| This was the same bell that was
installed when I was pastor of the same congregation in 1964, about
15 years before the Islamic revolution of 1979. The sound of the
bell was a clear assurance to me that no one will be able to silence
the call of Christ.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Iran appreciates its partnership
with the PC(USA), particularly in the areas of leadership training
opportunities provided for members both in Cyprus and in the Near
East School of Theology, and also in its evangelism and church
development programs. They are grateful for the long history of
mission and witness of the PC(USA) in Iran and have fond memories
of "good old days." The present leadership of the church,
however, is quite indigenous with an indigenous way of proclaiming
the same gospel. Although their problems are universal, their
solutions are uniquely Iranian.
One of the headaches of the church in Iran is related to the
maintenance and upkeep of the properties originally owned by the
PC(USA) or its agencies. Most of such properties in the provinces
have been confiscated. Those still under the ownership or supervision
of the church, including the mission compound in downtown Tehran
and the Garden of Evangelism in the north of Tehran, both prize
pieces of properties, are in a state of disrepair and dilapidation.
The church, since it does not have proper documentation of ownership,
cannot sell part of the property in order to repair and renovate
the rest. The properties that once raised respect and admiration
of the public are now the cause of embarrassment and shame for
the Christian community. There even exists the possibility that
the old sanctuary will collapse upon the worshipers some day.
Once that building is destroyed, Christians will not again be
permitted to build a new church. They do need our prayers.
After two weeks, I left Iran with mixed feelings. I was filled
with a great joy to see a true living, active, and faithful community
of believers. I also left Tehran with a heavy heart, seeing the
mountains of problems and barriers that this small flock had to
overcome. I cannot do much but pray. This is what they expect
from their brothers and sisters outside of Iran.
From Iran I flew to Berlin, Germany. It is helpful to remember
that Germany is one of first hubs for all Persian-speaking refugees
from Iran and neighboring countries on their way to the United
States, Canada, and other European countries. About four years
ago the PC(USA) assigned two missionaries to serve in Germany—one
as an evangelist/pastor and the other as a social worker to work
with Persian speaking refugees in Germany. Despite major problems,
their ministry is flourishing. Dozens of refugees have come to
Christ and have received baptism. Hundreds have received assistance
in their struggles with immigration courts, offices, and heimes
(refugee camps), and with translating their cases, getting their
children registered in the nearest public schools, and making
appointments with physicians when they are sick. The recipients
of help know that all is done in the name of Jesus Christ. Although
most of them do not accept Christ, they see Christian love in
action.
About 40 people attend the weekly worship services, about half
of which are usually non-Christian "inquirers." A group
of seven will soon finish the required course and will be baptized
in two weeks. I preached twice in that church and was greatly
blessed by the spirit and enthusiasm of participants. Their weekly
Bible classes are well attended and their lively discussions make
the gospel applicable to their daily lives as refugees in a foreign
land. In our Sunday service in Malburg (a city about 500 kilometers
southwest of Berlin, where I was invited to preach) we had more
than 80 Iranians listening to a two-hour service. The most exciting
part of the service was listening to the testimonies of people
and learning how they came to know Christ and the blessings they
are receiving in the church. I made arrangements for two of their
leaders to receive theological and biblical resources in Persian
and in German to improve their knowledge and abilities in leading
the congregation. In Malburg, I also met the leaders of the groups
in Achen and Geissen who shared their concerns about the lack
of adequate resources with me. Needless to say, all the leaders
of the groups are "tent making" lay members who have
the gift of leadership and are somehow more knowledgeable in the
Bible.
From Berlin I flew to London. Here I visited an Iranian Bible
school started by the Assemblies of God. They presently have about
18 full-time students from Iran who, upon completion of their
courses, are supposed to go back to Iran and serve the churches
there. In discussion with the director of the school he agreed
to cooperate in providing us with the necessary materials in the
Persian language for the candidates of services in the Church
who do not read English. We also talked about the possibility
of more ecumenical and joint work in some of our common projects.
At his invitation I attended the Iranian Church of London and
preached there on their Sunday Service. There were more than 200
people there, about one fourth of which were non-Christian inquirers.
Now I am back sitting behind my desk in Duarte, California, thinking
about the work of God among Iranians in the past quarter of a
century. Before the Islamic Revolution, when I was serving as
a pastor there, Iranians were not so eager to hear about Christ.
They were not as receptive to the gospel as they are today. This
is true both in Iran and outside of Iran. There are, for example,
about 700,000 Iranians living in Southern California, where we
have the freedom to reach out to them. Other denominations—Baptists,
Assemblies of God, and other independent church groups—have
been working among them for the past 25 years. Presbyterian churches
started rather late. Today there are more than a dozen congregations
and groups in the U.S. and Canada who are members of the "Association
of Iranian Presbyterian Churches and Fellowships in North America."
As the moderator of the Association, I visited the groups in Washington
D.C., Orlando, Atlanta, Seattle, Turlock, and Chicago during the
year past and tried to provide overall supervision and get the
groups connected with our local Presbyteries, if possible.
The harvest is truly much bigger than the laborers can handle.
It is my sincere prayer that our denomination will remember its
historic commitment and fulfill the mission it started 180 years
ago in Iran.
Please remember us in your prayers.
Sincerely in Christ’s Love,
Mehdi Abhari,
Consultant, Iranian Global Ministry
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