Nama
There are several peoples in Namibia that have a small percentage of Born-again Christians and few evangelical churches or missionaries working to build the Church of Jesus Christ. One of these peoples is the Nama. The Nama people (combined population of approximately 100,000) of central and southern Namibia in Africa – closely related to the Bushman, having a similar Khoisan language, light skin and small frame – continue to carry on much of their reliance on stock farming, crafts, tribal traditions and a multitude of superstitions. Even though there is outward evidence of the 1840’s Rhenish Missionary work, most show no understanding of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Why do we say they are "forgotten peoples"? Does nobody know who they are? No. Does nobody know they exist? No. Has the world forgotten these people? No. Do they have nothing to offer to the world? No. It is simply because at one time many years ago there was a larger presence of missionaries and people sharing the gospel in this region, however this number has dwindled. Has God or even man forgotten these peoples? No. We pray that the Lord will raise up Christians in Namibia to share His word.
Technically we call them “Unengaged People Groups.” They are a group of people with a common self-identity, language and worldview – which has a small percentage of Evangelical Christians in its population and has no Baptist missionary presence. This includes those who have never heard the Gospel as well as those who have had some exposure but have been "forgotten".
We are Southern Baptist missionaries with the International Mission Board. We live in South Africa and Namibia. We are working on behalf of the Nama people to build a prayer network, to seek volunteers for mission trips and to invite God-called people to live among them.
The vision is for Advocates (God’s People) to submit to God’s power to “engage” the Nama. We will do this primarily through prayer. However, as the Lord leads, you may desire to take a mission trip to Namaland for prayer-walking, vision, evangelism and discipleship. We define “engaged” as reaching a point where God’s people are actively praying for the Nama and God has placed a Baptist missionary (or Great Commission Partner) presence among them.
Encourage others to visit this site to learn more about the Nama and to pray for this unengaged or "forgotten" people.
