For more than two decades, Thomas Lebiletsa has faithfully shepherded Calvary Hope of Nations in Lesotho, South Africa. Serving as senior pastor since 2000, he has seen God grow a local congregation into a vibrant, outward-facing ministry. Today, he also serves as a facilitator for Langham Preaching, multiplying what he first received through Langham’s training.
Standing inside an unfinished church hall, Thomas reflects on a project years in the making. “This is the church hall that we are trying to put up. We started about seven years ago and we hope maybe in two, three years it’ll be complete… when the Lord has provided.” The unfinished building is more than a construction site. It is a testimony of perseverance and trust.
The vision driving this work is clear. The mission of Calvary Hope of Nations Church is to bring hope to all nations by serving “With the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and having a holistic approach to mankind,” Thomas shares. That commitment is visible in the way the church shapes the next generation and meets practical needs in the community.
The church has planted a school, and what began as a preschool has grown into a primary and now a secondary school, Calvary English Medium School. In a nation where basic education may be free but English Medium schooling is often unaffordable, the church has stepped into the gap. “What makes our school special is that we give orphans and those children who are vulnerable a chance to come and attend our school free of charge… the church feels it is its obligation for those who cannot afford to pay school fees that they should also be given an opportunity to attend.” Education is not separate from the gospel. It is one way the church brings hope.
That conviction flows from Scripture. Reflecting on Ephesians, Thomas summarises the heart of their ministry. “If one has Christ in himself, then he’s got hope. Hope for now and hope for the future.” That hope shapes an outward-facing church. It means “not only preaching the Gospel but also taking care of the poor, taking care of the elderly… a support group for people both infected and affected with HIV/AIDS,” he shares.
The church works intentionally to ensure that every orphan in the two surrounding villages is in school. It supports those living with HIV and AIDS, helping them remain on medication and monitoring their health through a doctor and nurses within the congregation. “We have a holistic approach to the Gospel… not only about reaching the spirit but also the mind, the body, the heart.”
The needs are significant. Unemployment remains high and was worsened during the pandemic. “Even those that had some small jobs, lost their jobs.” Poverty persists, and the impact of HIV and AIDS continues to be felt. “We were hit with a high number of orphans… the poverty level is very high… those are the great challenges that as the church, we are faced with and trying to address.”
At the center of this response is biblical preaching. Through Langham’s training, Thomas discovered the transforming power of expository preaching. “I think expository preaching helps people to love God for who He is, not to love Him for what He provides… it helps people to go through difficulties with faith in the God that the Bible brings to us or explains to us,” he explains. In communities facing hardship, that distinction matters.
He has also seen the damage caused by shallow teaching. “It is an unfortunate thing to not expound the Bible and just take pieces… it brings false hope and it does not reveal the true God.” Some self-proclaimed prophets promise jobs, marriages, and prosperity. But when those promises fail, “they tend to say God is not true, which is not true, so that is the danger that we are trying to avoid,” Thomas shares. Faithful exposition produces rooted believers. “They are rooted in the Word of God… but those that are not taught the Bible, at the end they dry up.”
Over 20 years, Thomas has witnessed steady fruit. “We’ve had consistent membership,” he shares, but more importantly, lives have been transformed. “People start trusting God… we have seen people’s lives grow in reading the Word of God… people are enjoying and falling in love with the Word of God.”
That transformation began personally. Coming from a Pentecostal background where sermons often centred on a single verse, Langham training challenged him to go further. “I was shown how to read and interpret Scripture and not just take bits and pieces, but to really take slices of the bread of God.” Now he preaches through whole books and encourages other pastors to do the same.
Several members of his congregation have completed Level One training, and Thomas is now a facilitator for Langham training across Lesotho. He has seen the wider impact firsthand. “I have seen that it changes lives… changes in pastors and in churches, where the Word of God was not correctly handled before and now it is.”
Langham has also fostered unity across churches in Lesotho, as people now say “‘Let’s come and share the Word of God’, which brings us together and we put aside our differences… It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you come from, the Word of God says the same thing to everybody.”
From an unfinished church hall to a growing school, from faithful exposition to united church leaders, this is a story of multiplication. As Langham invested in one pastor, that investment now ripples across congregations, classrooms, and communities.
We thank God for Thomas and for the ministries of the church and school that embody Christ’s hope in practical ways. Please pray for him and for the Langham facilitators as they continue reaching more people, especially in the mountains of Lesotho, with the enduring hope of the Gospel.
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