Page 8 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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streamed in, often filling every available nook and comer, sometimes wandering MacNeill, with brief periods of service by Rev. George Gosselink, Rev. J. R.
out again, often before the service was over; often making disturbanccc at the Kapeoga. and Rev. G. J, Holler.
door; but always affording an audience for the Christian message. The old
house is now no more, but the Beit er Rabaan service has gone on without in­ Women'a evangelistic work has been carried on by Mrs. Mylrea,
terruption in other quarters, and is now held in the waiting room of the Mrs. Penoiogs. Ita* Do Jong, and Mrs. MacNeill.
woman's hospital and attracts the some sort of motley crowd.
Basran,
In 1931 a church was built - the first in this purely Muslim city -
which fulfilled a long-felt need and gave much better facilities for a rapidly In Basrah th? Evangelical Protestant Church is entirely independent of
developing evangelistic program. Arabic services, and an ©.tglislx service on the Missiont with its own property and its own national peLstor. Many years
Sunday evenings, were supplemented by many activities carried on in, the con­ ago this greuv wan made up almost entirely of Arab Christians who had come
venient rooms adjoining the church proper. down frost the Zel’din area, in Turkey, as mission helpers. They and their
families viili th« miosion circle, were the nucleus of the Arabic congregation
During the war, many service men, both British and American., found and worshipped tn the mission church. During and after World War I, many of
their way to this church home. Later on, the oil company personnel greatly their friends arid relatives Joined this group and entered business or profes­
increased the numbers at the English service. sional life is Basrah, end soon comprised a prosperous and highly esteemed
community* Tho congregation acquired its own national pastor in 1926, and
As in Bahrain, the oil company in Kuwait In the early years needed mis­ soon outgrew the E&ssion church. The Mission firmly and lovingly encouraged
sion clergymen for the pastoral functions of weddings, funerals and baptisms, them to property and build their church in another part of town and to
The mission women laid the foundations of Sunday schools and Bible classes for become completely independent, which they have done. They have a majlis, or
the oil company community, and contributed leadership ia establishing these council, who handle all their own affairs. The missionaries participate ia
organizations. worship and service only, but have close fellowship vita them. They have a
flourishing woman' a society, an active young people's group, and their ova
The mission clergyman now works in close co-operation with the Anglican Sunday school. All of these are becoming increasingly conscious of their
chaplain at Ahraadi, the Oil City twenty-five miles sway. They frequently ex­ evangelistic responsibility toward the Muslim community in which they live,
change pulpits, thus alternating Free Church services with Anglican, -and the and are participating in welfare work and other missionary activities.
mission church in Kuwait is used regularly for Church of England communion
services. When the new Anglican church at Ahmad! was dedicated in 1956 by the This church was the host to the notable Basrah Conference in 1954•
Bishop in Jerusalem, both the American clergyman and the Arab Christian evan­ Since Dr. Zveraer gathered colporteurs and converts together in Bahrain in
gelist of the Mission took part in the service. 1911, there had been no conference of Christians for this whole area, which
included Iraq and the Persian Gulf. This was the culmination of years of
Thirteen different nationalities have been present at one English hopes and prayers. For four memorable days, representatives of at least
service, and the choir has had Dutch, Lebanese, British, Indian, and Palestin­ twelve Christian groups including Muslim converts, met in worship, fellow­
ian members as well as Americans. ship, and statesman-like discussion of plans for the future. The leadership
was in the hands of the nationals, with the missionaries unobtrusively in the
Evangelical Christians with widely different backgrounds have turned background to help with the planning. The chairman was Dr. Ferid Audeh of
to the Mission for a church home. Not only those from the Arabic-speaking Beirut, an outstanding Arab Christian leader of the Near Sist, and at that
areas, but several other language groups have had church services arranged time the chairman of the Near East Christian Council. The conference theme
for them in their own tongues and have thus been drawn into the Christian was "Jesus the Light of the World."
fellowship. These include Malayalam, Assyrian, and at one time Armenian, in
addition to the regular Arabic and English services. Bibles have been sup­ Two. facts which emerged most conspicuously were the strengthening of
plied in Persian, Turkish, Greek, Russian and French. A Good Friday service the fellowship between members of the ancient Christian groups and converts
had six languages used in the course of its program. from Islam, and the firm intention of having a Council of Churches for the
whole area, looking toward the organization of a Church of Christ in Iraq and
The situation is stimulating and challenging, but poses many problems the Gulf. A continuation committee of nationals has been formed to work on
of organization and administration. plans. Youth conferences in the summer, and definite plans for a training
center for Christian workers, are the direct result of this conference.
The Arabic-speaking group has elected Its own consistory, or majlis,
which has taken hold with a will, and has even begun house visitation. The clergymen in charge of the men's evangelistic work in Basrah over
O this period have been Rev. Henry Bilkert, Rev. D. Dykstra, Rev. G. J. Pennings,
A striking picture was afforded of ecumenicity in action, when on a Rev. George Gosselink, Rev. Harry J. Almond, Rev. G. J. Holler, Rev. Donald
hot night in 1954 over one hundred interested persons discussed In five dif­ MacNeill, and Rev. E. M. Luidens.
ferent languages the matter of co-operation in one Church of Christ in Kuwait.
The men'8 evangelistic work in Kuwait has been in charge since 1926
of Rev. E. E. Calverley, Rev.. P. J. Barny, Rev. G. E. De Jong, and Rev. Donald