About Cameroon: Cameroon is a Central African country so rich in diverse terrain, wildlife, and culture that it’s often known as “Africa in miniature.” English and French are the official languages of Cameroon, with an additional 250+ languages spoken throughout the country.¹ This linguistic diversity has promoted the country’s literacy rate as one of the highest on the continent. However, due to corruption, and internal conflicts between the government and separatist groups, Cameroon struggles to progress and maintain unity.²

Cameroon’s strengths and needs: The majority of Cameroonians identify themselves as Christians (about 2/3), but traditional faiths are practiced by many who identify as both Christian and Muslim. There is a strong sense of spirituality and religion, so many attend church on a weekly basis–but there is still a large margin of church-goers who don’t follow or understand Christianity. Fortunately, most of the churches in the country are filled with young people, who are the future of the church. Cameroon is also very humanitarian focused; many of the churches are involved with holistic ministries, such as schools, hospitals, orphanages, and micro-finance groups. They desire to help both current and future believers to understand what it means to have a relationship with Christ, and to have churches prepared to do follow-up with new believers; this often feels difficult to achieve because of the lack in mentors, and division among denominations. Growth is slow due to these struggles, and the persecution of committed believers. Ultimately, they pray for the revival and unity of the Church in Cameroon.

Where we plug in: We are partnering with the Cameroon church to train leaders and members in evangelism and effective follow-up with new believers. FFICM has helped not only in training, but also in mentoring current believers and assisting in the production of evangelism and program materials. These materials and booklets aid trainers to simply and systematically follow-up with those beginning their journey in the Christian faith.

What our needs are: Most importantly, we need prayer for Cameroon. The tension between the government and separatist group continues to grow and puts many innocent lives in danger. The violence in the country has caused many people to flee their homes and villages. Some of the places we have worked and held trainings in the past are now ghost towns. We need prayer for peace and unity for the country, and safety for those abandoning their homes and for our team members who live in Cameroon. We also need continued support to develop and print program materials for trainings and conferences.

Rich GardnerCameroon