Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

lism.” By 1981 youth work had spread despite internal and external difficulties, and there were approximately six hundred young people actively involved in ECB youth ministry.” The presbyters’ council was concerned with avoiding a separatist move- ment among young people and encouraged youth work to be integrated into the general life of the congregations. The old theme of “maintaining unity” emerged now from a new direction. In some cases the suggestions of older pastors did not reveal much awareness of the psychology of young people or their gifts and interests. For example, the advice of one member of the presbyters’ council, that “an important aspect of youth work should be visiting the sick and elderly and helping to carry out funeral services’,” was probably not the best guideline for youth work in general, though youth certainly were involved in various areas of church life. However, more effective means of integrating youth into church life included attempts to give them more responsibility in evangelism and worship services and to offer them new Christian training opportunities. Besides the strengthening of local youth groups, where much of the actual work among youth took place,*’ there were two other wider aspects, which not only showed the growing role of young people, but also served as a means for spiritual development, evangelism and helping youth to become better informed of the Evangelical Christian-Baptist tradition and spirituality. These developments made a crucial contribution to identity. First, semi-illegal youth summer camps were held. These began to be organised regularly in the 1970s by more active churches. In Tallinn, a friendship group, “Konsiil” (a shortened version of “konsiilium” [council]), consisting of seven young men, organised several summer camps in Viki- palu, which brought together up to two hundred young people.** Organ- no. 69 (10 June 1980). PNProt1969-1985, Archive of the UECBE. 8° Minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 74 (13 January 1981). PNProt1969-1985, Archive of the UECBE. 8! Minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 57 (23 May 1979), no. 74 (13 January 1981). PNProt1969-1985, Archive of the UECBE. 82 Minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 72 (21 November 1980). PNProt1969- 1985, Archive of the UECBE. 83 Minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 117 (9 December 1985). PNProt1969- 1985, Archive of the UECBE. * Einike Pilli and Daily Valk, “Eesti EKB Liidu haridust66 evangeliseerimise ja eluaegse 6ppimise diinaamikas” [The UECBE Educational Work in the Dynamics of Evangelism and Lifelong Learning], in T. Pilli (ed), Teekond teisenevas ajas: Peatiikke Eesti vabakoguduste aja- loost [A Journey in Changing Time: Chapters from the History of Estonian Free Churches] 160 ising these camps was never officially allowed and this form of youth work always had a taste of civil disobedience. According to Jyrki Raitila, “Usual