THE SESQUICENTENNIAL HISTORY

OF COMMUNITY CHURCH
Beirut, Lebanon
1823 -1973
A
SESQUICENTENNIAL
HISTORY
OF
THE COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BEIRUT:
1823 - 1973
Robert M. Copeland
Beirut
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BEIRUT
1974
Cover Illustration: From a woodcut of the American Mission Church
(now the National Evangelical Church), in which the Congregation
worshiped from 1869-1971.
CONTENTS
Page
iii
v INTRODUCTION, 0 0 , > , 0
v The A. Bo C F. M.
The First Missionaries vi
Beirut. vii
I. EARLY CHURCH HISTORY UNDER AMERICAN BOARD AUSPICES:
1823-1863 1
The Mission Church:<182.3-1828 2
The Malta Years: 182.8-1830 5
Beirut: 1830-1863 o , , , , 7
II,
A BUILDING FOR THE CHURCH 9
THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND YEARS: 1864-1911 16
The Church of Scotland Mission to the Jews. 16
17
Pastors Robertson, Scott and Mackie. , 17
Church Government 2.0
Gl'lUH:.h Finance 2.5
Benevolence 27
Transfer of Mission to Presbyterian Church,
Chul:' Se.!:'v-lceE', " , 21
tian Education 24
0 ,
WonH,;nls Organizations 27
IN CARE OF' THE PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF FOREIGN
2.8
28
A Move to Disband the Congregation,. , 0 30
Church Goverrunent 31
Christian Education
31
34
CongI"egational Services Provided to Allied Forces During
Chut'
Christian. Endeavor Society. 35
Church and Benevolence 35
36
Anglo-A:rn.erican Church 0 0 38 , 0 o
COj\1!vlUNITY CHURCH OF BEIRUT: 1950-1973 39
A Salaried Howard McClintock, . 39
A New Name for an Old Church. 39
Pastors Eder, Swedenburg. and Wilcox 39
42
Church Finance and Benevolence. 42
Christian Education 43
Mem.ber<shipc C 44 0 coo
The Mobile 45
000000000000' Cor.n:rnunity Church in 1973 0 46
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To Rev. Dr. William D. Copeland, My Father,
and Evelyn Stannard Copeland, My Mother
Twentieth Century Pioneers
in Education and Church Work
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PREFACE
With the approach of the 150th Anniversary of the Community Church of
Beirut, the Community Church Council appointed a 150th Anniversary Committee
to make plans for the recognition of this significant event throughout Sesqui
centennial Year. I was asked by the Committee to write a short summary of
Community Church history which was to be presented in the form of a souvenir
booklet to members of the Congregation attending an anniversary dinner scheduled
for November 23, 1973. However, as the date of the dinner coincided with the
aftermath of the 1973 Arab- Israeli War, the dinner was postponed and subsequently
rescheduled for May 23, 1974. Publication of the booklet was rescheduled
accordingly, and its scope was enlarged.
Though delay in publication has resulted in an expanded work, this booklet
may not be considered a.s a complete and exhaustive history of Community Church.
Such a history would require more time than I have been able to devote to this
project in the period allotted, plus access to records which are not available in
Beirut.
I have chosen to concentrate on the earlier history of the Church and to
limit my account of the years 1950-1973, the subject of the final chapter, to a
brief summary of the highlights of this periodo Many of the pre-1950 Church
records, a considerable portion of them handwritten in now faded ink, are in
very poor condition and are brittle, torn or smudged, The history of this period
might soon be lost forever if not promptly recorded. In contrast, the 1950-1973
records are quite complete, in excellent condition, and are more likely to be
available to one working on a later edition or new work. In addition, the volume
of records documenting the past 24 years exceeds that of the previous 126 years
and deserves :a more exhaustive analysis than I can presently provide, sup
plemented by interviews with those Church members who have experienced this
period.
Records exist abroad which might prove fruitful in the preparation of a
rnore complete history of Corrununity Church, These include materials in the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions Archives at Harvard
University and documents in the Comrrlission on Ecumenical Mission and
Relations Archives at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia. The
Church of Scotland may 0 possess materials of value and interest.
It should be clearly stated that this is a story of Community Church and
not of the various mission bodies which have been associated with it, Information
concerning these groups is offered only when directly relevant to the history of
the Congregationo
Every il.tternpt has been made to render work as accurate as possible
and to clearly :indicate as hypotheses any statements for which concrete evidence
does n.ot exist or could not be located. Nevertheless errors have probably crept
into the text, and for these I accept sole responsibility. Though sources can be
iii
iv
verlfjed for all quotations used, it has been i:mpossible to prepare proper foot
notes for this edition. However brief references to sources of quotes are usually
contained in the text itself. A revision of this booklet would benefit fro:m :more
rigor ous doc u:mentation.
In regard to quotations, I :make no apology for :my extensive use of the:m
throughout the work. It is :my opinion that the events described are :more
interesting and :meaningful when, instead of being paraphrased, they can be
viewed through the eyes of those who experienced the:m.
I gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the following pers ons:
Mr. Arthur Whitman, who supervised the publication of t:b.is work; Mr. Zahi
Khuri, who provided the cover design; Miss Varsy Afarian, who typed the
stencils; me:mbers of the Com:munity Church Council and of the Fellowship,
Me:mbership and l50th Anniversary Co:m:mittees, who provided encourage:ment,
advice, and support throughout the project; and :my wife Nora, who provided
inspiration and endured :more than the usual a:mount of husbandly gru:mbling
during the past several :months of writing and research.
I would also like to acknowledge the use of extenslve res ources contained
in the Jafet Me:morial Library of the A:merican Univer of Beirut, the use of
rnicrof:H:m copies of Syria Mission Records owned by the Near Ea t School of
Theology in Beirut a,nd, of course, the use of the records of the Co:m:munity
Cburch of Beirut.
Robert M. Copeland
Beirut. May 1974
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and
support and
Board of
An ext') utive or
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INTRODIJCTION
The Community Church of Beirut is as old as the Protestant Mission
movement in the Middle East, and its history is inextricably entwined with the
h)c,tories of three mission organizations. Missionadet' of H:e riean Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions founded Churcha.nd nurtured it
r'hroughout its early years. Later two wholly Presbyterian institutions, the
Church of Scotland Mission to the Jews and the Americ;:m Pre Board
of Foreign Missions, provided pastoral guidance dnd other <tssis4;ance to the
C-:ongregation, and the latter furnished the church building in its nlrnbers
worshipped continuously for more than one hundred year'Se Not until the
twentieth century did Community Church (under its several earlier names) cease
to have formal ties with one or another of these mission groups, and even today
]t- r: ontinues to benefit from an informal, enri relationship the various
bodies and mission personnel in the area"
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The contributions of the A. B. C. F.: M , Church of otland Mission,
dnd the American Presbyterian Mission are noted throughout the text. However,
:in order to place the beginnings of the Church in proper , ment:ion
:,hould be made of the origin of the A. B. C. F, M, and of 11'8 tion of the
t"-1 regul;; r Pr01estant nllssion effort in Syria. Some adellt com.ments on
thf' uty which quickly established its s the ccnter frorn which
. ..J Pro'est;1.nt endeavors emanated, may be of further value and. jntercsL
The ABC M
e idea for the American Board of Com.nllssioner3 Wfl conceived by four
il:iinnB College students while praying together in the dow a haystack
n(',1 r the schooL The year was 1806 and students? :infu::;ed by spirit of
r (. H revival which swept New England at tut'n of the c entur'y, were
;,t r'ticularly concerned about the absence of Protestant e tic efforts in
Th,ey pledged them.selves to this end and later, in 18 '; fOl"rned the
Od,f:ty of liThe Brethren, II whose object was to effect in person:; of
a ralsslon or missions to the non-Christian of the worldo The
BrEd'ren qui.ckly became a significant force for misslons at Williams, and its
1J;f'Hlhership soon included Andover students wen, At Andover 1
,
'1p0'1 the matriculation of some of the ori Brethren the oup
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Gu:nd H'3 logical home and seat of influence,
j Four representatives from The B (;n petiHoned the: General Association
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ui Mit::;s,chusetts Proper, which repres the Hlore wing of the
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r: o;gregational Church, to found a rnissionary society to
to their plan. request was accepted,
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CornrniBsioners for Foreign Missions was formed. Prudent:l.al
COD"'Plittee was elected at the new organization! s first on September
c,. lkl0
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l' which the tasks of planning and fund- rais were begun,
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orr, the
from
de,::;

and vade
to Christian Ren,s
the various tribes and
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In 1811 the l'ican Board uggested to Presbyterian Assembly
that it consider merit of a Pre dan s similar to The
sbyterianB concluded that one society was enough and its churches to
adopt the American Board as thei! missionary society abroad, Accordingly the
Board elected Presbyterian representatives in 1812 ed its work with
enlar ged purpose" The Congregationalists and the Presbyterians would later
welcome the Dutch Reformed Church to their ranks in 1826" Later changes in
composition occurred, but these are not germane to the scope of this work,
The Board's fund- sing efforts received considerable impetus in 1812
when it was learned that not only did Board propose to send missionaries
to A but that the st of these dedicated and courageous young men were
about to departo They would saB for India imrnediately after ordination cere
nlonies to be held in Salem, 1\.,fassachusett<L
Among those to be ordained were the four Brethren petitioners, and the
ordination service was attended by visitors from far and near" One of these
was William Gooden, a country boy who had trudged over from Philips Academy.
He was exh.;usted from his walk and from exploring the novel Sights of the sea-
town of Salem, and in own words liMy fatigue"was already so great
bed would have been a much more fitting place a church, Ii Never
thel"s8) fhe ordination deeply impressed young Goodell and no doubt had
irn.pad upon his future work, for was to become one of the
Board!\) m.. ost distinguished missionaries and of Community
BoardI S st activities were directed towa,rd the peoples of India
[cnd Ce<ylon, the North Amer'ican Indians, and re of the Sandwich
It: was not 1819 that some of its rnis s were
3.6signfOd the of I1 reentering Bible Lands" II
The First Missionaries
On Novem,ber 3, 1819, Pliny Fisk and Levi Parsons were sent out as
fimt:':sionaries to Western Asia, reference to a permanent on at
Je:rusalerrl, I: However their instructions [roIn the Prudential Comrrlittee gave
the!n ample and included the following passage:
of the Holy Land - from Calvary. froIn Olivet,
you win take an extended view of the spread
scenes presenting thems on
a.nd will survey with earnest
ses of fellow- beings, who
dWbl1 ire:. that land, and in the surrounding countries. The two
grand ever present in your minds will be, WHAT
GOOD CAN BE DONE? and BY WHAT MEANS? What can be
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donE' for Jews the Pagans? yVh",t for. 1;11(' Ml edans
[sic] What for' tt.e Chd:'tjans? What for the people in Pdiestine?
What for teose :in Egvpt, Syria, Persia, Armenia,
other countries to wru('h your inquiries may be extended?
and Fisk reached Smyrna on January 14, 1820. Dtull1g this year
they spent five months in Scio studying modern Greek and It.alian, the first of
many languages in which they were expected to become fluent. In Decexuber
Parsons sailed for Jerusa16m while Fisk remained in Smyrna, studying and
acting as chaplain for the British Colony during the next ye::t.r.
Parsons arrived in Jerusalem on February 17, 1821, the first Protestant
missionary to do So with the intent of founding a permanent mission, After
surveying Held, he left for Smyrna to rejoin Fisk, Delayed by war and
illness his journey was not completed until December 3, Upon :medical advice
the reunited missionaries left for Alexandria. the following month" There
Parsons again ill. He died on February 10, 1822, at the:tge of 30 J after
little more than two years of missionary service"
Fisk carried on the assigned task of the Board became the pioneer
rr,i,;;Rion"ry of Beirut, Though appointed to he pent a total of only
rnonft.!!? th.erE:7Having spent lllOSt of his first three years in Srnyrna and
Alexandri'i. he ar-dved ir. Beirut on July 10, 1823, and from 1-6 he continued
the .l'er!18.rkable work of exploration upon which he and Parsons had set iorth
tog.e1htl, Sub:3equent trips took rn to Jaffa, Jeru3alem. alld the pdncipal
of northern Syria. bllt BeIrut was the base to which he always returned,
Fisk pre:::tch in Italian, Greek and French, and he hetd just begun
Sabbath service and had nearly completed tll Arabic diction
'll:y he ,dso was called to rest, on October 23, 1825,
In summing up contri.butions of Parsons and Fisk, Henry H, Jessup,
8yri.;). Mission historian, states that they brought to light the religious
c:or::ciition of the BibJle la.nds; they met the leading men of all sects. Christian,
1\108 and Je'N'ish, preaching Christ to them frankly and openly; they dis
t.dbuttd g.reat nurnbers of Scriptures and religious tracts; and they studied the
and pervading eli.seaseE of the region and urged tl:.e sending of medical
mrs slomn."ies In short, thy were the pioneers of Protestant mission efforts 0
in Syria and paved the way fo.r the hundreds of mission,lries that were to follow
in fooesteps,
eirut
Sc1:'.olar"l estimate t'h:;:i.t Beirut cont:tined only 5,000 ons at the time
oJ Fi:k!8 :arrival, but city was soon to experience an astonishing growtho
1900 population nun1.be.red 120,000, and today nearly one minion persons
Bve in gr.eate! Bci:ruto Thus city was to defy the prediction of Count
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Constantin Volna:)', the French is and poet" who tow;"ird :he end of the
eighteenth c ,,vrate:
Two inconveniencee win prevent Bairout ever
a pla.ce of strength; for it is comm.anded by a chain of
destitute of water. which the
women are obliged to from a well at di:::tance of
a quarter of a league, though what they find there is but
indifferent"
the south-east. and ie
Some ten years after Fisk's arrival, artist William H. Bartlett appraised
Beirut Inore opthnistically:
Beiyout the m.ost desirable reElldence in Syria; the situation
Ie lovely, as is the scenery on every side; the town is
dirty and disagreeable, when compared with the weU- built
Tripoli and its fine-flowing Kadesha; Lebanon is grand from
Bejrout, but it is also grand, but more from Tripoli.
The former, however, the port of Damascus and central
Syria; it morc conveniently situated for receiv:l.ng
e, shipping, &('0 from Europe; and has ITlOre
mercial than any other Syrian por.L .Many mer
reside in BeiLrout, besides the consuls and agents for the
various powers: to a European it infinitely more
lively and int'resting as a residence than Dam.ascns,
in the m.idst of many luxuries, and streams, and groves,
will often induced t.o say, iiI anl alone; my companions
my people eire fae from rne; no man regardeth me." Beirout
is the dearer' place of the two yet a resident can soon as
m;:tny comforts and enjoyments to his home, as if he dwelt in
Da.:mascas; the sea and the splendid bay offer a n1.o:re
a Illor' varied spectacle the Barrada, Abana, and
three br streams; and Lebanon offers excursions and
'v1site to monasteries, , and castles bring vividly
to mind and Scotland in the heart of Syria. The town and
neighboUl'hood are of late improved, a.nd are rapidly
improving; many new dwe.llings and villas have been built,
of with much taste, The rent of a good house,
a unnU lS 30; for a ger, a and a garden,
forty or meal is 4d. pound; wine 4<'1.
the botH;; Ltbdnon, 9d. or Is" ; two or e
Frank 1:'5 are sett16d !"6. so that bread is good; a rare
luxury in Levant, The consuls and merchants of different
nations on a friendly and S o .:.:ial footing, with dinner
evenin.g es, and excurand pic-nics in the beautiful
neighbottrhoocL .. The air of the coast is 8;tid to predis pose
to ner"vol.lS LOP'lplB.jnL" ,lnd fevers some cornpt,) n of 21':0
languld n(e on t!H:l r'rnE" and mincL, but 11 he [
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resident] uses an active exercise, keeps his spirit and fancy alive
by frequent visits to the mountain and plain, and leads in some
measure an English life on this splendid land, he will find its air
healthful, its climate delightful, and the fine old age of the
Maronite and the mountaineer may at last be his portion.
