Guide to the R. Park Johnson Papers

R. Park Johnson was born at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, where his father was president. He graduated from Princeton University in 1928. After study at New College, Edinburgh, Marburg, Germany, and Yale Divinity School, Johnson graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1932. He was ordained and served as pastor of Yeadon Presbyterian Church in suburban Philadelphia from 1932 to 1937 when he accepted a professorship of English at Alborz College in Teheran, Iran. When the government took over the college in 1940 the Johnsons returned to the USA. Johnson earned a PhD in oriental literature and languages from Princeton University, taught for a year at Hanover College, Indiana, and served an eight year pastorate at Second Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, Missouri.

In 1950 Johnson was called to missionary service in the Middle East as the Board of Foreign Missions Field Representative (later called Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Representative) with responsibility for mission administration in Syria-Lebanon, Iran and Iraq. He later also assumed responsibility for the Arabian Mission of the Reformed Church in America. The Johnsons lived in Beirut and for two different years in Teheran, Iran. When the multiple mission field was divided in 1960, the Johnsons moved to Teheran with responsibility for Iran, the United Mission in Iraq and the Arabian Mission. In 1967 Johnson were transferred to Pakistan as COEMAR Representative in Pakistan with headquarters in Lahore, serving there until retirement in 1972.

In the decade of 1955-1965 Park Johnson played a major role in the shift of responsibility from the old mission organizations to the national churches in Syria-Lebanon and Iran. Johnson's ecumenical service included positions with the Near East Council of Churches (NECC), chair of World Council of Churches (WCC) consultations and membership on the Board of Directors of the International Afghan Mission. He wrote extensively on the Palestinian problem. He did post-retirement service at the COEMAR offices in New York.

Alice Johnson served in positions with the NECC, taught in girls' schools and was business manager of the Delhi Gate Clinic in Lahore.