Special report by Tebello Matsela and Ryan Smit
On June 19 2024, a team of seven from South Africa, Lesotho and the United Kingdom travelled to Namibia to present a Wilberforce Academy (WA) pilot programme – the first of its kind in Africa outside of South Africa.
The two and a half day pilot event consisted of daily worship and corporate devotions, plenary presentations and breakouts/seminars by Wilberforce faculty members, panel discussions, as well as opportunities to engage with presenters and fellow attendees in vocational discussion groups.
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The event was hosted in the beautiful district of Okahandja, on the African Leadership Institute campus at The Rock Lodge. The first day included a warm welcoming by owners, Dawie and Chrisna Fourie, and a brief background by the Namibian organising team (all four being Wilberforce South Africa alumni from 2023 and 2024) about what led the WA to pilot in Namibia.
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In addition, Andrew Marsh (from the WA in the UK) and Ryan Smit (from the WA in South Africa) introduced the heart and mission of the academy to the attendees. Ryan shared a thematic Scripture for the event from Ephesians 2 vv 1 – 10 – we are saved by grace and for good works. Advocate Keith Matthee SC concluded the day with a session on biblical foundations and the importance of thinking Christianly.
On the second day of the pilot event, Namibians received a judgment from the High Court in Windhoek declaring the criminalising of sexual acts between men to be unconstitutional. The reasoning in the judgment brought the realisation that some judges of the Namibian judiciary are not guided by a Christian worldview, which is in stark contrast to (a large majority of) the Namibian population and the Namibian Parliament (as representatives of the people of Namibia) who are Christian or ascribe to a Judeo-Christian value system. It also highlighted the focus by external parties to upend Namibian law and morality. Although discouraging, the court judgment served to further awaken attendees to the call to keep fighting the good fight of faith in all areas of life, including their nation’s laws, education system, business sphere, and not only by way of church and para-church ministries and initiatives.
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Highlights video of the pilot programme
The various topics covered by faculty members were thought-provoking and challenging, and vocational group discussions in the areas of Law and public service, Education, Business and Ministry, led by the Faculty members, assisted attendees to think through how what they had heard apply to their work and vocations.
The pilot event was filled with insightful discussions, new relationships formed and the love of God, His Word, ways, purposes and principles reignited, for that which is lost, corrupted and broken to be redeemed by the power of the Holy Spirit working through Christ’s body wherever its members go.
WA’s hope is that attendees were empowered and inspired to go out and faithfully serve the Lord’s kingdom purposes for their nation. The pilot was also a further step on the way towards establishing a “Wilberforce community” and annual Academy programme in Namibia.
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — – Philippians 1:3-6
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Wow, sounds a fruitful Wilberforce Academy in Namibia! I attended in London 2023, and it was transformative indeed!