Fisk himself favored Beirut highly and his opinion, reinforced by later
missionaries, no doubt influenced the choice of Beirut as the center the American
Board's efforts:
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Beyroot seems to me to possess many important advantages as a
missionary station. It is situated at the foot of Mount Lebanon,
and a missionary might very profitably spend the hot months of
the summer among the convents and villages of the mountains,
many of which are within a few hours I ride of the town. Oc
casional visits might be made to Damascus, which is only three
days of. On the other hand, it is only one or two days I sail to
Cyprus. On the coast south of Beyroot you reach Sidon in one
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day, and Tyre in two; and to the west, in two or three days,
you arrive at Tripoli, where I understand there are many
Greeks. It would be easy to maintain correspondence with all
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these places, and to supply them with books. In Beyroot itself,
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a missionary who could preach in Italian might, I think, collect
a small congregation immediately; and if he were disposed to
open a school, there are probably few places in Syria that would
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be so promising. Another circumstance which, though not very
important in itself, will yet weigh something in the mind of a
missionary, is, that here he will enjoy the protection of an
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English consul, and the society and friendship of several other
consuls and their families. I think a missionary family would
be more comfortably situated at Beyroot than at any other place
which I have seen in Syria.
j It was therefore Beirut, instead of Jerusalem, from which Protestant
mission efforts would radiate to the people of Syria and Palestine.
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EARLY CHURCH HISTORY UNDER A:M ,.I,N BOARD AUSPICES; 1823-1863
Isa.ac Bird and WilHaJn 8 to join the .Palestine Mission
in 1822, As with Parson.s and Fisk} the A" B., C, F, M, these two con
gregational ministere to make Jet'u"''''tiern. 'bel.: DVeni:u:;I ODer:clt1onal base. But
they too would find Bei rut d rnor.;;; Ole 'clor !':1t" oion and would
never take up permanent in the City.
On December 9, 1822, the Goodell 'ind Bird s for Malta
on the brig "Shephercies'3: II after a i1sa.nt voyage on January 21,
1823. They were welcorned by the Rev" Da:nie] who had recently
established on isltm.d the l"H.ssion Pre S.) <:"t:2d them
selves to task of learn.ing the hmguages Easto Bird"", dclest son, the
Rev. William Bird, was later to say the liAs of old, they
stood in want of the of tongues, now no to be granted by miracle.
Close application to bookd was dem.anded, unHed bv intercourse the people, II
Having mastered Italian, then of Levant. the new
mis sionaries engaged
bound to Cyprus and
though uneventful
Noverncer 179 182
prevIous day"
Divina ! a brig
}, by a frightening
Y' entel"tid Beirut on
offshore the
A1onday, the 17th; we v.rent on British ons Mr. Abbott,
r6ceived us poHtelyv L"rldeecL ady Eent nephew on
board, kinrily u,s every ,dslEmc<; wbich it was possible
for to rende , <ind inviting U3 to our horne.
s there wa:s not a s house where it would btl proper to
take our wives, We imrnediately, accepting his kind
r,retu to the veas S <'Inc! baggage, There
15 no wharf at Beyrout, (';nd when 8truck, naked
Arabs leaped out; and car'ried us, one a.t a tinle, through the
billowB to land, arnJci-;;t the rnuUitude ran to witness
so novel d. ;,::ceneoW were in and ladies
were without The pipe, and
looked on very C ornposedJy, the boat
baggage, dud I v\.'alked to the house of the
consul, a Turk carrying of Mrs" BiTd, and leading
the way. Many .Ara.i..)E' foHowed in the end
would bel; and. boys 3nd gi .frequently T3.:n:,CJ'os the street
before us, l!l order to 56e c of the cut of our
to better?<dvanta
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The Mis sion Chur 1823-1828
The beginnings of Commudty Church date froni the arrival of Goodell
and Bird, and the first, entry in the original record book reads, I1Records of
the Mission Church in from the landing of the Rev(L Messrs. 1. Bird
and W. Goodell with the:i r families, November 17. 1823, 11 These initial entries
are sparse, though they provide more information than is available for the latter
years covered in th18 chapter. The founding of an English speaking church to
rrlissionary farn:Uies, the few o1her English- speaking residents of the city,
and the occasiona] English-speaking traveller was certainly an OhVIOUS,
spontaneous, and necess action. However it was also somewhat incidental
to the main thrust the Mission enterprise, which included: exploring the
ountry and about it::i' people; learning. preaching, and writing in the
severallanguagc"3 of the area; printing and distributing tracts and books;
establishing school for the native population; and expanding the Mission effort
by the establishrnent of 1'.1:i ss:ion ::stations, and ultimately native Protestant
congregation"" throughout the counLry. Therefore it is not surprising that little
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time rernained for undue preoccupation with the affairs of the Congregation.
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The fjn;;t <;ervice i.s believed to have been he.ld on November
23, 1823, at the of the 13 Consul, Mr. Peter Abbott, ough no
Hpecifj( of l' i;:; rY'.ade in the Church record hook. A Sketch
oj t};( An,prican published by the Cong:rc'gation in 1873, says,
'Ar It;;; Iir2t n1(,et:Jng for worF::hip the Congregation probably con2isted of Mr.
Con8ul Ahhott) 'hi ",/::le <lnd (taughter, his nephews Messr",. (jab,::,iel and Jasper
eha spaud, !vIr. and Mrso Goodell, dnd Mr. and Mrs. BiTeL!'
The entry in record book concerr.ling service reads, "We
ddrninh,te,t'6d. th.e Lon]'", Supper frorn tirne '1;0 time, gener on the monthly
Concert, and had o('casionaHy with us the Revdo Po Fisk and J. King,
American rni.'l ionat'ieB p thE Revd, .Messrs. Cook and Macpherson, Methodist
nlissional'i.e.:>, <1.nd the Revd" W . .Eo Lewis, Dr. and .Mrs. DaHan, and Mr. J.
Nicolay.soIl, from the London Jews Society London Society
,
..J for Propagating [- AnlOng the Jews]. j) Thus frorn these two accounts
it if" cleat com POklition the Congregation was internatl.onal and

intel'denonlin:ltional [talC the start.
.Initial Church l'ecorded as having consisted of Rev, Isaac
Mrs, Am B:itd, Rtwc WilHam Goodell, Mrs Ahiga)] Goodell and Mrs.
Jane DaUon. TllM PFr:ry and Jonas King (sent out in 1822 to join Fisk upon
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Pat:'sO:r1s! dealh) wt:re not clDlong :is not palticula rly surpr ing" Though
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based in tbt"e -lccompl::shed predeCeS80l'R of Bird and Goodell were
USUt1 ir::lvclhng together throughout Syria and Palestine, c<Kploring the field
and utUizing r cornbined comrna.nd of Arabic, Italian, Greek, and French
i 1:0 re,:;.ch the nativt:: populat:ion. They were in fact absent on a trip to Jerusalem
when Gooden and Bu.d ;,.rrivedo
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Addition3.1 members were not to be added for several s, but the
services were open to all, including travellers and interested natives of the
comm.unity. That attendance sometimes fell short of expectations can be in
ferred from an 1825 letter written by Fisk to one of his missionary brethren.
In it he wrote p lilt would m.ake your heart ache to spend a Sabbath in this country.
Among native Christians it is a day for visits and amusement, And I am sorry
to add, that with resident or travelling it is the same thing. II No
doubt pastors of more recent times have entertained similar thoughts on
beautiful Sunday mornings in the Lebanon!
Goodell and Bird shared the pastoral duties, with Goodell carrying the
full load during Bird's 1824 exploratory trip to Jerusalem with Fisk, While in
Jerusalem. Fisk and Bird were arrested and detained overnight for selling copies
of the Gospels, which the authorities alleged to be neither Muslim, Jewish, nor
Christiana They subsequently returned to Beirut, satisfied that it was the most
opportune place for their work at the present.
When the pastors became satisfied that certain native Christians were
sufficiently prepared for full chur membership, they made preparations for
receiving them. As entered in the record, !lIn December 1826 ;:;everal individuals
,
appearing to have been truly converted and being desirous of enjoying Christian
feHowship with us, we conciw1.ed, as a church to adopt with sonLe variation, the
Articles of Faith and the Form of Covenant, used by t.n.e First Church in
Hartford, Cor.llecticutp D, S, A" to be publicly read on the admission of members. II
These first new members and converts were Dionysius Carabet, for
merly Archbishop in the Armenian Convent at Jerusalem; Gregory Wortabet,
Do D., formerly Secretary to the Armenian Patriarch at Jerusalem.; and Maria
Abbott, wife of R B. Mo Consul, formerly of the Latin Church. (Apparently
Consul Abbott, though a member of the congregation, never fonnally joined
the Church.) They were received into Christian Fellowship and COITlmunion
at the InontMy concert of January I, 1827. Carabet and Wortabet assented to
the Articles of Faith and the Convenant in Arabic, and Mrs, Abbott did so in
English, Of the event Gooden wrote in his personal journal:
The whole was a scene of deep solemnity and interest, It w;,s
the day (always dear to us) of the ITlonthly concert; it was th(o
first day of the year; it was a renewed consecration of our
to Christ, and a, presentation to Hi.m of first-fruits
of the mission.
At the following nlonthly concert of February 5, 1827, I1Maria, wife of Carabet
tr
and
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Susan..l1ahp wife of Wortabet" were also adITlitted to membership. Mrs.
Carabet had previously belo!'lged to the Armenian Church and Mrs. Wortabet
to the Greek Catholic: Chu:rch.
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1
These were the only converts accorded Church rnernbcrsl'2ip for a num.ber
of years, and two of them would later be dismissed. Rufus Anderson, in his
history of the A. B. C. F. M., sheds light upon the difficulty of attracting converts
]
in his comments upon the admission of the Carabets and the Wortabets:
]
This admission of converts into a church, without regard to
their previous ecclesiastical relations, was a practical
ignoring of the old church organizations in the region" It
was so understood, and the spirit of opposition and persecu
]
tion was raised to the utmost, In the Maronite and Greek
Catholic churches, severe denunciations were uttered against
the missionaries, and all who should render them any E>ervice"
]
Goodell wrote of the reacti on as follows:
]
Some time since the people of the mountain were forbidden to
speak the word 'Bird.' But bird, in Arabic, signifies cold;
they were therefore under the necessity of using a diffe!,E;nt
]
word... Today an order was read in the church in Beyroot,
which had previously been read on the mountain, that no one
should speak to us, receive any of our books, receive our
]
charity, &c. It was read with loud vociferations and threaten
ing aspect. We were called 'heretics, ' 'accursed, I &c.
Something of the same nature was proclaimed in the Latin
]
church, and also in the Greek church.
The first baptism entered in the Church record was that of the BirdIS
]
infant son William. He was baptised in September 1823 by t.he Rev. Daniel
TeITlple at the chapel of the American missionaries at Malta. However the
first person baptised in Beirut was Eliza Fanny, daughter of Con6ul and Mrs.
] Abbott. She was baptised at home on June 16, 1825 by the Rev. W, E, Lewis.
Subsequent baptisms included those of three Bird children (Emily Ann, James,
and Martha Ann) by Rev. Goodell and those of three Gooden children (Eliza
] Dodd, Abigail Davis, and William) by Rev" Bird.
The Rev. Goodell performed the first marriage of record on Md.rch 16,
]
1828, when Mr. John Nicolayson and Mrs. Jane Dalton were united in holy
matrimony at the house of Consul Abbott. It will be remembered that Mrs.
Dalton, widow of Dr. G. E. Dalton, was one of the original Church rnernbers.
]
Both partners werem the service of the London Society for Prarnoting
Christianity Among the Jews.
]
) The initial funeral entry, under "Beyrout Burying Ground (Nea t' the City),"
YE'<"-lris a3 follows:
Remains of the Revd. P. Fisk deposited there June 13, 1826,
wall oj the
. ~ ---------------.
he having been first buried for a time near the S.
5
garden 0: tte heirs of Anton Tabet, on the 23d of October 1825,
the day on whi.ch he died. Aged near 34 year".
The sec.ond, rd, and s:xth entrieiE ;are for children of Church members and are
vivid reminders of the high incidence of infant rnortality at the time. Henry
Braddell Dalton, Dionysiu5 Carabet, and James Bird died at the ages of 8, 11, and
12 month.s respectively.
The Malta Years: 1828-1830
The Greek War of Independence raged throughoo t the Mediterranean from
1821-1829, resl1lting in the first successful break-away from Ottoman rule.
Beirut became of its venue during the latter years, with Greek ships
attacking the city on several ol;casions.
Sentiment against foreigners peaked in late 1827, when news reached
OUoman- governed Beirut of monumental October loss of a. Turkish fleet of
more than 100 vessels at Navarino, Greece. A combined anied force of twenty
four .English, French and Russian vessels had destroyed it without a single loss
of it'.:' OWl:!.. Fel possible retaliatory of such a blow to
Ottoman!", foreign re"lidents first sought refuge in the mountains and later
t?,vacUCLhd fl'orn the country. The and British consuls left in early 1929,
a:<1d Bird (lescT.'ibe:s th.::: departure shortly there.after:
OUr' circ:urnstances bec:arne very embarrassing, The loss of our
consul, wa:r- in the north, pestilence approaching from the south,
together wi.th cutting off of commerce and of our pecuniary
n moved us to a consultation whether the divine will
'''''ere not indicated that we should reUre for a time from
our After due deliberation and looking to the Father of
for wisdom. to direct, we decided to charter for our use an
ves lying at anchor in the ha.rbor, which was offered
to take us to MaHan We commenced sending on board our goods
April 24} carefuUy wrapping in flag-mats all articles known to be
susce the contagion of the city, for the plague had already
gun it:"" WOI"k there. Including the families of our two Armenians
and of N[ic.olayaon], the English missionary. we made up
twenty-one passengers.
The thirty day voyage on a little trabaccolo of one hundred tons was a crowded
and ullplea.sant one 'ind was followed by thirty additional days of quarantine.
However. the party arrived safely to a haven under British control, and they were
wekorned by gues of the resident Mission Press, As Consul and Mrs.
Abbott h3d erled them, aU T:lembers the Church were again together, and
\;veekly services worship were resunled.
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6
The yet tiny membership was to become even smaller when, on October
20, 1829, the following res olution was pa,;3sed and rec orded in Church records:
That whereas Dlonysius Carabet and Gregory Wortabet, our two
Armenian brethren, have declared themselves to be no longer
under the watch and care of this Church and have thereby re
nounced the covenant, which upon their entering, they took upon
themselves, and have accordingly administered the ordinance of
baptism to one of their children without the knowledge of the
Church or of its officers, therefore resolved that the connection
of these said individuals with the Church be from this time dis
solved. [Signed] W. Gooden, Attest.
No details of this rnatter are availablE:, as tht excomrn,unication is not recorded
in any published works relating to the Mission enterprise. However there are
references whic h indicate that relations between the Mission and these gentle
men remained friendly, and their wives continued to be members in good
standing. Wortabet!s son John was later to become a Presbyterian minister and
a pillar of the Church.
On October , 1829, with American Board missionaries to the various
countries of the MedHerraneiln now ill,OS in l\/lalta on account of the war, the
name of the Church WhS changed and It;;: scope enlarged. The first four articles
of the expanded Church read as follow",:
1. This Church shall take n:Jme of The Church of the American
Mi"s].on in 1v1editerranean ;,i.nd resolved into branches,
corre ponding to the which are and shall be established
by the Arneric aD Board of for .Foreign Missions
in the diffe:l'ent countries of the Mediterranean.
2. The sion of Fa.lth and CovE'na.nt, now used by the Church,
.shaH I.e used by all the branc s
3. Edell branch shaH it,,-1 mdependent right to celebrate the
and keep a r(Kord of its proceedings.
