HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL EVANGELICAL CHURCH
church-old-picIt was on the 10th of June 1906, the first ‘Church-School’ building was dedicated to the Glory of God. Worship services took place on Sundays: one was in Arabic and the second in English. The ground floor of the building was the School; the first floor was the church. Now after over a hundred years the school is separated from the church. However both school and church continue to be the centre of activity during the week. On the church property, more than two dozen congregations praise and worship God though the week.
It was really much earlier than 1906 that the church began; it started in a ‘House church” where the Rev. Samuel Zwemer and his family made their home in Bahrain. First Rev. Zwemer came in December of 1892; then followed by his wife in 1896. At the turn of the century they were joined by the Doctor couple Dr. and Mrs. Thoms.

Pastor Westra writing in his book Abusa’a states “In 1900, the new house was built and ready for residency. What initially proved more than adequate for them (the Zwemers) soon failed to meet the need? Dr. Hutton, who visited the mission in 1904, made reference to this house and reported to the Reformed Church in America that it was inadequate for the needs of the Church in Bahrain. He gave details of the room’s size and what a replacement should be. Presumably the ‘congregations’ consisted of the English language and Arabic language congregations. This then is how it all began, not in some large building on a large tract of land, but in home - two congregations of not more than a dozen followers of Jesus”

“One of the first records of a worship service that took place on June 30th 1899, was in a house with Rev. Barry leading the worship.” Though the Church had its beginnings when the Missionaries who came to Bahrain began to organise services for themselves in the late 1800s, historical records go back to the 3rd and 4th centuries AD when many inhabitants of Bahrain appear to have adopted the new Christian faith. The NESTORIAN church was well established in Bahrain by the second and third century. Church records show that two of the five Nestorian Bishoprics existed on the Arabian side of the Gulf at the time of the arrival of Islam. “It is reasonable to assume that there were Christians and churches in Bahrain as early as the first Century. In fact excavations have shown that Christian settlements did exist sporadically all over Arabia. However with the advent of Islam, “the church became the mosque and the cross was supplanted by the crescent” wrote Dr. Mackenzie in his Sermon on Arabia.

Church services in Bahrain in the early days were held on Sundays in the classroom. As Sunday was a working day, bustling noises came in from the street outside. It also meant that students, who had no idea of what day of the week it was, joined in the service. Besides, the idea of weekend was still new to the society here. The congregation consisted of hospital workers and their families.

Amy Zwemer gives a colourful account of the worship services in ‘Neglected Arabia,’ Volume 44, 1902, “It is opened with a hymn. Then prayer is offered, reading of Scripture, another hymn, and then the collection. Very often we are reminded of ‘Alexander the coppersmith’, but each one has been trained to bring something, and out of this same collection the Bahrain Church, though small, has sent relief to famine stricken parts of India and China. After the collection is the sermon and another hymn and prayer. We all feel that we would not like to miss the service, although it is so simple, no choir, no grand music, but just a plain service where a few isolated believers meet to worship the God of Abraham, and where we expect the blessing promised to Abraham that ‘Ishmael shall live before me.’”

The entire sum was obtained as follows:
Thirty-one friends in Holland, Michigan gave ………………….. ..$695.00
Seventeen friends in Zeeland, Michigan gave …………………...$510.00
Seven friends in Grand Rapids, Michigan gave …………………$175.00
Three friends in New York State gave ………………………….... $300.00
Two friends in England gave ……………………………………....$364.40
Total...................................................................................................... $2044.40

“The Mission appointed a building committee to prepare plans and put up the building. The plans were drawn by Mr Moerdyk and unanimously approved by the Mission and the Board. The building is to be of native stone, plastered inside and out, and the accompanying picture gives some idea of what the building will be. It was understood by the contribution that this was to be a Memorial Chapel and School. We hope to put a small marble tablet in one of the walls, with the names of those in our Mission that have laid down our lives for Arabia. When the chapel and school are completed the evangelistic and educational work at Bahrain will be as well equipped with suitable shelter, as is the medical work in the Mason Memorial Hospital.” (Rev Zwemer, ‘Neglected Arabia,’ Vol 54, 1905).

The Arabian Mission got much support for their work from the ruler, Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al-Khalifa. As early as 1901, negotiations were under way for the sale of land for use by the Mission. At one point when problems arose, “one of Sheikh Isa’s elderly retainers had a vision. He reported that he had seen Nebi Isa, the prophet Jesus, who told him to sell a parcel of land to the missionary.” (Through the Changing Scenes of Life).

“The ruler himself sold us the land for four thousand rupees. It was to be measured in Arab cubits – the length of the forearm of the ruling chief. As this was over eighteen inches, I remember that we chose the standard cubit and received praise for not grasping the extra inch. Marking posts were set up in the presence of witnesses and the Mission became property–conscious from that day.” (Zwemer and Cantine).

