Thembelani Maqhajana is married to Vathiswa. They have three children and have adopted their nephew Lithabo. His mother passed on long time ago. Thembelani was born in Crossroad and his parents moved to Khayelitsha in 1991. He was a young boy who grew up in church and got saved at an early age. He became a youth leader at a later stage and grew up loving the Lord serving him with all his heart. Later, he sensed the call to vocational ministry.

He began his studies at Bible Institute Eastern Cape (BIEC) in P.E but couldn’t finish there because he was far from home and faced some financial challenges. He finished instead at Evangelical Bible College, which was in association with SATS at the time, and then went to Cape Town Baptist Seminary to do Baptist Principles with Honours.

In 2008, there was a turnaround in his faith when he was convicted of the doctrines of grace and subscribed to the authority of Scripture. These things were often a problem in the township Baptist churches. It was a long struggle for him to remain there after he reformed. He felt like an orphan in the Baptist church with nobody close to him theologically.

He resolved to plant a Reformed Baptist Church in the township with another pastor who had had the same experience. After couple of meetings, they decided to plant a Bible-centred church where there was no Baptist church at all. Bardale area in Mfuleni was identified and Grace Baptist Church was planted. The church held its first service in Bardale Primary School on 5 March 2017. After the church struggled to find a place to find a place of worship, it moved to a garage in Thembelani’s house in Khayelitsha.

The mission of Grace Baptist Church is to glorify God by:

  • making disciples and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19–20);
  • proclaiming the word faithfully (2 Timothy 4:2);
  • maintaining the unity of all believers (John 13:34); and
  • pursuing social justice (Psalm 82:3).

The vision is to be a gospel-centred church, to build strong families, and to advance the kingdom of God by reaching the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Church Name: Grace Baptist Church
Country: South Africa
Region: Western Cape
City: Khayelitsha

Physical Address:
27 Ntlakohlaza Street
Litha Park
Khayelitsha
South Africa

Elders:
Thembalani Maqhajana
Lulama Maqhajana

Church Office Email: bardalegracebaptistchurch@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Grace-Baptist-Church-Khayelitsha-141001933428807/

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