4. AU baptisms, adrrtis310ns, excommunications, deaths, and
fr01TI rvIjBsi:on) oc(uring in any branch,shall
be reported to all the other bram: hes and entered on their records .
Additional article covered cations and procedures for admission to, and
exc:ornmunic :from, Church members Thus the Beirut Church was the
parent of tbe enlarged and constituted one of its branches unti11848,
when it again becam.e a sepa,ratA

7
Beirut: 1830 1863
The war came to a close :en autumn of 1829 and Consul Abbott soon
returned to his post :in Beirut. Birds followed in the spring of 1830, leaving
the island May 1 aboard the Maltese brig Vincitore" They were accompanied by
Rev. and Mrs. George B. Whiting who had recently joined the Mission in Malta,
but they said tearful goodbye,s to the Goodells who rernained behind, While in
Beirut Gooden had begun translation of the Scriptures iuto Armeno- Turkish,
and he stayed in Malta to complete task and to supervise its printing at the
Mission PreBf. In due to hiB proficiency in both Armenian and Turkish,
he would receive from the J.lrudential Comnlittee of the Board to
proceed to Constnnnnople to open'i Ilew Jv1is ion branch. ;').nd there he would
reIYlain until biG r f.:rern.ent in 1865 t the of 73.
Henry Jessup wro1f, 'IUpon the return
stant conlnlUrlJ ty 1n the Turkish
Empire came out in a Ehore boat to meet them. It consIsted of three pers ons.
That was indeed a day of small things, II With their return, Sabbath services
were immediately resumed at the residence of Consul Abbott,
j
Biro <wei Whlhng ,,;oon purchased it plot ground for the Mission which
would tJventually orcuPJed hy tll(: ehurer.:, Press. Sunday school, girls'
boarding be ilnd cemetery. The Churcb, including the former Press building
on its left" fl:HU'1:!m, on 85H today. by Conlmunity Church until
1971, it the of A National Evangel.:kal Church, founded
by the Mis sian 111 iK48.
j
Bird ] (} huU' d n"ti8 50n known as Burj Bird, which was then
the
J
pa ,fei'! ring it to be a fort,
demanded when satisfied concerning its
intended \1;::'60
j
1\,115950n and Church wOl"k progre cd, and in regard to his visit to Beirut
in the mid-1830
i
:;,:trti,5t W. JI, Bartlett ould
J
Beir out ha anothE. r: and ernine.r:it advantage oyer other
" 111 ::L3 religiOUS S e5 and privileges,
nU1ny IYlinister of nl<.:tny lan.ds Y'E'&J.de here in vinas, where
bm
but let 'STork go
J
are to be rr; O(l
ie s of i:'be mOUfi!,a bj.e :rops.
ite.=:, Gre,b;, ;;:nd Catho] s.
t.ht"oughout InoS! of i:heE>:iSf .,
learwsd rnen from the nlonaster
savans of Maron est,;;,
Sa hbath does not , as
str':.lnger to feel himself
in a strange t;;uJ.n.; a ... ":Hr.g caInl, of consol;;ltion,
corne wHb at rnorn1ng sun, the chur or chapel where
has wor;o:.hipped, famiUar to his earlier Hie, endeared to
his rl per yearE, ,t':.se'" in frmcy before him as he walks through
Jobn F.'1Y'.r:l
fo 01 ved ntl:ai: one
Mi,':3ion
take
M,
c,r,1\1o in
arne, ;'I,nd
beginning in
with
canhnud to
C01'1dw:::.t-s') at thE'
o p'::vli ::Hdon Houe {B
orlly <:'lr'V:; cEo
Ml ,:::::31.on House,
8
pea.r, and woods of the
urroundeci by beautiful ga
A blr:, congreg,;jion attends here; the service is con
ducted ;:n:rl ir-'-tply, 1n the vicinity there is a
reprel'q::m'at:ivE: of the cl: ;-VilS,SlOIl [Church of .England? J;
but the Arne!' nli Slon?rh:s are the ipa1 labourers
hert'; t praise 15 due to these able and earnest men,
who }utve the s and arduous task of rernoving
:lncien! prejudices,
At and only a few facts relating to the Church
may be ac aunts of the next thirty years. The Whitings
were reassigned to Je:-:usalem in and did not return to Syria until 1843. at
which time th.(, Board eel down its Jerusalem station and left that field to the
Church of Birds found it necessary to return to the United States
permanently in 1835, on account of Bird's health. However other
missionaries contJI.:nued to the pulpit and to perform the various pastoral
duties in addition to their reguhr sion assignments. During the 1835-1849
period these ir:.duded Eb Snlitn, Hebard, William M. Thomson, and
c year,"! of service are listed in the Appendix.
of members of the
be appointed by the ch annually to
Sm.ith, J. Edwards Ford, and William
Pastor during the years 1848-1857,
various n1.embers and,
Most of corn-
regularly recorded in offf.cial records at
and a chapel was ultimately consecrated
Supper on November H, 1839. Services
dedi of the Church in 1869.
On April 3, fb,e R,Ve Messrs" Smjth" Whiting, and Thomson, with
the !don fhe b:ran,::he of the Church of the American Mission in
the 1\1edite took action to once organize the Beirut branch into a
and ",ion At shortly thereafter, it
kno\vn as Anglo- erj.::In Congregation, t!lis name probably crop
ping up in C0111E10n USf, ge: belatE:: fOt'lT>.ll1y adopted" This was the name
whi,: h the ChtH"Ch 'NQuld reL,:n 1945
t
gr :nmnl)E:t of or-verts demanded to
Arahic Evangelical Syrian Church in
1848, 8Jt:Er' organized into a
tinct nahve ( ('gi't!ion. However it should be pointed out that Arabic
h'3d bf:'tSn he1.d. r't r1y Borne years before this new church was
formally constituted. Arahk Church the Mission Chapel, and later
thE; Chu1.'cL, It continues to worship
to , to this
An Congregation,
II
A B DILDING FOR THE CHURCH
On January 25, 1866, the Anglo-American Congregation held a meeting
to consider the ways and means necessary to build a church. The meeting was
chaired by the Rev, James Robertson, the Scotsman who had become the Congre
gationts pastor in 1864 when the American Mission agreed to allow the Church
of Scotlandts Mission to the Jews to conduct the English Sabbath service. Details
of this agreement and an account of the 46 years during which the Church of
Scotland supplied the Anglo-American Congregation with its pastor are the subject
matter of the following ch,apter.
A building committee of 15 persons was formed and voted pastor Robertson
as Chairman. The COnL."'Uittee, given power to add to its number, included during
the course of its five year existence some 33 of the Congregationts leading
businessmen, doctors; educators, and mission personnel.
The first business of the Building Committee was to draw up a statement
for the solicitation of funds, of which 250 copies were printed and circulated.
This statelnent read:
The foHowing statement and appeal for contributions are re
spectfully submitted to attention of all who are interested
in Syrian Missions,
The aparhnent in the Mission House of the A. B, C. Fa M., in
which for many years divine services have been maintained
in the Arabic and EngHah languages, for the benefit of the
Arab congregation and of English and American residents
and travellers) had alrea.dy become too small for the ac
comodation of the native congregation, and has been assigned
by the American BoaI'd to form a part of the Native Female
Seminary now in course of erection.
To provide another place of worship for the native congre
gation the Board has set apart a convenient site on the
Mission property. and has besides made a grant of money.
on condition that the native congregation contribute according
to its ability towards the erection of a new edifice, The
Church of Scotland Mission, which has for about a year had
the use of the present. chapel for the service in English, is
a>lso to contribute towards the building.
The Anglo- Amerh::an Congregation, glad of an opportunity
to show their appreciation of the pastoral services of the
Missionaries for so many years, and of the free use of the
chapel, and deoairou3 that the union hitherto subsisting should
be maintained, have therefore cordially agreed to co-operate
with the American and Scotch Missions. and with the Native
- 10
Protestant Community, by making and soliciting contributions
in aid of the building fundy in order that the plan for the new
edifice may be modified to suit the wants of both congregations,
and to be more in harmony with the general improvements of
the city.
The cost of such a building has been estimated at 2000. Of
-
this sum about the half win be contributed by the American and
Scotch Missions and the Native Congregation; and to aid in
providing the remainder contrIbutions are earnestly solicited
from the friends of Protestant Missions in Syria" The appeal
for help from abroad is the more reasonable consideri.ng that,
during a part of the year} no small proportion of the attendance
at the service in English consists of tr:aveIi.ers and temporary
residents.
Contributions m.ay be sent to the British or American Consulate,
to the Irnpc-riaJ Ottom.d.n Bank, or to any meITlber of the Com
mittee whose names are subjoined,
Beirut. February, 1866
COMMITTE.E
Rev" James Robertson, Chairrnan
Jamef\ Blac k, Treasurer W, F, Goodwin, Secretary
J
Rev. W" M. Thomson, D. D. Rev. C. V, A. ,Van Dyck, M. D.
J. Aug. Jobn":o!1, U, Consul Rev. H. H, Jessup, D. D.
Henry Heald F. H. Smith
J
R. Sornerv5He Ao
R. G. Bar M. D. H. Whittington
Edward A. Va.!} Dyck Henry K Thoms on
The choice James Black, an merchant, as Treasurer was an
excellent one. In wnting of M.r. Black years later, .Henry Jessup stated that
he was a man Ilwhose sterling integrity, high bUBiness pr:'.nciples and unflinching
veracity gave hinl an ce for righteousnes.s :l.n Syd;l never surpassed. The
Mohammedans, when w18h.ing to use an oath stronger than the oath 'by the beard
of Mohammed' would swear tby the word of Khowaja Black, Englishman. t II
Mr . .Blat k a160 designed initial plan for the Church and superintended
its construction throughout. He was later assisted in the drawing of final
architectural plans by Mr. Charles A, Smith.c At a Congregc;l.tional Meeting held
on November 14, ]866, My. Black subrnitted a wooden rnodcl of the proposed
church edifice which he had constructed. model was approved by the Congre
gation which then instt"ucted Building CorYllydttet" I'to proceed with the
erection of the church edifice. so far as they conaider thernselves warranted by
the state of the funds. II Actual construction of the Church foundation was begun
on April I, 1867,
"" ..
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The cornerstone of the Church was laid on June 5, 1867. Mrs. William
M. Thomson; being the oldest melnber of the Congregation, and having also,
as the wife of Consul Abbott. been present at the first meeting of the Congre
gation
9
was selected to lay the stone. In it was embedded a leaden box con
taining the following articles:
A copy of the S(;ri?tures in Arabic.
Constitution of the Evangelical native church in Syria.
List of Church members in the Arabic Evangelical Church Beyrout,
from its COmInencemenL
Photograph of the Rev. Dr. Jessup, Acting Pastor of the Arabic
Congregation.
Photograph the Rev. James Roberts on, Pastor of the Anglo-
American Congregation.
List of Protestant institutions at Beyrout.
List of publication,;;; :is:';llt'd by the American Printing Press, Beyrout
[removed from !\'[dlul to Beirut in 1834].
Constitution of the Syrian Protestant College, Beyrout.
Copy of the Arabic Journal of Beyrouto
Copy of the Arabic Journal of B 'teddin.
A one piastre
Apparently some opposition to the construction of a Christian church in
Beirllt was encountered, for on November 6, 1867 the following Imperial Firman
was issued:
An Imperial Firamall of His Imperial Majesty Sultan Abd el Aziz
Khan, addressed to E. Rechid Pasha, Valee of the of
Se E, Kiamil Pasha, Mutisarif of the Sandjak of Beyrouth,
and Ho E. Naib and Muitee of Beyrouth, and to the Members
of the Local Medjl:ls of the same.
When the sent Sublime Imperial Mandate reaches you, know,
that in a deraand m3 de by the American Legation in behalf of the
extension 01 ;.'l ChlH'ch for the use of the American citizens re
siding l!l Bcyrou1}1, and for which requested my sanction, the
subj(:;ct W,t, :rde r rE'd to Beyrouth for proper information there.
It has be(:n us ascertained that the church in question is
SilU<ilHl H'l the of Beyrouth called Sakak-el-Belat, and
j.:; <"11ft ""dy In construction, though not, as yet, in the form of a
Chu'tch" that this together with the School connected with
it, was built in the year Ao 1-10 1258, and that the American
Citizens there have already performed their religious worship in it.
The preceding facts have been comprized in a Mazbattah and other
Documents thereinclo.sed, relative to the subject, as well as in a
Plan of the Building communicated (to the Sublime Porte by the
Local Authoritie8),
12
Now, )1", d.esir-f.' tn.,," ;;.11 the, various religious
!'ial Dorninion shall be exercised
with :'VI t, c'i'2d ireedorrt, and thn ll:L3 prinC'J.ple is
coniorrr,'ibie to 1he .5entirnents of Justice and Liber;\':.:;ty of my
Gover'mnent, I have c:orr.manded that the said Chul' receive
rny orc, ..Zlrid bE. fully and perfectly constructed.
[have con::f,qu'mt)v held mv ;Hb tnt Imperial Divan to this
eHect is'.:ued rny Impena..! D1V8,U, ontaining the permission
solicite1,
You, therefore, who are Vela; the Mutasarrif, the Naib and
Muftee 2..nd other's associated, will be careful that the Church
in qUBtion be const.ructed so ;'.is to occasion no real injury to
anyolH:o, - 1; it (' ause also no local incollvenience, and be
built ilC ording to the Plan presented without, in any manner;
hespas i"aITle; no one shall be allowed to offer
opposit:, on or im.peclinlEmt thereto; and likewise that no one
rel:'c:ive hn. Aktc-ha, or one Habbeh (cent) in regard to
the construction"
thing
from. ;)
Be also, extrenlely careful not to do any-
present Jlnperial Order, and. refrain
with its injunctions.
'INrif;t en "'.
(Nay, 6
9
7).
day 1,,1oon of Rejib Trua, A. H. 1284
An unfortunc:tte ccident occurred in early 1868, when interior stone
archeo for during the process of construction. Two workers were
killed i.md rIO''':' wounded" The tors of the English and Arabic con
g!'egations ';L':'lt'a!!.ged t,:y pzovide to the affected families, and the Building
COIYlnlittee Sub8t:-quently ab,a,ndonl'.)d stone a:r in faNol: of a wooden roof.
The Chu! 1869. Trle following excerpt
from A His published by the
Congregation in 187.3, describes
Within two Y8..:tr3 the nt;l',v churc.h, although still very incomplete,
parti intErior fittings, was sufficiently advanced
to -be for- wOT'ship; and as the old premises had already
heen into the Female Smninary, and were urgently
needed_ for ne\,Ij purpose, the old pews were moved into the
c h was solEnnnly dedicated by a service in
on S::ttu:nlay evening the 27th .March 1869. The Rev. Dr.
Thorns011p 56n]..01' of American Mission, offered the
I.:h,dk pt.ayer; Mr,Robert:s:on delivered an address; and the
Rev, l'.vlr, Wright oJ the Mission at Dalnascus also took
part in the er;rictos. A ;:similar dedication service in Arabic was
held the next ',.,:hich was conducted by the Rev, Dr. Van J
--------------------------
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~
~
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~
~
Dyck and Rev. Dr. H. H. Jessup, of the American Mission, and
the Rev. Dr. Wortabet, of the Syrian Protestant College.
With the commencement of worship in the Church, a question arose.
Should the old red broadcloth curtain, of time-honoured use in the old chapel
: ~ thirty year$, be hung in the new church to separate the women from the men?
Jessup writes:
We missionaries declined to settle the question and left it to the
native brethren. After long and serious discussion they decided
that if the curtain were not hung in the new church no Moslem
woman would ever enter it and many Christian women would not,
and parents of the schoolgirls might object to their being stared
at by men and boys. So the curtain was hung with hooks on an
iron rod extending from the front pew back to the organ. It hung
there for several years and was finally removed by the Syrians
themselves without our knowledge and presented to a church in
the interior which is still under the sway of old Oriental customs.
