Page 7 - History of Arabian Mission 1926-1957

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meeting services. The autumn program includes them oil in regular parfcicipa-
tion. The church group itself suggested having weekly meetings in the homes came in large numbers, some with mixed motives, but all were given the
"benefit of the doubt," and received instruction. One man gave up his Job
of the Christian famllies on Friday evenings.
on o, GmuggXxng ship because he felt he could not be a Christian and pursue
that kind of life.* Others were secret believers.
In 1955 Mr. Luidens wrote: "The men of the church have met to discuss
church problems, and several of them are growing in their ability to express
their faith straightforwardly and very effectively, and so are sharing in the By 1.935 report read: "A real Christian community is growing in
Bahrain* Once o wcutfo we have what at home would be called a congregational
preaching of the Gospel. They have begun to share the responsibility of group meetingo We galhv-r in our men’s majlis for our social time and we usually
discipline in Christian brotherhood."
expect fifty-fincluding children. Two of these get-togethers were after
the weddings of Cv&w&rtUa Two weddings were witnessed by large audiences,
It will be a real step forward when they achieve jurisdiction over the
use of the church's offerings, and thus mark another stage in their assumption and Muslim. friends were deeply impressed by the solemn ceremony, Three school
of leadership. girls ver* luyti.xwi end two more asked for baptism. A weekly inspirational
service held, besides the regular Sunday services, maintaining a high level
The missionaries who have been in charge of evangelistic work in. Amarah of communion aud fcdlowship, and giving opportunity for new Christians to ex­
since 1926 have been the Rev. James E. Moerdyk, Rev. E. E. Calverlcy., Rev. and press thefflse)
Mrs. G. J. Pennings, Rev. and Mrs. E. M. Luidens, Miss Ruth Jackson, and at the
present time Rev. and Mrs. Harvey Staal. Shorter periods of service in various A chnrkh committee had been organized by 1938, to send out invitations
summers have been given by the Van Esses, the Dykstraa (who had. previously been to social evcslGgd asid perform other services in the church, and it was fore­
pioneers in this station) the Jackson sisters, the Ds Jongs, and the Hollers. seen that thlc >.sight bn the beginning of an organized church in Arabia.
For four years after the death of his brotie in Dr. William IXi-rlng the iiai\, and later as the development of the oil industry
Moerdyk carried the responsibility of the evange • « sic in addition to his brought people frett uiony lands, the Bahrain church was the center of worship
medical work, and his wife also carried the double — md evangelistic for all Christiana, and the mission clergyman found his work similar to that
assignment for women's work. of a pastor at home. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, special services at
Christmas and Easter, communion services; services at the oil camp near-by,
Bahrain and Kuwait have since the war been flooded with new residents and also for Americana on the mainland in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; serv-
due to the economic and industrial expansion brought about by the production of ices on a IXitch gunboat, and at the British Naval base; - all these celled for
oil, and the development of the.churches there has been radically affected by the ministrations of a pastor, and were added to his responsibility for the
• thi6 situation. Arabic congregation who were his original flock, Indians formed a large part
of the group at English services.
Bahrain. Later on, the appointment of an American chaplain to Eahrain, who also
went to the mainland for services, lightened this burden, and the building of
In 1926 in Bahrain the congregations at Arabic services were chiefly an Anglican church with a permanent chaplain provides another place of worship
hospital patients and their friends. The attendance at these services gradu­ for English-speaking Christians in Bahrain. •
ally increased, and they began to draw people from the town as well.
An important feature of the evangelistic work in Bahrain for many
By 1933 Rev. Gerrit Van Peursem wrote: "It is very significant to years was the touring at least twice a week to outlying villages. Both men
notice the continuity of the evangelistic department of this station as to and women participated, and they were often accompanied by members of the i
personnel and activities. Arabs speak of Dhaif Allah - the Guest of God (by medical staff.
which name Dr. Zwemer was always known), Moerdyk, Dykstra, and Pennings in
order as representing one great institution, much as the British consuls repre­ The Pennings, Hakkens, Van Peursems, De Jongs, Luidens, Almonds, and
sent the British Bnpire. Because of their uninterrupted testimony the people Stools were successively in the evangelistic assignment in Bahrain, which is
have come to know the real content of Christianity. In consequence, we were now held by the Dunhams. Most of the clergymen have made extensive tours on
overjoyed to find upon our arrival inquirers not a few, studying the Bible with the mainland with the doctors.
a view to baptism and joining the church. The high water mark in our evange­
listic work was reached when these converts received baptism on Easter Day. Kuwait.
Three men and one woman presented themselves. A few week3 later the woman
brought her children for baptism also. Besides these, other inquirers are re- Kuwait, in 1926, held its Arabic church in a living room of the mis­
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u celving daily instruction, also with the hope of making public confession. sionaries' home. As in Bahrain, the nucleus of this group were the Mission's
The next year four more converts were added to the li6t, making a total Christian helpers and a few converts, augmented by hospital patients and
their friends. But the greatest impact was made by the large evangelistic
of ten baptisms in a year and a half, all converts from Islam. Three were service in the heart of town, in the courtyard of the old Arab house called
orphans from the woman's hospital, trained in the mission school, who had re- Beit er Rabaan. This house, reputed to be haunted after a murder, was one of
ceived special instruction prior to baptism, They themselves asked for this, the first missionary homes, and was later occupied by the colporteur and his
and on hearing their testfT^ny it was felt they could not be refused. Inquirers
family. For many years, every Sunday afternoon Arab men, women and children
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