A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

church's resources, the national Christians have risen to the challenge in a remarkable manner. By 1970 the Andhra Mennonite Brethren Church was prepared not only to support its local program, but also to provide one-fourth of the total conference budget for Bible training, literature, and radio evangelism. 9 Of utmost importance for the future development of the M.B. Church in India is a strong and positive spiritual leadership. In recent years a number of men have emerged with exceptional ability and MENNONITE BRETHREN AROUND THE WORLD 405 47. Golden Jubilee of the M.B. Church in India, 1968. vision. Among these, according to Phyllis Martens, are the following: M. B. John, pastor of the large Mahbubnagar church; D. J. Arthur, conference evangelist, now teaching at Yeotmal Union Seminary; N. P. James, principal of Shamshabad Bible school and college; J. Paranjyothi, conference chairman and Bible teacher; and R.R.K. Murthy, former head of literature and radio work, now in high-caste evangelism. 10 The Mennonite Brethren Church in India is well on its way to become self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating. However, many of the institutions which have been established and maintained by the Mennonite Brethren of North America, are too elaborate and costly for the national churches to operate independently. Financial assistance will be required for some time lest these institutions become such a bur- den to the local churches that they cannot carry on the more essential work of direct evangelism. Contact and communication between the M.B. Church of India and the Mennonite Brethren of North America will no doubt increasingly take on the character of a fraternal relation- ship for mutual encouragement in a common faith and task. Mennonite Brethren in China China, the nation with the largest population in the world, has also been included in the missionary vision and concern of Mennonite Brethren. Although information about the Chinese Christian Church 406 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH (including the M.B. Church) has suffered an almost total eclipse during the past twenty years of Communist rule, recent developments give rise to the hope that the Bamboo Curtain may be lifting and that an "open door policy" may eventually make it possible to reestablish contacts with the churches in that land. In North China The first missionary effort in which Mennonite Brethren became involved was pioneered by K.M.B. missionaries Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Bartel. Arriving in China in 1901, they labored under an independent mission for several years. In 1905 the Bartels began a mission in the Shantung and Honan provinces of North China. The China Mennonite Mission Society, organized in 1906, assumed the responsibility for this field. J. H. Lohrenz comments as follows on the progress of this mission: "The Lord prospered this Mission in a wonderful way, and it was destined to bec