One portion of the Church yet incomplete was the half finished clock tower.
It was to house a fine bell, donated by a group of men from the ironworks town
of Scranton, Pa. in response to speeches given there by Dr. Jessup, and a
$1,200 clock contributed by the Madison Square Church in New York. As
building funds were exhausted, the Anglo-American Congregational Committee
decided, on November 30, 1869, to solicit funds to complete the tower, "not
only from members of the Congregation but also from such other inhabitants
of the Place as may be found willing to encourage a better appreciation of the
value of punctuality and uniformity in time. II Dr. Jessup recalls:
The citizens of Beirut, Moslems, Christians, and Jews, were
so anxious to see and hear a clock whose striking could be heard
throughout the city, that a local subscription was raised, through
the influence of James Black, Esq., and the tower was completed.
Thus Mohammedans who abominate bells, and the Jews who dislike
Christian churches, contributed to the erection of a Christian
bell-tower. And when the clock was finally in place and began to
strike the hours, crowds of people gathered in the streets to hear
the marvellous sound. Since then, five different tower clocks have
been set up in Beirut, one of them near our church at the Turkish
barracks, and others at the Syrian Protestant College, the railroad
station, the Jesuit College, and the French Hospital.
As funds and contributions permitted, the interior and exterior details of
the Church were completed. An organ was donated by Mr. John Abcarius, an
Armenian Protestant whom Jessup regarded as "the finest speciman of a refined
Christian gentleman in Syria (and) the most liberal giver in the Protestant
Community. II The young Men of the Congregation raised 4000 Turkish piast.res
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towards the cornpletion of the front enclosure of the Church premises by a new
wall surmounted by an iron railing, and an iron gate for this enclosure was
ordered from England. Gas lamps and chandeliers for the church were ordered
from Germany. Pupils of the Native Protestant Female SeITlinary contributed
twenty Napoleans toward the cost of a new pulpit.
In later years, after the Building CornITlittee had been dissolved, other
noteworthy addvlon5 'Ncre :made, In 1876 the Congregation built a fountain in
the courtyard in front of the Church at a cost of 4,275 Turkish piastres, So that
water gratuitously brought into the grounds by the Beyrout Water Works Company
(one meter per diem) might conveniently be utilized. In 1881 the handsome marble
baptismal font, which rernains before the alter to day, was given in memory
of JaITl6S Black who died in 1879. And in 18R6 d pipe organ replaced the organ
donated by .Mr. Abcariu8.
Building Conlmittee, having served its purpose rnost effectively,
was dissolved in Ma.rch 18 and in 73 the Congregation published the
Historical Sketch of Congregation, with an
Abstract of Contributions to the Fund for the New Church, From this
work the following figures have been abstracted:
Gf'. ner.tj rund
Clock Tower (exclusivt oS clock and
Pulpit ',tnd Other Interior Fittings
Organ
Enclosure WaD
Turkish Piastres
bell)
318,607
37,034
9,368
10,000
13,900
Grand Total: Turkish Piastres 388,909
Percentage of on:dbutiong by group were g;,ven. as follows:
A,IL G F. \1, 6,5
C}:urch of Scotland 16,2
Arnedcan Congregation 2 1
Arabic Congr'eg3tion 3 6
Ferna1e Serrd.nary 0, 5
ML J. Abca:riup 3 8
PrU6 S :I.n Congregation 0.39
Pru2sian and Orphans O. 15
Re nOIl- Protestant", 0,9
Non-resident Contributors 39,5
Miscellaneous 1.0
The Historical SkEtch concludes;
The new church oceupies a central and corrnnanding position, affording
from top of tower a. charrning panoramic view of the city and
its picrures'-luesuburbs, Its dimensions are 75 feet in length by 50
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feet in width, the tower being 15 feet square at the base and 81 feet
high; and at the south end is an addition 16 x 25 feet consisting of
the vestry and other accessories. The work has almost all been
executed by native workmen under the direction of Europeans
connected with the Anglo-American Congregation: and the Com
mittee have satisfaction in stating that no part of the money has
been expended for plans or for professional assistance.
It will interest Contributors and others to learn, by way of con
clusion to this brief sketch, that, while the new Church is the
exclusive property of the Presbyterian Board of Missions of the
United States, the use of it is secured to the Jewish Mission
Committee of the Church of Scotland, according to the agreement
before alluded to, for the regular Sabbath morning service, and
for such other services in English as do not interfere with the
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Arabic services.
As the native Congregation has been repeatedly mentioned in the
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course of this narrative, it may not be considered out of place to
state that the number of communicants now on the roll is 128: the
attendance at the morning service is from 450 to 500, and in the
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afternoon about 250 to 500; and that their Sabbath School attendance
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is about 400, exclusive of the 42 teachers, all of whom are natives,
beside a Bible class on the Wednesday evening at which about 60
young men are usually present.
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It will be noted in the above statement that the Church is designated as
the exclusive property of the Presbyterian Board of Missions of the United
States. Details of the transfer of title from the A.B. C. F.M. to the Presby
terian Board are given in the following chapter.
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In June 1954, the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church,
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U. S. A., deeded the church property to the National Evangelical Church, as
accounted in Chapter V.
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THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND YEARS: 1864-1911
The Church of Scotland Mission to the Jews
On May 2, 1864, the American Mission entered into an agreement with the
Church of Scotland's Mission to the Jews whereby the latter assumed re
sponsibility for the English language Sabbath services. The Rev. Dr. William.
M. Thomson chaired the meeting from which the following minute resulted:
Mr. McKie stated that he appeared on the part of the Jewish
Mission Committee of the Church of Scotland who were desirous
of establishing a branch of their mission at Beyrout whose
operations would be limited to the Jews and the English-speaking
residents there- provided the members of the American Mission
in Beyrout felt themselves at liberty to give up the English
service hitherto conducted by them and so far as they were con
cerned to make over the congregation to the missionary who may
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be appointed by the Jewish Committee of the Church of Scotland.
This statement having been fully considered by the meeting it was
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agreed 0') the part of the American Brethren to give up the English
service to the missionary to be appointed by the Jewish Mission
Committee of the Church of Scotland with the above named
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limitation of his field of labour in Syria and further to grant to him
for service in English on Sabbath as at present at eleven o'clock
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forenoon the gratuitous use for one year of the Church in which
the native congregation meets at present.
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It is distinctly understood that in the event of the Jewish Committee
of the Church of Scotland not being provided with a missionary ready
to commence the English service here on the first Sabbath of
October in the current year, the American Brethren may consider
the preceding agreement as departed from and shall be at liberty
to enter into any other arrangement which they may consider
expedient.
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J Mr. McKie undertook to forward to Scotland by the first mail a copy
of this minute for approval by the Jewish Committee who are expected
to send to Dr. Thomson as speedily as possible a copy of the minute
of their meeting at which the agreement of today is considered.
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W. M. Thoms on, D. D.
Thomas McKie
The Church of Scotland subsequently ratified this minute and consummated the
arrangement by sending the Rev. James Robertson to Beirut to assume his duties
as Pastor of the Anglo-American Congregation. For nearly 46 years, until
January 1911, the Church of Scotland continued to supply the Congregation with its
Pastor.
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Transfer of Mission to Presbyterian Church, U. S. A.
In 1870 the American Mission in Syria was transferred in toto, including
both property and personnel, from the A. B. C. F. M. to the Board of Foreign
Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. The
following statement appeared in the Missionary Herald:
In taking leave of this mission, our churches retire from all
direct labours in behalf of the millions of that remarkable
Arab race, destined, we believe, to play an important part
in the future, as in the past, of the worldI s history... We do
not pass it [the mission] to strangers; we leave it in the hands
of brethren beloved who have inherited all its traditions.
The move was occasioned by the reunification of the so- called "Old
School" and "New School" of the Presbyterian Church which had split and gone
separate ways in 1837. At that time only the "New School" had desired to
continue to participate in the A. B. C. F. M. Now the reunited Presbyterian
Church wished to undertake its own mission program, and its withdrawal from
the American Board would obviously increase the latters administrative and
financial difficulties. This, coupled with the fact that most of the missionaries
laboring in Syria were, in fact, "New School" Presbyterians, made it logical
for the A. B. C. F. M. to leave the Syrian field and concentrate its efforts
elsewhere.
The transfer caused little or no disruption in the affairs of the Anglo
American Congregation. Mission personnel, an important nucleus of its
membership, remained essentially the same, and the arrangement with the
Church of Scotland continued as before.
Pastors Robertson, Scott and Mackie
As previously noted, the Rev. Dr. James Robertson was the first
missionary from the Church of Scotland Mission to serve the Congregation.
He probably assumed his duties in the autumn of 1864, and he continued as
Pastor until June 1875.
As with all pastors prior to 1950, the Congregation was only one of
Robertson's responsibilities. His other chief concern was to found and operate
schools for Jewish children. At least one of these schools continued well into
the twentieth century and later admitted children of all sects. During the first
year of the Syrian Protestant College (1866-67), Robertson also served as
professor of mathematics and astronomy, but he resigned at the end of the year
because, in the words of Stephen B. L. Penrose, "It was too onerous a task
to run a boy's school for the Scotch Mission and also to teach in the College. "
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from tbe ChuI' of oHand Mi.B:sion in 1875 to become
Professor- of Semitic Languages at gow Urd.versity-, The Pastor's Committee
Minutes of 23 June cont,dns the g statement;
This ComInittee ciEH:l1J:-es to on record its high appreciation
of our former pastor, Mro Robertson, and bears gra.teful testimony
to singula r t<lct" ability, diligence and fidelity in the discharge
of pastoral duty in every department Christian work t
us" The deep regret at p3rting with him is accompanied with our
earnest prayers that Great .Head of the Church ma.y speedily
direct him to some e of labour of wider and more general
influence than that he has
Four interim pastors, two from the American .Mission and the
Church of Scotland. served thb Congregation during the following year until
the Rev. William Frands Scott arrived in October 1876, Scott, a recent
seminary graduate; served until May 1880) at which time was transferred
to the Scotch Mission in Alexandriao The Pastor's Committee subsequently
resolved "to record tbeir appreciation the ability with which Mr. Scott
discharged hii'l public duties to C reg:ation and. to cQlnmunicate to him
their sense of on his edifying labours in this Com.munity. II
The Rev, lVL Mackie, one 0.1 the Congregation's ITlOSt beloved
pastors" :ar in. Beirut in June .1.8800 He continued instruction for
Jewish chUdren by R on and served in the dual role of pastor and
educator for a tbirty year span which was interrupted only by occasional
furlough, sick leave, and tern.pol'ury ::113 si,gnrnent to Church of Scotland
Mission in
In 1890 Church of Scotland proposed to transfer Rev" Mackie to
Alexandria perrn<'.:.nentlyo Chur records indicate that this decision was due,
in part, to the amount of lnoney which Congregation had been able
to raise in support of the Pastor. The Pastor's Committee. not willing to
lose Rev. 1'.1ackie
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s valuable services, sed a. circular among the Congre
gation1s m.ernbers whkh
At a. of the's Comrn.ittee held on May 27th, 1890,
the Eubject of the Congregational contribution towards the pastor1s
salary wal'J seriously considered. It seem.ed to them that the surn
given for thH pnr pO;'it2; i3 too sn:udl- often not exceeding L30 per annum,
dnd the lnfluE'nce of on the Pastoral relation, which is
highly prized by us ;",11 h; very prejudicial and end in its dis
solutIOn. have good to that the Committee on
Mis the Ghu:rch of Scotland are not satisfied with the amount
contributed, and that un.1ess sornething mO:H-: is done on our part,
it if; very likely that they may withdraw their missionary from the
pastoral wo in c with Anglo-American Congregation
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in Be:yroul, J1 2 S nE'f;,r!.less to add that this would be a great dIsaster
to us a.n
In V)CW of these circumstances, the Pastorls Conunittee propose to
the members of this Congregation that in addition to collections
taken up on Sundays, a supplementary annual sum be made up by
the different families of the Congregation, which shall in some
adequate sense, be a recognition of the spiritual services which we
have so long enjoyed and for the continuance of which we are So
anxious. They therefore m'tike this appeal to the members, and
request them if they agree with us on this matter, kindly to write
down their narnes in thi3 orcular with such amount as they may be
wining to cor:t:ributf:; annually foT' thi'3 purpose.
The pledges recorded on the drcula:r'p made by fifteen individuals and twelve
family groups, amounted to 93, The Pastor1s Committee forwarded it to the
Church of Scotland, accompanied by a letter of intent to contribute 100 per
annum in support of the Pastor, and the Church of Scotland agreed that Rev.
Mackie be allowed to remain in BetruL
In IH92 Church of S< otland again announced the transfer of Rev. Mackie
to Alexa.ndr:a, 7:1:1(11 Hlat jt would supply a new pastor in his place. The
Pastor's Commit
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e w:t:'ote once nlore to the Scotch body, indicating that a change
in pastor (, aJfect HsabiEty to raise 100 per annum and pointing
out that Mucki.r; wa s not at the moment adequate to cope with the
severe J\l('xandY)d clJ:mate. A the Church of Scotland relented and Mackie
was rehdned
In Jdnulry l.91L Rf.lV, MCI.ckje anwlHy was transferred to the Alexandria
Jv1ission, and tbj Congrega lion. appeuled for his return. In a letter dated
September 2, 1912, th.e Church of otland seemingly relented by indicating that
it had Pdeiinitfoly declded fbat Dr, Mac kie is to return to Bej rut as soon as
possible. at tht hoe.'>! w:.. thin 1,,;<10 years0!1 The Congregat.ion responded with an
expression of that. Dr. Mackiels return not be delayed a day longer than
absolutely neee :'<<lry and further stated;
We are conscious of dHfi.culties which hamper the work of the
CommhteE' n Scotland Hud we do appreciate the service they still
expect to rer:df'r CO::1greg'ltion and Cornmunity in Beirut, but
we do also reHerate the needs of Congregation and its un
changing apprp\iatiol1 of the P:lgtot' who has served theln for So
Dl<:lny y(;ars,
.However war y":'a'"s and, for reasons not a.scertained, Rev. Mackie
never retu"r'ned to h:'.t' Beir1lt flock. He was the last Church of Sc otland pastor
to serve the under th.e .1864 arrangernent, with the exception of
two interim pc'! to't'S who each served rnontb ternlS
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Church rnrnent
The Pastor';3 Com.mittee was formed in 1868 when, at a s pedal meeting
of the Anglo-American Congregational Committee (L e., the Building Com
mittee), the following resolutions were pas
The Pastor of the Congregation, having expres sed a desire have
the advice in the management of the secular affairs of the Congre
gation of such a number of individual members as may be deemed
expedient, therefore:
Resolved that a Committee of four, one of whom to be named
by the Pastor, one by the American Mission, and two by the Congre
gation, be appointed; to be called the Pastor's Committee, of which
the Pastor shall, ex be chairman and convener, the
and two members to a quorum.
Resolved that, inter alia. this Pastor's Committee shall have
charge of the ordinary expenditure of the Congregation, and is
authorized to receive contributions for such purposes; account
of such contributions and expenditures to be rendered ann'ually at a
Congregational Committee Meeting to be called b'i the Pastor.
Initial members of Pastor
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Mr. Henry Heald, appointed by the Pastor; Rev. Dr. Williarn M. Thomson,
appointed by the American Mission; and Messrs. James Black and Lorenzo
M. Johnson; cted by the Congregation. Pastor Robertson served as
Secretary and Mr. Black as Treasurer. Later pastors also assumed the role
of secretary, and later treasurers included Dr. R. W. Brigstocke, 1878-1898,
andMr, W.R. Glockle!; l899-[1922?].
