“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”    (I Peter 4:10)        

What could possibly motivate sixty or so pastors, of various levels of athletic ability, to sprint from their seats, en masse, to form a circle?  Read on!

I recently attended a service of ordination for three pastors of the Lesotho Evangelical Church (LEC), the partner church of Global Ministries here in Lesotho.  The service (4 ½ hours long) was a large outdoor gathering held at the conclusion of a three-day retreat for LEC pastors and their spouses.   Colorful tents were set up to provide shelter from the sun for church leaders and official dignitaries, including the Prime Minister of Lesotho Pakalitha Mosisili, as well as those who arrived very early.  The three soon-to-be-ordained pastors had to bear the heat while the rest of us took refuge under umbrellas.

Before they were ordained, each of the three candidates shared some of their personal history and how they had heard God’s call in their lives.  Each one came to pastoral ministry in a different way.  One woman had grown up in the church, participating in youth groups and choirs and attending regular Bible studies hosted by her grandmother.  Yet it wasn’t until later, after the tragic death of her husband, that she turned her life over to God and heard the call to pastoral ministry.

Another candidate for ordination was a young man who grew up outside the church.  He shared with great emotion how he and his friends had become involved in sniffing glue. One day he heard a voice asking him, “What are you doing?”, yet there was no one around.  A similar event occurred during a dream.  Then there was a vision of fire coming from a door handle. From these dramatic events his life turned around.

The third pastor, another woman, came to the Lord early on, developing a love for scripture and singing praises to God.  Her only hurdle was that some of her friends mocked her for being so “good” and having such a passion for serving God.   

As the president of the church finished his charge to the candidates for ordination, he suddenly shouted to them, “Khumamang! (Kneel!)”.  Then he turned 180 degrees to the tent where all the LEC pastors were seated and said, “Tsamaeang! (Go!)”.  As the three non-ordained pastors knelt in the grass, all those sixty or so ordained ones made a dash to surround them.  God’s blessing was given with many arms extended over them in love.  

Although the writer of Hebrews wasn’t thinking of such an occasion when he wrote the words, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses…” (12:1), those are the words that came to my mind as the circle formed.  There were many witnesses to the pledge made by these new pastors to serve the Lord.  How comforting to have a circle of support based on God’s love.

The church president then presented each of the new pastors with their robes and clerical collars. Later on, the men of the church took charge of the singing.  They led the celebrations as they marched around and kept the beat by clanging on their bells and waving their walking sticks.

“If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen.”  (I Peter 4:11)                                                                             

Yours in Christ,
Mark Behle

Mark Behle is a missionary with the Lesotho Evangelical Church.  He is a Mathematics teacher at Masitise High School, Lesotho.