Andrew David Urshan | |
|---|---|
 Andrew David Urshan, photographed in 1911 | |
| Born | Andreos Bar Dawid Urshan 1884 Abajaloo, Persia |
| Died | 1967 (aged 82-83) Bay City, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Evangelist, author |
Andrew David Urshan (born Andreos Bar Dawid Urshan; May 17, 1884 – October 16, 1967) was a Persian-born Assyrian evangelist and author. Born near the city of Urmia, early in his life Urshan was influenced by the missionary activities of the Presbyterians. At the age of 18, he decided to travel to the United States, where he commenced his religious activities, embracing Pentecostalism and later founding the Persian Pentecostal Mission.
After spending about eleven years in the United States, in 1913 Urshan returned to his country of birth, only to find himself and his fellow Assyrians soon afterwards trapped by the Ottoman invasion of World War I. Urshan then made his way back to the United States, where he settled permanently.
Known as the Persian Evangelist, Urshan was the author of numerous religious books, and also the composer of hymns.[1] He published The Witness of God (1917), a periodical that he continued for the rest of his life. Urshan published a serialized account of his own life story in the periodical, calling it The Life of Andrew bar David Urshan. Later, the installments appeared in the form of a book. He did not leave any writings in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.[1] His oldest son, Nathaniel, later served as the head of the United Pentecostal Church International for more than twenty years.
- ^ a b Schmidt 2016.