This month’s unreached people group are the Ansari people of India. There are 10.7 million Ansari in this country with no known evangelical believers. They are considered a frontier unreached people group which means the population of Ansari Christians of any kind is less than 0.1%. It also means there is no evidence of a self–sustaining gospel movement.
Nearly half of the Ansari live in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh – one of the most densely populated areas on earth of unreached peoples. The scale of the need in Uttar Pradesh is staggering. If this one state was a country in its own right, it would be the fifth most populated country on earth. Home to over 231 million people, there are only around 460,000 believers in the state.
The Ansari are predominately artisans by trade while being mostly poor and illiterate. The weaving of silk is a common trade skill of these people. The friendliness of the Ansaris can open doors for believers to share the gospel. In recent years numerous teams have begun working in north India among the Ansaris but there is little to no work happening in other areas where the Ansari can be found.
How To Pray
- Pray that God would send many Indian followers of Jesus to their Muslim neighbours and co–workers with a heart to befriend them and love them
- Pray for Ansari leaders who have heard the gospel, that their hearts will turn to follow Christ
- Pray for teams working among the Ansari, that their labour would reap a mighty harvest for the Lord!
Why not adopt the Ansari for prayer this month with your children, in your Bible study or in your church?