Imagine there being only one Baptist church in the entire state of Alabama. That analogy is a similar situation to what Charles and Sandy Smith of Etowah Association encounter in their current pastorate in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, where Smith is the first full-time pastor.
Four-year-old Emirates Baptist Church International (EBCI) is one of a kind in the Emirates, said the Smiths, who have served there one year. The established religion is Islam, and witnessing to Muslims is not permitted. The Smiths noted their ministry is to English people who aren’t Muslims.
According to the Smiths, that field is indeed ripe unto harvest.
About half the population of Dubai, where they serve, are internationals. The people are from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Africa, Yemen, Bulgaria, Russia and the United States, among others.
EBCI is the only Middle Eastern member of the European Baptist Convention. That convention, they explained, has a fraternal relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention. EBCI is the third European Baptist Convention pastorate for Smith. From 1976 to 1982, he served at a church in Naples, Italy, where he was the first full-time pastor.
While the Smiths serve overseas, they have strong ties to Alabama. They were married at East Gadsden Baptist Church, Gadsden. Smith also was ordained there. He served as pastor of Mount Hope Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals Association and First Baptist Church, Hokes Bluff, in Etowah Association before serving in Italy.
A 12-and-a-half-year pastorate at Paden Baptist Church, Gadsden, followed his stint in Naples. While there the Smiths worked with international students through Etowah Association. The Smiths then served for five years in Stavager, Norway.
In 1999 the Smiths were members of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, while Smith was a visiting scholar at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School. One of their children, Karen, still attends Shades Mountain Baptist. Their other two children are Allen of Spartanburg, S.C., and Todd, who serves at a church in Barcelona, Spain. The Smiths have four grandchildren.
Now in Dubai, the most western of the Emirates, the Smiths note the variety of lifestyles there. It is an ultra-modern desert city, where camels share the streets with Rolls-Royces. Grocery shelves are filled with American products, and familiar U.S. names such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Arby’s are common.
The Smiths say they are grateful to Sheik Zayed, who is president of the United Arab Emirates, for allowing them to be in Dubai. They explained that the sheik has a fond relationship with an evangelical clinic where many of his children were born. Because of that, Zayed permits members of other evangelical groups to minister in Dubai.
Personal ministry is what the Smiths strive for in the community, they said. They try to meet English speakers and form relationships with them. Almost every day, they encounter someone who is interested in their church or is seeking the crisis counseling offered through it.
One of the avenues through which the church ministers to English speakers is by addressing matters related to women who are “unequally yoked.” In Dubai, Mrs. Smith explained that may mean a Christian woman married to a Muslim.
Another ministry focuses on children of the “unequally yoked” women. Mrs. Smith said she will also give piano lessons to five students. All but one of the students will be allowed to learn Christian selections.
There are almost 110 members of EBCI, but the average attendance at its worship service on Fridays, their holy day, is between 170 and 180, encompassing at least 14 different nationalities.
The couple said in the past year there have been 12 baptisms of non-Muslims.
At 7 a.m. on Sundays, the beginning of a normal weekday in Dubai, EBCI members meet to pray for congregations of churches in other nations. Since Dubai is about nine hours ahead of Alabama, that means EBCI members are praying for churches in other lands before their worship services even begin.
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