The Pastor I E roughly equivalent in function to the present
Church Council, r.eported to the Anglo-American Congregational Com
mittee. When this Committee, originally forrned as the Building Committee,
was dissolved in 1871, annual Congregational rneetings were commenced at
which the Pastor's Committee delivered its annual reports.
In 1873 composition of the Pastor's Committee was modified to
indude four members elected by the Congregation. It was specified that two
of these members be American and two of them be British. Term of office
was set at two years, with but one member of each nationality being elected
each year to ensure continuity of Committee membership. Committee rnernbers
were eligible for re=election upon completion of their terms.
At an undetermined later date the Church of Scotland was allowed to
appoint a member to the Pa.stor's Committee, in addition to its representation
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by the Pastor himself. The Comrnittee therefore of the Pastor, an
American Mission .representative, a Church of Scotland representative, and
four elected members of the Congregationo
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for elected members of the Pastor's Committee In 1909 the term of
was extended from two years to four years.
Church Services
Regular 11 :00 a. mo Sabbath services were held in Beirut for approximately
eight and one-half months of the year. usually from mid-October until the first
of July. There is evidence to indicate that year- round services in Beirut did not,
in fact, begin until the 1941-42 church year.
During the 29 years of this period (1864-1911) for which statistics are
available, the ave number of services per year was 38, Average attendance
at services throughout e years was 93, the median 91
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though special
Christmas and Easter 8 s often attracted more than 200 persons. The
highest average attendance was 115 in 1884, and the lowest was 75 in 1899. It
must be remembered the Protestant community also attended and participated
in the Sabbath services held a.t the Syrian Protestant College, particularly after
the completion of the S. C. Chapel in 18910

Summer services were held in the mountains, usually at both Aley and
Chemlan and in oce years also at Suq el Gharb. Apparently most of the
Congregation summered in these villages, missionaries included. The pastors
and the various missionaries of the Syria Mission conducted these services
which, according to an 1891 notation, "are not only helpful to our congregation
but are also warmly appreciated by missionary workers from various stations
in Syria and Palestine who happen to be spending the summer in the Lebanon. II
An amusing entry :In the IS Committee report for 1884 concerns funds
available to purchase a for the Aley Church and concludes that, with the
installation of the bell, i! It is expected that next summer, the hour of worship
in Aleih will not be 50 a. matter of individual opinionc "
The form of worship normally used was essentially Presbyterian in nature.
Nevertheless an ecumenical spirit prevailed, and there were ample opportunities
for the Congregation to experience the liturgies of several denominations. From
the 1873 His Sketch we learn that itthe modes of conducting public worship
have always beeI'.lp and continue to be. maintained free from sectarian exclusive
ness, the ministers of evangelical churches being invited to officiate when
occasion offers, and members of aU such churches being cordially invited to
unite in the celebration of the LordIS Supperc II The Pastor I s Committee Report
of 1883 corroborates this statement, reading in part:
As in former advantage was taken of the opportunity afforded
by the visits of Christian brethren to the land, and ministers of
the Gospel of various denominati.ons were invited to officiate. In
this way the Committee has endeavored to represent the various
elements of Congregation. Not only has it been a pleasure and
profit for us to be exhorted by preachers of God's word from a
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distance but, by bringing ourselves into intellectual contact and
appreciative sympathy with different forms of the same worship,
the peculiar heritage of one part of Christ's Church has become
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to a greater extent the common possession of a larger number.
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It is hoped that along with this gain no loss has been sustained.
We trust that no member of the Congregation [from the Church
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of England) by attending a Presbyterian Service has felt himself
excused from the Devotional reading of what he has been accustomed
to from childhood: namely, The Book of Common Prayer (the Church
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of England liturgy). We trust also that Presbyterian and other
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members who have received from their fathers a different order of
-, Divine Worship have felt the power and beauty of what is outside
their own, and have found comfort and reality in the Liturgy of the
Chur ch of England.
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By the happy union of race and denominations that has subsisted
in this Congregation for so many years, it is thought that some
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shape and emphasis and possibility have been given to that great
Doctrine of our faith-that Christians are all one in Christ Jesus.
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It would be a becoming thing and in keeping with God's laws of life
that this Doctrine should have abundant fruit and early results
where it is most needed-in the field of Foreign Missions. Here
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its presence is most needed, and here its absence would be most
weakening and insulting to the cause of the Risen Lord.
By the intellectual contact and appreciative sympathy referred to,
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a great step has been gained in Beyrout towards what the Christian
world seems fast approaching, and what all true followers of the
Lord Jesus long after, namely Evangelical Union.
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The Lord's Supper was celebrated quarterly throughout the Church of
Scotland years.
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gational Meeting, vacant pews were distributed to newcomers and to those
wishing to change their existing assignments, and two ushers were appointed
to seat visitors worshipping with the Congregation throughout the coming year.
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Music had an important place in the services of the Congregation. Some
indication of this is given in the following passage from the Pastor1s Committee
Report for 1877:
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As the new Hymnal has been introduced, and the organist and
choir continue to improve, it is incumbent on the Congregation
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not to lag behind. The Committee would suggest that some
arrangement be made for regular Congregational practisings-say
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once a montl:>in order that all may have an opportunity of becoITling
.acquainted with the new music SOITle such arrangement would, the 0
Com.mittee are convinced, be productive of much good, and would
in the end lead to the service of praise becoITling more profitable
and pleasing,
Church meITluers wt:re expected to purchase their own copies of the hYITlnal.
One had his choice of a hymnal with music and words or a cheaper edition with
words only. A Jew addit'ional hymnals were m.ade available for the use of
visitors.
The Choir was held in high esteem, and each annual Pastorls Com.ITlittee
Report contained flowery tribute to its efforts, On occasion, as has also been
true in rnore recent years) the ranks of the Choir dwindled. Such was the year
1882:
Of late they [the Choir] have been in the position that the ancient
Rornans preferred - of 'facing fearful oddso They have had to I
manoeuvre the forces at their disposal so as to conceal and ITlake
d memht:'r'i'hJ p. and they deserve 'the hearty thanks
tion for the courageous and steadfast diligence with
m:tintained the high ideal of excellence they have
Sbt. before
Better years ahead, In 1885 it became necessary to hire a carriage lIfor
bringing members of choir {:rOIn the Ras Beyrout part of the town to the
Satlrrday evening pnc:tising!i and in 1896 it was agreed "to send every week an
extra conveyance to bring the ladie"s to the choir practising" II
In 1886 a f:lllbscription was raised to buy a new pipe organ for the Church.
The org<Jn used nntil cost L 230, plus an additional L 35 for freight,
insuranc.e, landing dearing expenses, carriage transportation from the
port, and instaHation cosh:;.
In addition to the Sabbath services; the Congregation had weekly prayer
ITleetings throughout period" These meetings were held in the hOITles of the
va.rious melnbers on Wednesday ';.fternoon.s, with occasional evening rneetings
which allowed more persons to parbClpateo The Rev, Dr, SITlith, reporting
in 1882 to the Chur Scotland Mission on hi?3 observations in Beyrout. said
of these meetings:
Such Congregational prayer nleetings as available here can rarely
be found ewhe!"e. G Nothing could be ITlore impressive than the 7
"hort pointed addresses :and prayers of ITlen who had s pent their
livea Foreign Mission Field, as they spread their difficulties
beO!e God urged each other to work on in faith and patience.
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It seemed a,,, if one had reached the very centre and spring of the
religiou3 activities of place in this meeting for worship and
hearty religious ellowflhip.
Union p r ~ i y E : r meetings were held annually with the Arab, French and
German ProtE.&tdIu congregations of Beirut. These took place during the first
week of January, nes:lgnated as the Annual Week of Prayer.
Several special services held by the Congregation illustrate the "Anglo"
element of its composition. A service of thanksgiving was held on March 12,
1882 IIbecause it had pleased God in his mercy and wisdom to save the Queen
of .Engla,nd from the hand of an assassin. II An 1887 service celebrated the
Jubilee of Queen Victoria.) thanking God lifor [her] preservation, for the
blessings of the past fifty years, and not least among them, for the feeling of
brotherly-love that during has been everwidening and deepening
among all who speak the English language. 1i A similar service was held in
1897 on occasion of the commemoration of the 60th year of the Queen's reign,
and the Congregation participated in a memorial service upon her death in
1901. The Congregation also participated in a service of intercession for
danger-oUis Hlne"s of King Edw,ard VII, an illness whi.fh delayed his
or and lat:::r :n 5e held on the day of Coronation, August 9, 1902.
Christian Education
Church records indicate that an organized Sunday School for the children
Congregation existed as early as 1869, though no doubt some provision
waf.; nl<ic!e for the Christian educ.ation of Church youth well before this date.
,::,:;,e8 were initi3Hy held in the homes of the teachers and later in the
erican Mission';<:' Dale Sunday School Hall g located behind the
r.eh "uld compkted in 1880.
President and Mrs, Daniel Bliss of the Syrian Protestant College con-
the Sunday School 18 1873. Mrs. Mary P. Dennis of the American
sion superintended the School from 1874-1880. Later superintendents
included Pastor and M:.ra. Mackie; Dr. John Fisher, of the S. P. C. Medical
School; and a Mi6S I3rigatocke.
Teaching materials included the I'Westminster ssons, " the "Inter
national Leasons) II and othE:lr lesson papers and books Ifin popular use in
rican Sunday Schools." In 1882 Dr. Jessup gave the Sunday School a
bookcase fiUed with new books, and in 1890 a gift of new hymnbooks, the
"larger Sankey and Moody edition. II was received.
Sunday School offe were taken and usually amounted to 300- 500
.,h piastres pel' year, During most years. these offerings were given
to the Institute of the Pruesian Deaconesses of Kaiserwerth in Beirut) to
suppo!:,t a child in the orphan home which the Deaconesses operated,
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In addition to the Sunday School, Bible classes were held during many of
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the years under discussion. These were initially provided for the edification of
both the young men and the young women of the Congregation. However during
most years, for reasons unexplained, provision was made only for the young
men, and the Bible class became The Young Men's Association for the Study of
Scripture. Perhaps it was felt that only the young men required a structured
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program to ensure their faithfulness to their studies.
Church Finance
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- Prior to 1871, it seems that funds for the operation of the Church were
raised through informal contributions deposited in a plate at the entrance to the
Mission Chapel (and later the Church) and th:ro ugh occasional subscriptions
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organized for specific purposes.
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When the costs of erecting and furnishing the Church edifice had
essentially been met, the Pastor's Committee found it desirable to put the Con
gregation's fund-raising on a more systematic basis. The Committee therefore
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proposed the following scheme to the Congregation, and it was subsequently
adopted:
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1. That it be understood that opportunity is afforded by the plates
at the Church doors, both to residents and strangers, of making
voluntary offerings for this object at every public service.
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2. That besides these weekly offerings, there shall be special
quarterly collections made on days appointed by the Pastor's
Committee, of which due notice shall be given.
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3. That all sums thus contributed, together with any farther sums
otherwise received for the same objects, shall constitute a
general fund under the manfl.gement of the Pastor1s Committee,
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subject to the following regulations: After defraying the current
expenses of the Service the balance at the end of the year shall
be accounted for to the Treasurer of the Jewish Mission of the
Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, as a contribution from the
Anglo-American Congregation towards the support of the Service.
4. That the Pastor1s Committee shall make a special report of the
state and disposition of this Fund along with their annual report
to the Congregation.
The quarterly collections were continued unti11886, at which time it
was decided to replace. them with weekly collections. At the Pastor's Com
mittee meeting of May 28, 1886, "A report was also given by the Treasurer
upon the state of the collections made weekly since the third week in January.
The report showed a decided increase and advantage over the former method
of quarterly collections. II
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The table below gives the sums which the Congregation was able to con
tribute annually to the Church of Scotland in support of the service. Figures
given in parentheses indicate the amounts effectively contributed to the main
tenance of the Pastor. Through 1879 the first L40 met only the rent paid by the
Church of Scotland to the American Mission for the use of the Church. After
1879, the rent was reduced to L 15 by prior agreement between the two bodies.
1871 L 43 ( 3) 1881 L 30 (15 )
1872 82 (42 ) 1882 20 ( 5)
1873 67 (27) 1883 Unavailable
1874 65 (25 ) 1884 32 (17)
1875 43 ( 3) 1885 33 (18 )
1876 45 ( ,5) 1886 ' 31 (16 )
1877 40 ( 0) 1887 24 ( 9)
1878 38 ( 0) 1888 32 (17)
1879 40 ( 0) 1889 37 (22 )
1880 33 (18) 1890 33 (18 )
1890-1911 L 100 (85 )
It can readily be seen why the Pastor's Committee found it necessary,
in 1891, to ask the Congregation to pledge an additional amount per annum to the
support of the Pastor, this amount to be over and above contributions made at
the weekly collections and to be known as the "Pastor's Fund. II It will be re
called, as accounted earlier in the section on Rev. Mackie, that this supplementary
pledging made it possible to guarantee the Church of Scotland L 100 per year and
to retain Rev. Mackie's services.
Complete treasurer's reports are available only for the years listed in
the table below. This table indicates total income of the Congregation each year,
including special offerings taken for charitable or other specific purposes.
Amounts are given in Turkish piastres, followed by approximate pound sterling
equivalents in parentheses. Sterling equivalents are figured at L =125 piastres
and are rounded off to the nearest pound.
1874 19,570 (157) 1884 10, 183 81 )
1875 10,341 ( 83) 1885 8,088 65)
1876 15, 556 ( 124) 1886 9,302 74)
1877 9,944 ( 80) 1887 9,231 74)
1878 14,501 (ll6 ) 1888 ll,631 93)
1879 12,936 (103) 1889 11, 762 ( 94)
1880 10, 036 ( 80) 1891 24,372 (195 )
1881 7,260 ( 58) 1892 26,150 (209)
1882 8,812 ( 70) 1894 29,001 (232 )
1895 29,229 (234)
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The substantially larger figures for 1891, 1892, 1894, and 1895 indicate
that the Congregation did indeed pledge additional support to the !!Pastor's Fund!!
over and above weekly giving, since attendance at services remained fairly
constant throughout this period and no unusually large special purpose sub
scriptions were raided. This increased giving illustrates the high esteem in
which Rev. Mac kie and his services were held by the Congregation.
Benevolence
Allocations for charitable purposes were made on behalf of the Congre
gation by the Pastor I s Comn1ittee. These 8.11ocations were drawn from the
Charity Fund, a fund maintained through designated special offerings usually
collected at the quarterly c elebra of the Lordi s Supper, Additional special
collections Wtrt sorne+:imeB taken for specific purposes when occasions of
great need dIct:,l'!:ed imn1edlate assistance.
Charitable contd.huHonR were general1y designated to relieve those
deprived of the basic necessities of food, clothing, and medical attention.
Contributions were made for both collective relief (e. g., the poor of the Arab
Congregation, the poor a1 Ma Syriac refugees) and individual relief (e. g.,
a poor Maltese carpenter' an injured workrnan who had formerly been principal
mason for Church building).
At least two wom.t'n's organizations existed during the Church of Scotland
years. They Wf're Dorea., Sodety and the Acorns. These groups delivered
annual reports the Cong bat th.e texts of their reports
are not a Vii.lilt<(", rlowever the Dorc:ou:; SoeJ(ci.y, perhaps not strictly an
organza.tion of the Congle t:lanai women: received occasional grants from
Charity Fur.d and wa", obviously jnvalved in charitable works. Years later,
in the Pa5tor's Report of ]928, we find an additional crap of information about
it:
Another LW:':H:"volent organLzation has been active in the
Cornrnunitv year has been accustomed to report to
thL'3 as a relne entative rneeting of nearly all
the speaking people.,.I to Dorcas Society
whj. . dUHr,g the long B it,;; existence has done much
quiE:t serv) ce in the way of reli1eving emergency cases among
poot, d.ally by di of clothing. We shall
be glad to Ei';tf",n to the sociefy at 1hJ" tune.