More pieces of adjoining land were added on to the Mission’s ownership; these were either donated or sold by families like Al Gosaibi & Al Sharif.

Christmas of 1905 was special, as it was the day to lay the cornerstone for the church building. “It is not very often that so many missionaries happen together on Christmas day. Everyone voted to make the day a regular old-fashioned holiday, and so we did. In the morning we all gathered at the new chapel and school then building to participate in the services in connection with laying of the cornerstone. This was one of the few open-air meetings that have been held in Arabia. The Arabs, citizens of the place, did not attend in large numbers although quite a number of those living near or happening to pass that way stopped to listen and see what it meant; but all of the Europeans of the place, and all of the Christians with their children were present and joined in the service. All present united in prayers and other testimony, thus expressing their hopes that the building might be successfully completed and equipped for the work for which it is intended.” (Vol 57, 1906)

The prayers of those who laid the cornerstone of the chapel were certainly answered. Ninety four years later, with a few renovations and face-lifts along the way, the National Evangelical Church (which was earlier known as ‘Church of Christ’) stands tall today, beckoning all the weary passers by to step in for a time of meditation and prayer.

Bilingual church services have been part of the National Evangelical Church for several decades. After listening to a familiar hymn in another language for a few seconds, one often sings along in whatever language convenient. The choir has also been truly cosmopolitan.

Arabian Mission also had stations in Basrah, Oman and Kuwait. Along with their bookshops, hospitals and schools and churches, innumerable friendships, lasting several generations, have been built. Two world wars came and went, but the Arabian Mission continued their task in peace. Apart from Samuel and Amy Zwemer, James Cantine and Dr Lansing, the pioneers of the Arabian Mission, others came along over the years. Dr James Wyckoff, Peter Zwemer, Dr Worrall, Dr Sharon Thoms and his wife Dr Marion Wells Thoms, Dr Stanley Mylreas and wife, Bessie, Drs Anna Christine Iverson, Paul Harrison and Eleanor Taylor Calverly, Rev and Van Peursem, Dr Harold Storm .. the list goes on.

These are the noble men and women who left behind their family and a life of comfort and worked in the sweltering heat and humidity of Bahrain. What is it that prompted them to sacrifice their working life for Bahrain? Perhaps the answer can be found in the words of the Great Commission. Those words have echoed down the centuries to us in the new millennium too.

In the 1950s. 1960s and 1970s expatriate influx into Bahrain changed the face of the Church in Bahrain. The growth of Arabic congregation was not as rapid as the growth of the expatriate congregations. The two language services became five language services conducted separately on various days of the week. Tracing the origin of various language congregations of the National Evangelical church, Pastor Westra writes that as early as 1959, Malayalam congregation was formed, Tamilians followed in 1964, followed by the Telugu in 1965 and Urdu in 1969. By 1970, two other denominations, the Indian Pentecostal Church and the Mar Thoma Church in India began to use the Church facilities. Filipino and Korean services began to be held in the Church and small groups of Chinese, Nepali, Srilankan and other people groups began to meet and worship in their own languages.

IT was during the 1980s and 1990s that the numbers began to swell. The Missionaries giving leadership, rightly organised the Common Council, wrote the constitution and attempted at finding answers to the various administrative problems that were looming. The English Language Congregation was truly International, with several members attending both the English service and their own language services.

There were long periods of absence of a pastor during the late 80s and early 90s, when the Lay participation increased. There were times when lay leaders both preached and led the worship for several weeks. The ministries of the Church began to meet the several needs of the members, as the number of people with both material and spiritual needs began to approach the Church for help. The church board and the annual general body meeting made benevolence a mandatory practice in distribution of the funds of the church.

The major leap was taken during the time of Rev. Richard Westra. He was a visionary who foresaw the urgent need for more facilities to the growing number of members and groups that were witnessing to the wonderful way the Holy Spirit was working in individuals and various congregations and groups. The extension of the building in 2002 coinciding with the centenary celebration in 2005-2006 lifted off the activities, giving a boost to various groups meeting and using the facilities.

The English Language congregation having two services one on Sunday nights and the other on Friday mornings have attracted a large number of new members. The diversity in the membership and the growing influence of contemporary worship methods have contributed to the satisfying the needs of the members of various denomination who come to Bahrain for employment. The Church has been greatly blessed by leadership from the laity, who have been leading the various ministries that the church is involved in.

As we go from one year to another we have seen nothing but the Grace of God, showering blessing upon blessing to the members of the congregation. We can see the activity of the Holy Spirit who is continually working in the activities of the Church. May God continue to guide the leaders in fulfilling His will for the church in Bahrain.