A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

the appointment of a five-man commission by the Board of Reference and Counsel to study the establishment, organization and function of a Christian Literature Board and to report to the Board of Reference and Counsel before the next General Conference Session. <s The conference accepted this recommendation and the Board of Reference and Counsel subsequently appointed the following brethren to the commission: Marvin Hein (chairman), A. J. Klassen, Elmer A. Martens, Werner Kroeker and William Neufeld. Upon receiving the report of the study commission the Board of Reference and Counsel appointed Elmer Martens, A. J. Klassen and William Neufeld to an interim Board of Christian Literature in January, 1965, to serve till the time of the convention in November, 1966. The study commission had PUBLISHING FOR THE BROTHERHOOD 299 outlined the areas of responsibility for the Board of Christian Literature as follows: a. to coordinate the production of literature in our Conference. b. to encourage Christian writing and journalism. c. to disseminate lists of Christian literature of particular value. d. to produce literature in areas of need. 46 The interim board did not lose any time in initiating studies and actions to realize the goals it had set for itself. Having received the assignment from the Board of Reference and Counsel to produce a devotional guide for family and personal use, the brethren began publishing Worship Together in January, 1966. After several attempts to secure an editor for this bimonthly devotional booklet, A. J. Klassen, board member, was asked to serve as interim editor. The publication of Worship Together marked the beginning of a new era in conference publications since it was the first devotional guide prepared by Mennonite Brethren writers and specifically serving Mennonite Brethren interests in missions, education, etc., by related prayer requests. (The latter had also partly been the function of the Intercessor published by the Board of Missions prior to 1966.1 The conference meeting for its triennial convention in Corn, Oklahoma, in 1966 was pleased with the detailed report and the ambitious projections of the interim board and elected all three brethren — Martens, Klassen, and Neufeld — by acclamation into the Board of Christian Literature (BCL). The other members on the board were representatives of the Christian education and publication boards of the two area conferences. During the 1966-69 interim the brethren John Unger and H. H. Dueck represented the U.S. and Canadian Christian education boards respectively, and L. J. Franz and Vernon Ratzlaff the publication boards of the two areas. The editors Orlando Harms and Harold Jantz were coopted as ex officio members. After editing Worship Together for eighteen months, A. J. Klassen was succeeded as editor in September, 1967 by George Konrad, professor of Christian education at the Mennonite Brethren Biblical Semin