Tbe report, before, i::: not included in the record.
--
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IV
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IN THE CARE OF THE PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSICNS:
1912 - 1949
l
The Church of Scotland years effectively carne to an end in 1911, though
l
the Scotch Mis sion did not formally withdraw until 1921. In June 1914, more than
three years after the departure of the last Church of Scotland pastor 9 represen
tatives of the Mission visited Beirut" When asked by the Pastor's Committee if
l
they would like the Syria Mission to assume responsibility for the Anglo
American Congregation, they pleaded for more time and expressed the hope
that they would soon be able to send a pastor to continue the 1864 agreement.
This did not corne to pass, and an entry in Syria. Mission records dated
l
Deceniber 8, 1921 indicates that the Church of Scotland Jewish Mission Com
mittee had finally decided to terminate its connection with the Congregation.
l
Records available in Beirut for the 19]2-1949 period are extremely
spotty. Between the years 1912 and 1927, Community Church possesses only
l
the minutes of Eve Pastor's Comrnittee rneetings, plus miscellaneous notations
entered into the record book of this period by the several pastors who served
the Congregation< Frorn 1927 1949, armual pastor's reports to the Congregation
are available for 15 differ.ent yev,r major. g:lpS being between 1931/32
1934/35 and 1945/46 1948/19. A few committee reports and miscellaneous
notes kept by tht'; various pastors a:ttl alBo available for the later years.
Neverthelea B" wiLh e a of several historical reflections given by
the pastors jn their anrlUal rf:;ports, it:is possible to piece together a significant,
if incomplete, 'lC count of the period du:ting wInch the Presbyterian Board of
Foreign 1v1:iJlSions, U,. S, A. sustained the Anglo- Amencan Congregation.
Pastors
Paators Wf:re supplied by Syria Mission throughout this period
though not, on OCU1S:!.on, without SOille reluctance. A statement from Syria
Mission recordE dated Dpcernber 17, 1912 reads. "Voted that it is the sense
of the Mission that they of Mr. Hoskins accepting the acting
pastorate of the Anglo- American Congr on. 11 Nevertheless Rev. Hoskins,
who had fined the pulpit for eight monih3 in 1911, continued to serve the Con
gregation from April 1912"'0 Junc 1916 ann again in 1920"
Mission rninutes of July 18 1923 re<=td, in part:
that the Anglo- Anlerican Congregation be urged to secure
the coopera tion of the Comrnittee on Churches in Foreign Cities
for aid in the appo:lntm.ent and support of a. pastor, and Voted that
until this is done the Mission be permitted to take the responsibility,
if necess<1ry, for conducting continuous Evangelical worship for
the Anglo-Arnedcan Conununity in Beirut.
Such reluctance as there was, evident only in the early years, was
probably due to the fact that tach of the Mission pastors assigned to the Con
gregation already had more than a full-time job in his Mission assignment,
That these TIlen had tiTIle to provide only limited service to the Congregation
was indicated by the title of "Acting Pastor" which each assumedo In this re
gard an extract from the Pastor I s Report of 1931 states:
In fact there has been no pastor since Dr. Mackie withdrew when
transferred to Alexandria; since that time there have been several
pastors in ,turn. The name acting- pastor was used for two
purposes - one to express the fact that the incumbent while acting
pastor did not need to act as pastor, and the other to hold the
position open for a possible incumbent of the full pastorateo
Rev. Henry H. Riggs, in his annual report of indicates the limited
tim.e available to an acting pastor for Congregational duties:
At this point we TIlight add that the two weekly services mentioned
[Sunday service and prayer meeting] make up the sum
total of the regulal' activities of the Church, unle!;s we mention
some pastoral caning by the pastor and the former pastoro Let
no one begin to a.sk who got caned on! because the number is of
necessity very smaH as the calls were dictated by particular
circumstances,
Three pastors stand out :in terms of length of service to the Congregation.
They, with their dates of service, were: Franklin Eo Hoskins, 1911-1916 and
1920; James H. Nicol, and and George H. Scherer, 1941
1945. Numerous other members of the Mission and visiting ministers of
various denominations from Syria and abroad HUed the pulpit on frequent oc
casions. In fact during some years, the Acting Pastor took charge of no
more than of the total Sunday !Services,
During 1918 and 1919 Major Robert Eo Lee, Chaplain, 1st Bn., Seaforth
and other chaplains of the Seaforth Highlanders and the Black
Watch conducted the services" During World War II chaplains from England,
Scotlland, Wale:9 Australia, and New Zealand frequently fiUed the
There was no ar:ting pastor from the faU of 1930 through the summer of
19350 At the 1930 Congregational Meeting the foHowing recommendation of the
Pastor's Committee was adopted: I1That the services of the Anglo-4merican
Congregation be continued under the care of the Pastor1s Committee, asking
the various preachers who within reach to take their turn in supplying
the pulpito II In his annual report, Pastor Riggs stated:
It win be recogn]>zed that for the time being the Congregation
is without an acting pastor> and that the real labors connected
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with our Sunday and meetings will be divided up
between those qualified to undeI'take them. ,. As we are
starting out a new year without the leadership of an acting
pastor, may I express the hope that every member of the
Congregation will feel that or she has an added share
in the responsibility and privilege of making the work of
this Congregatl.on better and more effective this year than
in any year that has sed.
That Church leadership by committee can succeed for a time has been de
monstrated more recently when, :in the December 1972-April1973 interim
between Pastors Swedenburg and Wilcox, a Pastoral Services Committee
(Revs. Brunger, CardweU, Hilgendo.d, Richards and Stelling) most effectively
assumed responsibHity for filling the pulpit and coordinating the combined
talents of the Congregation in carrying out the Church program.
A Move to Congregation
For reasons unclear 9 and from quarters unknown, an attempt was made
in 1916 to do away with the serviceso As a result the following
minute was passed by the Pastor's Corrnnlttee and "submitted to those members
of the who reaHy intere ted for
We affirm we do not wish to break the continuity of our
and history in its present location and
at the pre Ecut time. .Indeed the question of giving up the re
gular Sunday Service is not open for discussion. Nor will we
discuti"S any (Langes that do not naturally grow out of our own
needs and ence&.
The objec for which the congregation was organized still holds
good. No other is ce can take its place or supply the deeply
felt needs of those who regularly worship there" The Anglo
American Congr6gation is the only place in Beirut where our
children and others can be received into the membership of the
Christian Church and where Sacraments of the Church can be
reguLnly a.dmjnistered according to ideas of the Evangelical
and non AngIican churchesc
We hope to do a .large work after the war is over among all
EngE-sh spE,aking foreigners who may come into our city. The
Mission Boards and the Churches at home are developing this
work for foreigners away from home all over the world and are
everywhere seeking union with other nationalities of like
Evangelical We feel that to give up the service or to make
any changes wrJ.( h mIght H). tiny way hinder. its usefulnes s would
not only be a gr"eat 105s to the spiritual life of the community but
would be d:shono to God.
- 31 '
Church Governm.ent
The Pastor 1 s Committee continued to manage the routine affairs of the
Congregation throughout the Presbyterian Board years and to report to the Con
gregation at the annual Congregational meetings. Initially the Committee was
primarily concerned with property and finance, but Rev. Scherer notes in his
Pastor's Report of 1942-43 that lithe scope of its [the Pastor's Committee]
functions has been broadened and deepened to include spiritual as well as secular
affairs. II
,
Composition and size of the Committee changed slightly during this
period. With the withdrawal of the Church of Scotland, the Committee no longer
retained a representative from. the Scotch Mission. Committee membership
stabilized at eight and included women as well as men. Six members were
elected by the Congregation, three each year for two year terms, and the Pastor
and Treasurer served as ex officio members.
,
As with Church Council members of a later day, members of the Pastor's
,
Committee occasionally missed a meeting or two. Reporting on the Pastor's
Committee of 1929- 30. Rev. Riggs commented that lithe average of attendance
would have been 100 per cent, except in cases of absence from town or illness,
had not one or two of our members once or twice developed alarming symptoms
of amnesia which, happily, do not seem to be permanent. II
j Church Services
,
For 30 of the 37 years treated in this chapter (the years 1940-41 through
1946-47 being excluded), Sunday services were held in Beirut for approximately
.,
nine months, roughly October through June, These services were held at the
customary hour of 11:00 a.m. and nurnbered between 37 and 41 per year.
Attendance figures are available for 16 of these 30 years. The lowest
average attend3.nce at services was 62 in 1930-31, the highest average attendance
was 132 in 1938- 39, and the median of the average attendance figures available
is 81. However in considering attendance statistics, we should take into account
some observations made by Rev. Riggs in his 1929-30 Acting Pastor's Report.
Though the specific figures cited below apply to only one particular Church
year, the three levels of attendance noted may be considered valid throughout
the period.
It has been customary in the past to name a figure which we call
the average congregation... Perhaps it is more intelligent to re
cognize that we have three levels of regular church attendance;
the first stands at approximately forty, som.eHmes falling below
and sometimes reaching fifty or sixty. This is the attendance at
our usual services when the University [the American University
of Beirut. formerly the Syrian Protestant College] conducts a
- 32
service at the same time... The second level stands at about
seventy-five, which is the number who ordinarily attend when
there is no service at the University... The third level is at
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those services when some special occasion, such as Christmas
or Easter, brings our community into a really united gathering.
On such occasions our attendance has reached a hundred and
twenty or thirty, as our growing community registers an
~ advance over recent years.
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From the following comment included in the Acting Pastor I s report of
1941-42, it seems evident that summer services were conducted in the mountains
throughout most, if not all, of this period:
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For rnany years, when services were discontinued in Beirut
during the summer months, the pastor and many members of
the Congregation moved to Chimlan; and the worship services
conducted there were considered the services of the Anglo
American Congregation. That relationship is still continued
J
in a formal way today, thro the fact that report of the Chimlan
services is made to the Pastor I s Committee, and the con
tributions received are transmitted to the Treasurer of this
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Congregation.
Sunday services were held in Beirut throughout the year during the Church
1
years of 1940-41 through 1946-47, In all but the first and the last of these years
two services were held, one at the regular hour of 11:00 a. m. and the other at
6 :00 or 6 :30 p. m. Average attendanc e at morning services was usually 80- 90
1
during the winter and 30 50 in the summer. Evening attendance varied widely,
.,
apparently in proportion to the number of English- speaking soldiers stationed
in Beirut. The highest average attendance at evening services was 290 in
the winter of 1941-42, the 10weSit 46 in the winter of 1 9 4 5 ~ 4 6 .
The increased number of services during this World War Uperiod was
prompted by the arrival of Allied troops in the summer of 194L Rev. Scherer
states that Ifservices terminated on May 25th instead of the end of June as
usual, on account of the hurried departure of members of the Anglo- American
Community, owing to the threatening political conditions and in compliance
with official advice. I'Vichy French troops were in control of Lebanon and
Syria, and the arrival of German troops seerned imminent. However Allied
forces from Palestine succeeded in defeating the Vichy forces turning the tide,
and the fighting concluded with the Armistice of Acre on July 14, 1941. Rev.
Scherer continues in his Acting Pastor I s Report of 1940-41:
It was certainly no disappointment to the exiles from Beyrouth
that the threatened Gerrnan seizure of Syria became instead an
occupation by British and Allied forces. Circumstances made it
- 33
possible for the Pastor to be among the first to return to Syria
after the happy event. And it was a great privilege for the Pastor
to be able, in response to enquiries and requests from the soldiers
themselves, to conduct the first English service of worship in
Beyrouth on the first Sunday after the occupation. On July 20th
the first service was held at 6:00 p. m. with an attendance of 158.
These included a special service at 11 on the morning of
September 7th, when over 400 men of the Forces were present
to observe the Day of National Prayer appointed by H, M. the King...
So far as can be learned, this is the first time that services have
been held regularly during the summer, and at an afternoon hour.
During the 1941-42 Church year, services were broadcast over Radio
Levant on the first Sunday in the month from December through April.
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As in the Church of Scotland years, the form of worship was essentially
Presbyterian. However visiting ministers of various denominations were
frequent guests in the pulpit throughout both war and non-war years, and it
was not uncommon for the services conducted by these visitors to outnumber
those conducted by the Acting Pastor. In 1941-42, "26 persons preached,
including both residents in Syria and Palestine and chaplains to the forces.
In nationality they have been English, American, Scotch, Welsh, Australian,
~
and New Zealander. By church affiliation they have been Presbyterian, Anglican,
1
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Congregational, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, and probably others as well. II
Thus the Congregation continued to experience a variety of liturgical forms and
.,
denominational viewpoints .
.,
Music rem.ained an important element of the worship service, and the
annual reports praise the efforts of both choir and organist. The choir con
tinued to have its ups and downs, as indicated in Pastir Nicol's report of
1936 37:
1
We may be pardoned for looking wistfully for the appearance of
some male volunteers to supplement the women's voices, but are
very grateful for what we have. One remembers Theodore
1
Roosevelt's imaginary request to St. Peter for a choir of a million
tenors, a million sopranos, and a million altos - and on being asked
about the basses ".ald, 'Oh, I'll sing bass. I
)
By 1939-40, Pastor Nicol was able to report:
I
For several years the pastor's report has expressed the wistful
hope that we might have more men to cooperate with the faithful
women, and last year we actually secured a tenor to be a com
panion to our faithful bass. For this boon we are thankful not
~ only to Mr. Etinoff himself, but to the Near East School of Theology
which makes him available to us as part of his field work.
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The identity of th6 faithful bas i unknown. Mr. Nedko Et:noff needs no intro
duction to present members of the Congregation who will recall his faithful
participation in tlH" rhoir in more recent years.
The prayer or devotional rnee were continued on Wednesdays
until 1943-44 when; :!:o hi8 report for that. year, Rev. Scherer rather surprisingly
notes, lIThe mid week meeHng was during the winter because the
Pastor's CommHle becam,e convinced tbs particular type of meeting no
longer answered any definite spirhual need in the life of the Congregation an
indication of our unwillingness to persist in rnaintaining an institution when it no
longer carried its value with lto
The Un:wr' Con'Tllurdon Set'vicf; was he"ld during the Hrst week of January
throughout tbis pr, ri ad. In Rev, Nicol for 1936 - 37J he note s;
ged to join with the other Protestant Once rnOle we were
congregations 1'11 j;re city i:n a COHlmunion service
with 700 preeenL The ervice waf: condue ted 11l A , Armenian,
English, French, Gennan a!1d Turkish. ThiS no longer needs the
inHlafive of the (,m Congr'(')g,j1j on, but on the contrary
r by the Synan and Armenian
CIHJ.stian Education
on tht" Sun.day School fo,r this per
hoo1 3uperintendent
f
.rorn end of
su(ceeder:l by Mrs. Harry
Very Hhlf';
iod. Mrs. W. Bo Aoarns wa$ Sunday
World War I u'lLtQZ6 27, he was
Appar'T:i '.' Hlt' n,nter of t.Ie 'ornmunity moved toward
Ras Bej.ru1,,1 hi! iJne to haIti hoth Sunday School ;tnei the
ChristIan dvor y(;uft group Jnee::;Il dovnltowne In fact, the location of the
Church serVH e, 0 tecan1f. a of early 11!: 1931, Rev. Riggs
noted, liThe 10<al:ion yS not fortunatG w: trw pr(:sent tendencies in the develop
m.nt of city and t nl<ly !H'ed a.dclcd ",Hart on tbe part of those living
at a distancE. to ;it1f'U(i \vith rnore or ]:" gula diye II At somt: point, probably
no later 1936 37, Sunday Sc:r:,ool st: and Christian Endeavor Dleetings
were mOVEd to the Arr::.criuHl SchooL m Teport fOT that year,
Rev. Nicol l.teil:
I
Our' gue t8 of LO:::10r at 111 a t'ea1 sense <:l.re the
ch:Udr'f";n dnri ;onng pt;op]e. l' of ;;11.1 of us, I am sure,
1"--
that (/-i(" Church. is f:'1T i'rODl popUlation center that a rnore
.L, nonna] !elhtionsh:ip c:::tnnot l;e The better way would
be to lVlve Sunci:lY Eicbool and Chnf,l;)dn End('dvor activities carried
on ill <:om.w t:;on winl t.he Church ptenlisCB, !.nd H n1.;]Y that the
- 35
cherished dream may be sometime fulfilled by having a.n appropriate
church plant more conveniently located and arranged"
The inconvenience of holding Sunday School in one part of town dnd Church
services in another would persist until Community Church moved to the campus
of the Beirut College for Women in 1971, where facHities existed for both worship
services and Christian education classes,
No Sunday School was held durmg the war years of through
1943-44, due to the small number of children in Beirut during t"h.i;'l period.
