Chapter 40
DEVELOPMENT OF MISSION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.
After several years work by Justin Perkins and Dr. Grant, his medical assistant, the mission had grown until more workers were needed. From time to time other workers came, such as Messrs. Stoddard, Stakings, Dr. Coan and Mr. Ray. The latter was known among the natives as the prince of preachers. He died in that country and his widow, Mrs. Ray, now resides in Lake Forest, Ill. Other workers who should be mentioned are Dr. Larabee and Mr. Cochran.
During these years of preaching, seed was sown for more thorough work. Revival meetings were begun in the churches, and, in answer to prayer, the Lord poured out His spirit upon both preachers and listeners. At some of these meetings there would be from thirty to 100 men and women crying aloud and trying to learn what they must do to be saved. In those times some of the penitents in their ignorance prayed prayers that they would to-day be ashamed of. One old man, who is now an elder, became terribly in earnest when he was under conviction and was seeking conversion. In his anguish he prayed thus: "O Lord God, Father of Christ, send Thy Spirit and regenerate all of this church. If you won't do this, then destroy this church over our heads and kill us." This prayer, and others like it, was prayed with such intense earnestness, that another seeker near by thought the Lord would answer it at once; and so, reaching for his hat, he prayed: "O Lord don't do this until I get out; then destroy all of them if you want to." Hastily uttering this prayer he sought safety outside the walls of the building. When the old elder was recently reminded of the prayer he made years ago, he was not ashamed, for he said that was all they knew in those days as they had not yet learned how to pray.
Until the time of these revivals there had been no separation of the missionaries from the old Assyrian church. It had been their custom to take of the Lord's Supper from the hands of Assyrian priests. Mr. Cochran, president of the Oroomiah college thought it was now time to form a separate organization. Accordingly the new converts were organized into a separate church on evangelical principles.
This separation aroused the bitter opposition of the bishops and priests of the old church for a time, but it finally resulted beneficially to both sects. The ancient church tried to attract and hold the people by adopting the same kind of preaching and Sunday-schools as were being carried on by the evangelical branch. Preaching sermons was a new work for priests of the old church, and many amusing mistakes were made at first. One priest in an enthusiastic discourse when intending to call the Mohammedans, dogs, made the sad mistake of addressing his audience as, "Ye dogs and sons of dogs." At another time a bishop having announced that he would preach a sermon, carefully wrote his discourse. A large and expectant audience greeted him. When it was time to deliver the address the bishop felt in every pocket for his written sermon but failed to find it. Turning to the audience he said: "Satan, the accursed, has stolen my sermon out of my pocket and disappeared with it." Being unable to make the address from memory he dismissed the audience.
The church has developed along this line, however, and to-day in Oroomiah their services differ very little from that of the evangelical churches. Once a tiny rivulet the evangelical church has become a brook which flows in beauty and waters much of a thirsty land. It is the hope of Persia.
The statistics of mission work in Persia in 1895 were as follows: Five presbyteries, fifty-five churches, 2,600 members, 4,000 Sunday-school scholars, 4,500 attendants at preaching services. These five presbyteries make one synod. Besides this there are two other presbyteries with about 500 church members. There are seven missionary stations, viz., Oroomiah, Tabriz, Tehron, Salmas, Hamadon, Myandab and Moesul. These are in charge of American missionaries; besides them there are many native preachers in the different towns and cities. Oroomiah is the mother station. Most of these missions are dependent on missionaries, but some of them are self-supporting. The total number of Protestants in Persia will number fully 15,000.