A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

the United States a preacher of the latter church, Abraham Klassen, who had been ordained in Russia in 1869, joined the K.M.B. Church in Kansas about 1879. The new church emphasized conversion, baptism by immersion, strict observance of nonconformity, church discipline, nonresistance, feet-washing and refusal of the oath. The group chose as its motto: "By 178 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH 29. Elder Jacob Wiebe 30. I). M. Hofer this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." A generally-observed practice with them was the New Testament injunction: "Salute one another with an holy kiss" — but only men with men, and women with women." Speaking at the fiftieth "jubilee-celebration" held at Bridgewater, South Dakota in 1919, Elder Jacob A. Wiebe stated the five basic principles of faith of the K.M.B. Church as follows: 1. The acceptance of the Bible as God's Word, written by men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit. 2. Submission to Christ's teaching in Matthew 5, and to accept the beatitudes through faith in Jesus. This implies the practice of peacefulness, brotherly reconciliation, the sacredness of marriage, abstention from oath or revenge, and the practice of nonresistance and love of enemies as followers of Jesus. To such Jesus had granted the right of sonship. . . . 3. Observance of the teaching concerning baptism (Matt. 3:13-17), concerning the Lord s Supper (Lk. 22 and 1 Cor. 11), and concerning footwashing (Jn. 13). 4. Support of home and foreign missions according to ability, in order to save lost men for eternal life. 5. Practice of church discipline according to Matthew 18." During the five years of their "sojourn" in the Crimea (1869-74), the newly organized church made slow but steady progress and numbered about forty families by the time of emigration.'" Johann Harder, a schoolteacher who became Wiebe's assistant, contributed much to the spiritual growth and the articulation of doctrine among the early Krimmer Brethren." Contrary to the experience of the Molotschna Mennonite Brethren, THK KKIMMKK MKNNONITE HHKTHKKN COM K TO NORTH AMERICA 179 the Krimmer Brethren did not suffer any religious oppression or restriction of their civil rights. The recognition of the M. B. Church in the Molotschna and Chortitza colonies some years earlier may have been partly responsible for the tolerant attitude on the part of the church and state officials toward this new movement. After experiencing great economic difficulties during their first few years the new church group began to prosper materially as they became adjusted to the new farming methods, new crops and weather conditions in the Crimea. Their hopes for peaceful progress were suddenly shattered, however, by the Imperial decree of 1870, which abrogated the Mennonite privileges, including exemption from military service. The Krimmer Mennonite Brethren were among the