A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

were kept well-informed on this phase of inter-Mennonite activity. In 1943 they also went on record as approving the expansion of this inter-Mennonite witness against war and for peace in the following statement: ... we approve the management of our Civilian Public Service camps and also the several forms of detached service assignments such as rehabilitation work in mental hospitals, needed dairy farm work, the several health and rehabilitation COOPERATING WITH OTHER GROUPS 387 projects in Florida and Puerto Rico, and also the continued aid lent to our brethren in South America. Iu In the post-war period Mennonite Brethren have continued to cooperate with the MCC Peace Section and its Washington Office in all questions related to Selective Service. In recent years the MCC Peace Section has served as the Selective Service approval arm for service projects for Mennonite and Brethren in Christ mission boards, and for most church-related health and welfare institutions. On January 1, 1970, there were 1200 men serving under this arrangement, which was the largest total number in church-related programs since the creation of the cooperative Selective Service umbrella by the MCC Peace Section in 1951." A new chapter in inter-church relations among evangelical churches and groups in the United States began in 1944 with the founding of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). This association of conservative evangelical Christians came into being as a counterpart to the National Council of the Churches of Christ in America. Among Mennonite Brethren the initial impulse for affiliation with the NAE came from the Board of Foreign Missions which submitted a request for affiliation to the Committee of Reference and Counsel. At the 1945 convention held in Dinuba, California, this committee recommended: that the General Conference make application for association with the National Association of Evangelicals for the following reasons: (1) To support morally the stand against modernism. (2) To have in times of need an adequate representation for our Foreign Mission activities, in case our own institutions are unable to take care of this. (3) To remain in contact with evangelical efforts in the Sunday school work. 12 In subsequent years the conference reaffirmed the decision of 1945 with regard to affiliation with the NAE and also voted subsidies for debt liquidation on several occasions. As a result of the division of the General Conference into two area conferences after the 1954 convention, the U.S. Conference in 1968 passed a resolution to become an official member of NAE. 13 In 1971 H. H. Dick, General Secretary of the United States Conference, reported on the benefits of affiliation with subsidiary agencies of the NAE, especially for the Board of Missions and Services and the Board of Evangelism and Christian Education. Of significance for future inter-church relations is the following statem