HWGA 9

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Section 9 – Story of Missionary Work in Egypt by Americans

There was a Presbyterian Mission amongst the Egyptians and quite successful as it has now considerable over 20,000 adherents in Egypt. This was brought in due to the labor of two ministers who later came amongst brethren and were greatly used in Egypt in gathering many out to the Lord’s name. This mission began in 1854. In 1865, Mr. B.F. Pinkerton joined the mission but in 1869 withdrew. He read the following paper to the presbytery meeting at Hamleh on August 4, 1869:

“It has pleased God, whose I am, and whom I serve in the Gospel of His dear Son to assure me that He has accepted the services that I have been enabled to render Him in this land, and to show me clearly that He does not require me to serve Him any longer in this field. I, therefore, respectfully, resign to this presbytery the station of Alexandra, for the purpose of proceeding home at once to resign my connection with the Board of Foreign Missions. I also ask a certificate of ministerial standing and character.” “B.F. Pinkerton”

Mr. A.H. Rule arrived in 1872 and was assigned to Faiyum but withdrew from the mission and went home in 1873 on account of views of doctrine and practice.

Mr. Pinkerton returned after a short time to Syria to again take up labor in that land and Egypt. He prepared tracts entitled, “The Duty of Withdrawing from the Modern Churches” and he went to Egypt each winter and broadcast this literature amongst the populace.

Some at Alexandria were already separated and soon two other pastors (Girgis Raphail and Butros Dyonesius) joined him in the work with numbers from the various congregations. Mr. Pinkerton’s tracts were well written and the points advanced supported by Scripture, and were eagerly read and devoured by the Egyptians, who through Egyptian Copts or Protestants as the Presbyterians were known.

Mr. Pinkerton often had Mr. Assad Shadadi, a Syrian, with him and he would time his steps to be at a point when native pastors were at their annual meetings and would disseminate his tracts amongst them. The movement spread rapidly amongst the companies in the Asyut, Sohag and Bana provinces, and several of the most helpful young men amongst the mission joined the movement. The largest gathering was at Nakheliah which numbered 100, and Asyut about 50, and many smaller gatherings. Mr. Girgis Raphail became a leader amongst them. Both he and Mr. Dyonesius had been suspended by the presbytery about 1883.

The secession of 1890 took practically all of these brethren who have since that date become very numerous, as reported by Mr. Steele, an English brother, who visited them in 1929 and found a few still in fellowship in the upper Nile region as well as the meeting in Cairo. Mr. David Hajj of Cairo, recently deceased, took a very definite stand at the time of the division and wrote a good deal seeking to help his brethren in his native land. The Kelly-Lowe party claimed 150 meetings in Egypt in 1940.

Mr. Pinkerton died in 1889 just before the division, although he had written to show that he was more or less opposed to Mr. Raven, and Mr. Rule returned to Des Moines, Iowa. The meeting in Cairo continued after the death of Mr. Hajj by brethren from England… Messrs. Steele and Strang being among those remaining with the position to the last.

Mr. Myles and Mr. Percy Lyon visited Cairo and other points of interest in Egypt about 1934. Mr. David Hajj of Cairo and Mr. Gilada of Bayadiah were men who stood for things in Egypt in their day. At Abou-Tig, Messrs. Mikhail and Ruphailah continued in the path, also some interest shown at Motia, Baqur, and Kom-Sai.

In the years of World War Two, the Cairo meeting served as an oasis in the desert for many British brethren in the army and navy stationed in Northern Africa, as was evidenced by many letters of interest sent out during the war from Cairo.

In 1946, Messrs. Strang and Steele left Cairo to go to Great Britain partly on account of ill health which closed the meeting, except for a few sisters at Cairo after a continued testimony of seventy-five years.

After Mr. Pinkerton’s death in 1889 the work in Egypt was taken up by Mr. L. Schlotthauer, who passed away in 1921, and Mr. O. Blaedel, who died in 1933, both German brothers from the Elberfeld fellowship, whose labors were much blessed in Egypt.

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