However a children's story was added to the worship service. and a Bible class
was organized for older students at the American Cornrnunity School under the
leadership of ;\,fr. ErinoH.,
The Christian Endeavor Soc
Christian Endeavor, :a society organized and r::ondu( fed by the youth of
the Congregation, probably began somethne in the early 1920' . Thl':: group
held weekly meetings, collected dues, contributed to charitable works, and
rendered services to the Congregation In'l variety of ways., Rev. Nocol reports
in 1928:
This sod fty functions in connection with the Congregation.al work
wl!h two (omrnittees I for whose services we expres,:::: great
-.it thH3 time. One of theSE: is the Pastor's Aid Connnittee,
which callS at the Actlng-Pastor's office evt,ry Saturday morning
and distributes to all of the hotels and other places about 12
announcerYle!lts of the services of the next day" Through rain and
shine thjs Committee has perforrned its duties during the past year.
Just re at the suggestion of one of the young people, several
of the older boys have assumed responsibility for the ushering at the
morning serVIce and this has been a enc our'1.gsment and help
to those who have heen responsi.ble for the arravgenlent of the worship.
Chureh Finance and Benevolence
No treasurer's reports art'! available. However it is known, through
comnlents made in everal pastor I s reports, that expenses were Gman and
that a large proportion oJ Cong regational income was therefore for
benevolence. Pastor Nicoi
r
in 1928, states:
It may be well to say for the beneht of those who havE' not fonowed
the Congregational affairs very closely that we operate at very
little expenseo In. fact the items of expense include I more than
the janitor service 3.nd a sum of $200 which has been made available
for the Acting- Pastor for any kind of service that w1l1fdcilitate his
work in lieu of the tim.e and :;.;trength spent for the Congregation.
During the recent years, the Congre on been a hle to ta.ke a
- 36
j
larger part than formerly in matters of benevolence and we have
been able to assist a number of very worthy causes and to take
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care of some local charity.
In his report for 1937-38, Rev. Nicol comments, "Our Treasury is mainly a
benevolent one as our pulpit and music services are labors of love. II The
Acting Pastor, of course, was supplied by the Mission, at no expense to the
Congregation.
The proposed Congregational budget for 1943-44 (the only one available)
anticipated an income of L. L. 2600. Combined with L. L. 1049 brought forward
from the previous year, it was projected that a total of L. L. 3649 would be
available for disposition. Of this amount L. L. 833 (23%) was designated for
expenses, L. L. 516 (14%) for a reserve fund and L. L. 2300 (63%) for benevolences.
Without treasurer I s reports, we have only fleeting references to actual
benevolence spending. However some of the organizations to which the Con
gregation contributed included the Y. M. C. A. ; the Y. W. C. A. ; the Armenian
tuberculosis sanatorium near Ain Zhalta; the Bible Lands Union for Christian
Education, which carried on work among the young people of the Palestinian,
Syrian, and Armenian communities; the United Missionary Council, a co
operative body representing most foreign missionary societies, as well as
the indigenous Protestant churches in Syria and Palestine; the Student Home,
an institution begun in 1939 or 1940 and run for the benefit of Protestant students
attending the American University of Beirut; and a summer boys camp run for
deprived youth from Beirut. In addition, the Congregation provided Christmas
sweets for prisoners at the Sands Prison for a considerable number of years,
and a "Special Relief. Fund" was generally maintained to cover specific
emergency cases brought to the attention of the Congregation from time to time.
During World War II, the greatest portion of benevolence spending was
directed toward the welfare of the Allied Forces stationed, or on leave, in
Beirut, and an account of special services provided to the troops is given in
the following section. Another wartime recipient of funds was liThe Orphaned
Missions, " those foreign missionary bodies whose homelands were under
German occupation and whose normal sources of revenue were therefore cut off.
Congregational Services Provided to Allied Forces During W. W. II
As previously mentioned, one of the initial undertakings of the Congre
gation on behalf of Allied Forces stationed in Beirut was the provision of
Sunday evening worship services. These were begun in the summer of 1941
and continued through the 1945-46 Church year. Social hours, supported from
the benevolence budget, were provided by the Congregation following the
services.

1
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1
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1
1
1
1
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S

2
S
1
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- 37
Also in 1941, the Church of Scotland Com.m.ittee on Huts decided that it
would like to open a canteen and hostel for the physical and spiritual welfare of
the troops. It was only natural that the Com.mittee should turn to the Anglo
Am.erican Congregation, the body with which it had sustained such a long and
rewarding previous relationship, for assistance, The Pastor I s Com.m.ittee
responded by accepting the responsibility for initial local m.anagem.ent and
staffing of this institution which cam.e to be known as St. Andrews House. Many
m.em.bers of the Congregation volunteered their services of tim.e and talent to
ensure the successful operation of the House until a perm.anent m.anagerial staff
could be secured from. Scotland one or two years later. In addition the Congre
gation supported SL Andrews House through donations from. the benevolence fund.
In his Pastorls Report for 1941-42, Rev, Scherer states:
One of the happiest privileges of the Congregation has been its
relationship with the Church of Scotland Canteen and Hostel,
St. House The Pastor's COITllnittee has acted in an o
advis ory capacity throughout the year, and different m.em.bers
of the Congregation have assisted in the Canteen as their tim.e
has perm.itted. As you rave heard from. the report of the
Treasurer, a considerable SUITl of rnoney was donated to the
House f!'om the funds of the
It has been fascinating to watch SL Andrews House grow. Starting
as a sITlaU place open for eight hours daily, it now occupies two
floors of the Saah building on Allenhy Street as offices, lounge,
waiting rOOITl, club and game rOOITls. restaur.ant and tea rOOITlS,
open from a, ITL to p. m,. while across the street is
a 70 bed hosteL
During the sumDler rnonth,:; of May through Septernber, a branch of the Hostel
was operated at the Presbyterian Conference Center )Jl ChouC'; r. A typical
letter of appreciation recE:ived by the Congre on for s S( rV
1
CC5 to the
troops read as follows:
I am writing to you on behalf of An Ranks of my Unit to express
to your organization and all of the members who have worked and
cooperated so ha.!'d. fht most sincere than.ks of us alL
Your mountain hostel at Dhour ech- Choueir has given to many m.en
of this unit a wonderful holiday and rest which it would have been
beyond their means to have obt<iined without your kindness and
assistance.
Let me assure you that everything you clapp has been deeply
appreciated,
I - 38
I
The Congregation also prepared and published In Beirut, the only in
I
formational leaflet available to soldiers corning to Beirut on leave, This
leaflet went through at least seven editions, and mor' than 13,000 copies were
distributed to the troops in the year 1944 alone.
)
Finally the Congregation provided many special serv::i.ces and/or social
events for Allied troops on such occasions as Thanksgiving. Christmas and
New Years.
]
The Anglo-American Church
]
The Anglo-American Congregation became the Anglo-American Church
in 1945. An extract from a summary of the annual report for Oct. 1, 1944 -
Sept. 30, 1945 reads as follows:
]
There is an increasing 'Church' consciousness rather than Comrnunity.
By a very large majority the members recently voted to change the
name from Anglo-American' Congregation' to 'Church. I In the
1
current voting, by a 2 to 1 m.ajority, the menlbers have expressed
their desire for a more nearly full-time pastorate than that now
provided through the services of an ! Honorar-y' paBtor.
1
However the Church did not obtain a full-time pastor until 1950, as noted in
the following chapter"
1
]
1
1
1
1
1
~
,
~
I
v
THE COMMUNITY CHURCH OF BEIRUT: 1950- 1973
A E. H.oward McClintock
In a great demonstration of faith, the Anglo American Church undertook
to become self-supporting by engagjng its first salaried pastor in
1950. Total income for the previous year had been only n,858, but the
Congregation placed its trust in God and hard work and deterrnined to increase
its pledging to a level which would support a pastor of its ovvn.
The Rev. Eo Howard McClintock, <:l.n Episcopalian was called, and he
arrived in Beirut with his family In Septmr.ber 50. Rev" McClintock conducted
his first service on October 1 and was oiiidally installed on October 8. He
served the Congregation for nearly ee s, departing in June 1953. Present
Church members who experienced by McClintock years credit Rev, and Mrs.
McClintock for working diligently and to develop the newly in
dependent Church in all aspects of servl.ce to God, Congregation and ComrrlUnity.
A New e for an Old Church
.. ..
Nineteen fifty was also the Y;d.t in Congregation elected to
change the narne of the Church. At the Pastor IS Conlnt.ittee rneeting of October
10, it was decided to suggest the following name to the membersbip at the
annual Congregational Meeting: Chur of the Saviour, Trinity Church, Calvary
Church, Union Church of Beirut, and Comm Chul' of BeiruL
voted to c the name of the
127 year old Church to the Comrnun:.. Church of the latest ill a series
of names which have included the .American Mis ]on ChuJ::(:h, Church of the
American Mission in the Mediterr:aaean, trf' Anglo- i'J.r1 Congregation,
and the Church.
On October 27, 1950. the Congre
and Wilcox
J
The Rev, Dewey Eder 9 a United B mi:nis';er. became Pastor of
Community Church in October 1953, ;;Ind Cornmunity Church of flourished under
Rev. and Mrs. Eder I s pastorate Church :i.:nc orne rloubled, benevolence
I
expenditures tripled, ::tnd Church School enroUrn?nt quadrupledD A large and
accomplished junior blos omed under the direction of Mrs c Eder.
By 1963, the Eder'3 final year of "oervicE before r.etirement, the Church
1

served 117 famllies and counted 170 resident and 30 non-re members.
Present members of Community Church s rcm.em.ber the Eder i s with
affection and g:ratitudeo
-,
-,
- 40
l
1
The Rev. Romain Swedenburg, with wife Bertha and sons Ted and Ray,
arrived in Beirut on January 27, 1964 to assume the pastorate vacated by the
Eders. Rev. Swedenburg, a member of the California-Nevada Conference of the
Methodist Church, came to Community Church from the First Church
of Los Gatos, California where he had served for the previous;ihine years.
The choice of Romain and Bertha Swedenburg to continue the good works
of the Eders was most fortunate. Known to most members as Romain and Bertha,
they approached their work with seemingly boundless enthusiasm, energy,
imagination and talent, qualities which inevitably rubbed off on members of the
Congregation and contributed to a dynamic and vital Church. Though the Church
paid the salary of one, it received the talents of two, for the Swedenburgs were
most definitely a team. Bertha, an accomplished pianist, organist and choir
director, complimented and supported her husband's efforts in many different
ways, and wherever the action was, you would find one or more Swedenburgs
involved.
Romain was a strong and effective preacher. A man with the courage of
his convictions, he did not shy away from delicate or uncomf'oTtable top:ics when
he felt it necessary that they be discussed. His approach was ecumenical and
humanitarian and most suited to the needs of a constituency experiencing
turbulent times in the Middle East.
Romain Swedenburg was also a source of strength in crisis. He is
particularly remembered for his participation in the evacuation of foreigners
from Lebanon during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and for his ministrations to
members of the Congregation "in exile" in Athens. He also participated in
assisting westerners evacuated to Beirut from Jordan in June of 1970.
And Pastor Swedenburg was an innovator. Among other things he:
Introduced an annual Every Member Visitation, well organized and
highly effective, which helped to nearly double the annual
budget of the Church during his tenure.
Initiated thought- provoking, enriching, and productive retreats for
both Council and Congregation.
Organized and conducted educational trips for members of the
Congregation to fteighboring countries, trips which combined
sightseeing witht. study of the indigenous churches.
Developed a combined worship and Christian education program,
"100 Minutes for God, 11 for both children and adults, when con
solidation of Church activities at one location made this ;/type of
pr ogram pos sible
Visited and counseled foreign students imprisoned in Lebanon on
drug convictions on a frequent basis.
i - 41
The Swedenburgs submitted their resignation in late 1972, in order to
accept a call to the American Church of the Hague, Netherlands. Rev.
Swedenburg
1
s resignation letter read, in part:
It goes without saying that these nearly nine years have been full
of happiness and joy along with experiences of tension and turmoiL
Our people have accepted change graciously and have responded
with openness to new possibilities for the life of a church institution.
Of course, we leave with regrets and sadness, but also with hearts
full of thanksgiving. We would not have missed the experience.
May God continue to bless and use this parish. 11m sorry we will
miss its l50th Anniversary of service, but we know there is a
significant place for it in the future.
Congregation and Community turned out in force to bid the Swedenburgs
a fond farewell at a reception held in their honor on November 20, 1972. It
is typical of the intensity of the Swedenburgs involvement that, although they
were to depart Beirut on December 4, Romain conducted his final worship
service on December 3, and both Romain and Bertha participated in an Advent
potluck dinner that evening. They were directing traffic and arranging
furniture right up to the end.
From December 1972 through March 1973, the Church was under the care
of a Pastoral Services Committee consisting of the Revs. Harry Brunger, Larry
Cardwell, Dennis Hilgendorf, Larry Richards and John Stelling. These
gentlemen performed their duties admirably, with the willing assistance of a
Congregation which pitched in to keep the Church program running smoothly
during the interim.
After his candidacy visit of December 16-18, 197i', the Community
Church Council voted unanimously to call the Rev. R i c h ~ r d W. Wilcox, pastor
of the Community Church of Bonn, Germany during the previous four years.
Rev. Wilcox, a United Church of Christ minister, accepted the call and
preached his first sermon on April 8, 1973;:, His wife Dorothy and son Craig
followed a short time later, after their respective obligations of teacher and
student in the Bonn schools had been fulfilled. A daughter, Starla, lives in
the United States.
Rev. Wilcox, the incumbent Pastor, received the A. B. degree from
Pacific Christian College and the B. D. and STM degrees from Andover Newton.
The latter degree is in Pastoral Counseling, and Rev. Wilcox is a member of
the American Association of Marriage, Family and Child Counselors.
Dorothy Wilcox is an experienced teacher and a talented organist and vocalist.
Once again Community Church has been blest by the services of a
gifted, enthusiastic and energetic husband and wife team. Dick and Dorothy
Wilcox wasted no time in putting their respective talents to work in service
to God and to the benefit of Congregation and Community. Continuing in the
footsteps of Romain and Bertha Swedenburg, they have initiated new features in
the life of the Church in accordance with their particular abilities.
Church Government
At the Congregational Meeting of October 27, 1950, it was voted that the
membership of the Pastor's Committee be increased from seven to eight (in
addition to the Pastor, an ~ officio member), with four members to be elected
each year to two year terms. It was also voted that the name of the Pastor's
Committee be changed to Church Council.
Of course the Council continued to be composed of both men and women,
and the Minutes of one particular Church Council meeting record the observation
of a female member lIthat it was unwise to have too many women on the Council
as the men of the Church left to them an undue proportion of the work. If
In 1951 Council voted that the President of the Women's Association be an
~ officio member and shortly thereafter the Church School Superintendent
became the third ex officio member.
As additional Committees were formed throughout this period, additional
~ officio members were added to Council. By 1960 the Council consisted of
14 members, eight elected at large by the Congregation and six ~ officio. The
latter consisted of the Pastor, Financial Secretary, Trecfsurer, Church School
,
Superintendent, Women's Association President, and Youth Counsellor.
