The Rhenish Missionary Society was one of the largest missionary societies in Germany. Formed from smaller missions founded as far back as 1799, the Society was amalgamated on 23 September 1828, and its first missionaries were ordained and sent off to South Africa by the end of the year. September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Ordination is the process in which clergy become authorized by their religious denomination and/or seminary to perform religious rituals and ceremonies. ...

The London Missionary Society was already active in the area, and a closer working relationship was formed with them. The Society established its first mission station in the Cederberg in 1829, named Wuppertal, and predated the naming of the German city by 100 years. The London Missionary Society was an Anglican and Nonconformist missionary society formed in England in 1795 with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa. ... A Mission station is a location for missionary work. ... The Cederberg mountains and eponymous nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about 32°30S 19°E. The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar tree Widdringtonia cedarbergensis (although this tree is more correctly classified as a cypress... Wuppertal university Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

Very soon, the missionaries started migrating north through the barren and inhospitable south-western Africa. Here they encountered various local tribes such as the Herero, Nama and Damara, and were frequently in the middle of wars between them. The missionaries tried to broker peace deals between the tribes, and for this reason was later seen as political assets by the tribes. A group of Herero women. ... Nama (in older sourses also Namaqua) are a pastoral people of South Africa, Namibia and Botswana speaking the Nama language which belongs to the Khoe-Kwadi language family (previously known as Central Khoisan). ... The Damara are a people who live in Namibia. ...

Around the same time, debate started in Germany regarding its colonial empire, with the activities of the RMS in distant Africa fanning imaginations. The unclaimed area to the north of the Cape Colony was proclaimed German South West Africa in 1880, but they quickly ran into numerous problems, since Germany was inexperienced at colonisation. The Herero and Namaqua Genocide during 1904-1907 proved to be the nadir of their rule, and combined with the effects of World War I, Germany was unable to maintain a foothold so far from home. South Africa annexed the area in 1915, renaming it South West Africa. During this time, missionaries' reactions ranged from compassion and help for the local tribes, to patriotism and support of colonial interests. Official language English and Dutch1 Capital Cape Town Largest City Cape Town Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st 569,020 km² (1910) Negligible Population  - Total (1911)  - Density Ranked 1st 2,564,965 4. ... Flag of German South West Africa German South-West Africa (German: Deutsch-Südwestafrika or DSWA) was a colony of Germany from 1884 to 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South-West Africa, later becoming Namibia. ... Surviving Herero after the escape through the arid desert of Omaheke. ... The nadir (from Arabic nazir, opposite) is the astronomical term for the point in the sky directly below the observer, or more precisely, the point in the sky with an inclination of -90°. Geometrically, it is the point on the celestial sphere intersected by a line drawn from the observer... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total of dead: 8 million Military dead: 4 million Civilian deaths: 3 million Total dead: 7 million The First... South-West Africa is the former name (1884-1990) of Namibia under German (as German South-West Africa, Deutsch Süd-West Afrika) and (from 1915) South African administration when it was conqured from the Germans during World War I. Following the war, the Treaty of Versailles declared the territory...

During the 20th century, the Society focused on its work in southern Africa. The Society ultimately amalgamated all of its mission stations into the Dutch Reformed Church, except for Wuppertal which chose to join the Moravian Church. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Dutch Reformed village church of St. ... A Moravian is a Protestant belonging to a religious movement that originated in Moravia, Czech Republic. ...

In 1971, the Rhenish Mission and the Bethel Mission was combined into the Vereinigten Evangelischen Mission. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ...

Reference

• Joachim Schubert. The Rhenish Mission in South Africa and Namibia. German South African Resource Page. Retrieved on 2006-05-24.