introductory Letter
On July 1, Conrad Mbewe of Kabwata Baptist wrote the following words regarding Monametsi:
“This is to inform you that today at 16:00 hours we will be completing the process of officially setting apart our brother Monametsi Moncho Bahudi, the only remaining leader over the work in Gaborone, Botswana, as a missionary pastor. He was with us in January for 3 weeks, during which time he integrated very well with the church family here. He preached wonderfully on his last Sunday. So when the church voted 97.6% to call him, we were not surprised. This will be a very important milestone for the development of church planting in Botswana. God has been very good in providing us with this man to carry the work forward.
“For a year or so, he will still be in his secular employment while he works his way out of the job. However, by the end of today, he will be a fully ordained man who must seek by the help of God – and us, his brethren – to establish our three churches in Botswana’s ground that is particularly hard. Remember us all in your prayers.”
Testimony of Conversion
I came to faith in Jesus Christ during the month of July 1992. I was pursued by a gentleman who really did not give me a chance in that he was always inviting me to Christian meetings. I really just went with him because he was insisting. During the meeting, the sermon was about Naaman and his issue of leprosy. I became convicted that my own sin could only be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and I believed on HIM as my personal Saviour. Afterwards, I spent some time not affiliating with any church as there was a strong debate on which church was the correct church. Finally, I joined a Baptist church in 1994, was baptized, and began to experience true growth.
In 1995, there were Baptist missionaries in the church who isolated about five of us young men and began to teach us sound doctrine. In time, I became a leader for the youth and also began to preach when our pastor was gone. I became competent at preaching through that time, even though I cringe when I listen to the things I taught in the past. Content and scope have since improved.
In 2003, I worked in Francistown and was in the preaching roster of my church. When I moved back to Gaborone, I became an associate pastor and was exposed to close scrutiny. At that time, the church wanted to register with the government, so we had to fill out some forms which required us to put down our beliefs. This opened a can of diverse expressions of what we truly believed as members. A lot of things happened, and it was clear that I was incompatible with the church, especially over matters of church government and the authority of the Bible, which were held in complete disregard. Fellowship became increasingly difficult. The church finally decided that I was a heretic and was preaching the doctrines of the devil. For this reason, I joined Central Baptist Church in July 2004.
Testimony of Calling
The Bible teaches that when a man desires the office of eldership, he desires a good thing. I sometimes felt that I was called to this office, but I would try to suppress it. In 2005, our church was hoping to find an experienced pastor, and I looked forward to being under an elder who would guide me through the questions about my calling. My desire to serve as an elder was getting stronger and clearer, but I avoided mentioning it to my fellow brothers for fear of appearing presumptuous. One day, I had a long chat about the matter with a visiting preacher, and it became clear that I was the servant that God wanted to use to lead Central Baptist Church. Since that time, the church has been affirming my preaching and leadership, and I feel more confident that God has called me. I am now planning my exit from full time government service, so that I can devote more time to the church.
Family
I am married to Tshoganetso Moncho, and we have four daughters. My late sister’s son also lives with us. Our first daughter, Omphile, is 16 years old and is very reserved and quiet. Eunice, our second, is 12 years old and is not quiet at all. Abigail, our third, was 6 in December. Finally, we have Rene, who was 2 years old in October. Ignicious, my sister’s son, is 19 years old. He is very respectful, but does not like church. We notice that he dislikes family worship and many things to do with our religion. We continue to pray for him and guide him.