By 1973 Council had expanded to 21 members, eight elected at large
(four each year for two year terms) and thirteen~ officio as follows: Pastor;
Treasurer; Church School Superintendent; and chairmen of the Community
Church Women, Benevolence Committee, Education Committee, Fellowship
Committee, Finance Committee, Membership Committee, Parish Plan,
Pastoral Relations Committee, Property Committee, and Worship and Arts
Committee. One of the at large positions is reserved for a representative
from the youth of the Church.
Church Finance and Benevolence
In 1949, a year before a full-time pastor was called, the operating
budget of Community Church was L. L.ll, 858. With the commencement of a
full-time pastorate the budget steadily increased. In 1952, it was L. L. 27,170;
in 1960, L. L. 53, 500; 1965-66, L. L. 85,000; 1969-70, L. L.I04, 409; and for
1973-74 a proposed budget of L. L.106, 357 was adopted.
In the early 1960
1
s, a pattern of lump sum giving began to develop; e. g.,
in 1961 there were ~ O weekly pledges and 20 lump sum pledges while in 1963
there were only 45 weekly pledges and 61 lump sum pledges. However with
- 43
the commencement of a well- organized Every Member Visitation, the pattern
reversed and weekly and monthly giving again predominated over lump sum gifts.
Benevolence expenditures ranged from a low of L. L. 2785 in 1950- 51 to
a high of L. L.16, 122 in 1968-69. For most years after the mid-1950's, however,
benevolence spending varied slightly above or below L. L.1O, 000. An exception
was 1972-73, when benevolence expenditures totaled L. L.14, 796.
Benevolence contributions have generally been made to organizations
engaged in charitable or Christian enterprises, or through organizations to
individuals for scholarship assistance. However provision has been made
throughout the period for in acute need through the main
tenance of a Pastor's Discretionary Fund for emergency cases.
A listing of the organizations to which benevolence contributions have
been made would fill several pages. Three which have consistently
been supported throughout this period are the. M. C. A., Y. W. C. A., and
University Christian Center. In recent years contributions have regularly
been made to the Near East School of Theology Scholarship Fund, the Beirut
University College Social Service Center, the Women's Committee for Re
habilitation (at the American University Hospital), and to AUB nursing students
for scholarship assistance. Special offerings taken at certain worship services
throughout the year have usually been directed to people in particular need as
a result of war, famine or similar disaster.
Christian Education
The Church School has prospered throughout the past twenty-four years
under the direction of a number of different superintendents and despite a
variety of locations. Course content has been flexible and imaginative, tailored
to meet the particular needs of Ute youth at any given time.
"
Church School enrollment in 1950 was just above 50. It steadily increased
throughout the 150
1
s and reached an all time high of 232 in 1962. Enrollment
during the initial three years of the present decade has ranged from 120-140
children.
When it became possible in 1971 to hold worship services and church
school in the same location, an imaginative program of combined worship and
Christian education, 11100 Minutes for God, II was developed for both children
and adults. This program was designed to elicit total participation of the
Congregation during one time block on Sunday mornings, with a worship service,
a fellowship period and clas$es for all ages. The program proved successful
and continues at the present"lime during a two hour time block from 10:00 a. m.
to Noon. Particularly interesting adult education modules, and occasionally
family modules, have been offered on a wide variety of subjects. Adult
members may choose from among two to five courses at a given time, each
course lasting for a period of several weeks, a new series of
- 44
courses is presented.
Two youth groups, the Junior and Senior High Fellowships, have met
throughout this period, and the Church has sponsored U. S. -affiliated troops
of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Brownies.
The Community Church Parish Plan was developed in 1970, and adults
h a v ~ , h a d the opportunity to join and participate in parish group meetings which
are'held,'o.n'.weekday evenings for the purpose of Christian fellowship and
education.
Membership
Two types of membership have been offered by Community Church. A
permanent member is one who holds membership in Community Church only.
An affiliate member is one who maintains membershi p in his home church and
also belongs to Community Church during his stay in Beirut. However in a
very real (though informal) sense, a Community Church member is any adult
who par ticipates in, and is served by, the Church, for many people take an
active part in the life of the Chur ch without taking out either type of formal
membership. Therefore, when discussing membership, it is perhaps more
useful to consider those figures which indicate actual participation and not
those counting formal members.
Average attendance at Community Church services has consistently
ranged from 200- 250 persons thr'6":pghout the past two and one- half decades,
with the exception of the summer ':Uonths when many members of the Congre
gation travel or live in the mountains. However attendance at specific services
tends to fluctuate over a broad range, from perhaps 150- 300 or more persons.
In late 1973, it was estimated that about 250 family units were served
by the Church in one way or another. This is a substantial increase over the
117 families indicated in 1963 records, though there is little difference in
attendance figures for these years. Perhaps the criteria used in determining
the number of families actively served were different for these two calcula
tions, or perhaps the 1963 figure counted only member families.
An analysis of the Community Church constituency for 1971-72 produced
the following statistics:
~
Nationality (Adults Only)
o to 9 years 11% American
10 to 19 years 23% Lebanese
20 to 29 years 10% European nations
30 to 39 years 19% Great Britain
40 to 49 years 22% Canada, Australia, New Ze1and
50 to 59 years 11% Asian and Latin American nations
60 to 69 years 4% African nations
Other or undetermined
59%
19%
9%
4%
3%
2 Jj2%
1 Jj2%
2%
------,
- 45
Occupation of Heads of Households
Employees of American business firms overseas 22%
Employees of non-American business firms overseas 4%
Employees of Lebanese firms 8%
U. S. Government employees, civilian 8%
Government employees of other nations, civilian 2%
Professions (educators, doctors, lawyers, engineers
etc., not employed by business firms or
gove rnments ) 30%
Mission personnel 13%
Other occupations 13%
The Mobile Church
As easly as 1928, Church members became concerned with the inadequate
facilities available at the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions Church
(pictured on cover) near Riad Solh Square. Its location as a place of worship
became inconvenient as members of the Congregation began to locate in Ras
Beirut in increasing numbers, and it contained almost no facilities for the
Christian education and youth programs. These programs eventually had to
be located in Ras Beirut, and the problem of holding church school in one part
of the city and worship services in another became a serious one.
Various alternative locations for the Church program were considered
throughout the 1950
l
s and 160's. Possibilities entertained included the building
of a new church and the use of the First Armenian Evangelical Church, the
German Protestant Church, t h ~ new Near East School of Theology building,
and the new Y. W. C. A. facilitY:_ Also contemplated was the idea of a shared
pastorate with, and at, the American University of Beirut. However the
Congregation continued to worship at the downtown Church through 1970, while
holding Church school in a variety of Ras Beirut locations.
In 1951 the National Evangelical Church, the Arabic- speaking sister
congregation with which Community Church shared the Church downtown, began
to express interest in receiving title to the Church from the Presbyterian
Board. This proposal was debated for a considerable period of time, and
Community Church expressed an understandable, if unfounded, reluctance
toward it, fearing that the Congregation might lose certain privileges which it
had previously enjoyed. However title was transferred in 1954, after it was
agreed that Community Church would continue to enjoy the same use of the
Church as before, and the two congregations shared the building amicably
until Community Church voluntarily withdrew in 1971. Community Church
members continue to use it for certain special occasions, particularly weddings,
and occasional joint services of the two congregations have been held there.
The joint service on November 25, 1973, celebrating the l50th Anniversary
Sunday, was a particularly memorable one.
- 46
The Church School utilized facilities at the American Community School
until 1959. In that year Community Church and the University Christian Center
agreed to share in the remodeling and rental of the basement of the Deeb
Building on Rue Makhoul (off Abdul Aziz), and the Christian education program
was moved there As enrollment expanded, it also became necessary to rent
office space in this building from both the Menno Travel Service and the Near
East Christian Council.
In 1969, when the University Christian Center indicated that it might
withdraw, the Church School program was moved to two buildings at the corner
of Rue Hamra and Rue Sadat. One of these buildings had been used as the
Manse and Church Office since 1965. With the transfer of the Church School,
another apartment was rented for the Manse, leaving the two buildings (knOVln
as the Community Church Center and the Annex) for Church School and Church
Office use.
In 1971 it became possible to move the entire Church program to the
campus of the Beirut College for Women. After a trial period of worship in
the new Gulbenkian Amphitheatre, the Congregation was given opportunity k
express its views on the contemplated relocation. The Church Council, after
assessing the opinion of the membership, voted to leave the downtown Church
in which the Congregation had worshipped for 101 years and to consolidate its
program at the B. C. W. campus. The Community Church Center and the
Annex were subsequently relinquished. and the Church continues to utilize the
facilities of this educational institution, recently renamed Beirut University
College, for both worship and Church School to the present day.
Community Church in 1973
Dr. Donald McLaren, Chairman of the 1973-74 Community Church
Council, summed up the Community Church of 1973 as follows:
After one hundred and fifty years Community Church finds
itself without a building and without a constitution, but with
a purpose. This is to provide a spiritual home for those
people living in Beirut who, regardless of ethnic or deno
minational background, and without any rigid credal
adherence, desire to worship God through the medium of the
English language and tradition and to serve Christ as Lord
together with others of like mind.
Dates
of Service
1823-1830
1823-1835
1830-1834
1835
1836 -1837
1838-1842
1843-1844
1845-1846
1846
1847-1848
1849-1857
1857-1860
1860-1863
1864-1875
1875
1875
1876
1876
1876-1880
1880-1882
1882-1883
1883-1886
1886-1887
:> -1887
1887
1887-1895
1895-1896
1896
1896
1896
1896-1911
1911
1911
1911
1912
1912-1916
1916-1918
1918-1919
Appendix
PASTORS: 1823 - 1973
Pastor
William Goodell
Isaac Bird
George B. Whiting
Eli Smith
Story Hebard
William M. Thomson
Eli Smith
John F. Lanneau
C. V. A. Van Dyck
William M. Thomson
Eli Smith
J. Edwards Ford
William M. Thomson
James Robertson
William M. Thoms on
Rev. Charteris
John Milne
James S. Dennis
William Francis Scott
George M. Mackie
on
" ':."" -;' --' ," ".
George M. Mackie
W. W. Eddy
Thon"las Young
James S. Dennis
George M. Mackie
W. W. Eddy
William Francis Scott
W. W. Eddy
Malcolm Taylor
George M. Mackie
Franklin E. Hoskins
Christopher Halliday
Franklin E. Hoskins
William Watson
Franklin E. Hoskins
No regular pastor
Robert E. Lee
Denomination
Congregational
Congregational
Congo or Pres. ?
Congregational
Congo or Pres. ?
Presbyterian
Congregational
Congo or Pres. ?
Dutch Reformed
Presbyterian
Congregational
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Pres byterian
Church of Scotland
Presbyterian
Church of Scotland
Remarks
Se rved jointly with Bi
Served jointly with
then Whiting
Served jointly with Eir,1
June- November
December
January-May
June- October
November-April
June-January
February-May
May- October
June-January

April
May-June
January
February-April
May- Decemb(;;r
January-March
Pulpit filled by rnany
different pastors
Along with other
chaplains of the Sea
forth Highlander sand
of the Black Watch
-.
- 48
Dates
of Service
1920
1921-1928
1929-1930
1930-1935
1935-1940
1941-1945
1945-1950
1950-1953
1953-1963 , ~
1964-1972'1;
1973- ~
Pastor
Franklin E. Hoskins
Jame s H. Nicol
Henry H. Riggs
No regular pastor
James H. Nicol
George H. Scherer
No regular pastor
E. Howard McClintock
Dewey R. Ede r
Romain A. Swedenburg
Richard W. Wilcox
Denomination
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Presbyterian
Epis copalian
United Brethren
Methodist
Remarks
Pastor's Committee
responsible for sup
plying pulpit with local
and visiting pastors
P U ~ ~ i t filled by many
different pastors,
mostly local
United Church of Christ
-----------------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Addison, James Thayer. The Christian approach to the Moslem: a historical
study. N. Y., Columbia University Press, 1942.
American Press. Centennial of the American Press of the Board of Foreign
Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., Beirut, Syria,
1822-1922. Beirut, 1923.
Anderson, Rufus. History of the missions of the American Board of Com
missioners for Foreign Missions to the Oriental churches. Boston,
Congregational Publishing Society, 1872. 2v.
Anglo-American Congregation, Beirut. Annual reports for the years 1927/28,
1929/30, 1930/31, and 1935/36 - 1944/45.
. Record [1908-1951]. Includes miscellaneous records of the
Anglo-American Congregation, Anglo-American Church and Community
Church for the dates indicated.
________. Building Committee. Minutes of the meetings held by the
committee formed for the building of a new Protestant church at Beyrout:
first meeting held 25th January 1866, foundations commenced 1st April
1867, cornerstone laid 5th June 1867. [Beirut, 1866-69].
________. Pastor's Committee. A historical sketch of the Ang1o
American Congregation, Beyrout-:5Yria; with an abstract of contribu
tions to the building fund for the new church.. Beyrout, 1873.
________. Minutes [Nov. 18, 1868 - June 24, 1891]. Manuscript record,
including annual reports of Pastor's Committee and Treasurer.
________. Minutes [Feb. 10, 1892 - Mar. 13, 1906]. Manuscript record,
including annual reports of Pastor's Committee and Treasurer.
Bird, Isaac. Bi b1e work in Bible lands; or, events in the history of the Syria
Mission. Philadelphia, Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1872.
Bond, Alvan. Memoir of the Rev. Pliny Fisk, A. M. : late miSSionary to Palestine
from the American Board of Missions. Edinburgh, Waugh & Innes, 1829.
The Brurnrnana Conference of Christian Workers held at Brummana, Mount
Lebanon, on August 9th to August 14th, 1898. Beirut, American Mission
Press, 1898.
Cemetery record [of the] American Presbyterian Mission, Beirut, Syria.
Beirut, American Mission Press, 1903.
"
- 50
Community Church of Beirut. Council. Minutes [1950-1973]. Includes annual
reports for some years.
Crawford, Archibald Stuart. Evacuations of Americans from Beirut 1828-1967.
Beirut, Librairie du Liban, 1972.
Dodge, Bayard. The American University of Beirut: a brief history of the
University and the lands which it serves. Beirut, Khayat's, 1958.
Finnie, David H. Pioneers East: the early American experience in the Middle
East. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1967.
c;:irabill, Joseph L. Protestant diplomacy and the Near East: missionary influence
- on American policy, 1810-1927. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota
Press, 1971.
up, Henry Harris. Fifty-three years in Syria. N. Y., Fleming H. Revell
Company, 1910. 2v.
Penrose, Stephen B. L., Jr. That they may have life: the story of the American
University of Beirut, 1866-1941. Beirut, American University of Beirut, 1941.
.. Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. Board of Foreign Missions. Syria Mission.
Fragmentary records of the Syria Mission for the period 1823-1930, as
microfilmed for the United Presbyterian Library (4 reels). Copy consulted
is held by the Near East School of Theology, Beirut, and includes Record
of the Missionary Church at Beyroot, 1823-1834.
Prime, E. D. G. Forty years in the Turkish Empire; or, Memoirs of Rev.
William Goodell, D. D. New York, Robert Carter, 1876.
Richter, Julius. A history of Protestant missions in the Near East. N. Y.,
Fleming H. Revell Company, 1910.
Strong, William E. The story of the American Board: an account of the first
hundred years of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions. Boston, Pilgrim Press; A. B. C. F.M., 1910.
Tibawi, A. L. American interests in Syria 1800-1901: a study of educational,
literary and religious work. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1966.
In addition to works cited above, miscellaneous individual documents in
the possession of the Community Church of Beirut were examined. These included
copies of various documents, or portions thereof, which the Rev. George H.
Scherer extracted from the American Mission Archives while writing his book,
Mediterranean missions.