Page 80 - Protestant Missionary Activity in the Arabian Gulf
P. 80

64




                   of 2.00 Omani Riyals per month (approximately $575) toward


                   his maintenance and was well on the way to self-sufficiency.

                   This congregation and its sister Arabic language Congregation

                   were combined to form the Protestant Church in Oman, which

                   shared its facilities with seven other Christian denominations.


                   The Reformed Church was still subsidizing both congregations

                   and had provided two missionary couples to serve as pastors

         ;         for the Arab (Rev. & Mrs. James Dunham) and English (Rev.
         !
                   cc Mrs. Harvey Staal) congregations. Interestingly enough,
         '
                   the English congregation pastor had become an unofficial

                   chaplain to the Sultan’s forces which included many secunded

                   British soldiers and had conducted services for them in

                   Salalah, Masirah, Bidbid and Hizwa.                     144
         !
                             Of the thirty-five missionaries of the Reformed Church
         i
         j
                   and sister mission bodies who served in Kuwait, Bahrain and


                   Muscat, sixteen were engaged in medical work, ten were serving

                    as pastors, five were working with schools and administration

                    and four were operating bookstores. Eive were provided by

                    the Danish Missionary Society, two by the Presbyterian Church,

         5
         :          two were secunded to the Kuwait army, and two were Arab pastors
         l
                    secunded from the Coptic Evangelical Synod of the Nile. Of
         J
                    the remaining twenty-four, only eight were being directly

         1
                    supported by the Reformed Church. The remaining fourteen
         J
                    were   being paid their salaries from local funds derived from

                    ■bookstore receipts, patients1 fees, tuition payments, or
                                                           145
                    local church collections.




 A
   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85