A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

y prompted the transfer of "headquarters" first to Griesheim and later to Kaiserslautem. Roland Marsch has been the pastor of the Neuwied congregation since 1967. Present membership is close to 100, and includes a number of converts from Lutheranism and Catholicism. Neustadt (an der Weinstrasse) became the second city for M.B. evangelistic activity. (Both Neuwied and Neustadt were early Anabaptist centers, where several Mennonite churches have survived to the present.) From 1946 to 1950 the MCC maintained its relief headquarters for the French zone of Germany here. Also under MCC auspices, a religious program for children was begun in 1948 by Elizabeth Wiebe. When the MCC left, Miss Wiebe continued her work and in 1957 a general evangelistic program was started. The group was organized formally in 1958 under the guidance of G. H. Jantzen. Church growth here has been slow. The Lage M.B. Church (relocated here from nearby Muessen) in northern Germany, is largely composed of members who have returned from South America or have lately come out of Russia. Under the faithful ministry of the J. W. Vogts these scattered families were gathered and organized into a church in 1966. Since 1968 the John N. Klassens have been in charge of the work at Lage. The youngest M.B. church in Germany is located in the city of Traunreut, about thirty miles from the Austrian border. This "outpost" of the Wels (Austria) M.B. Church has developed into a small congrega- tion during the past few years under the spiritual ministry of the Lawrence Warkentins. Mennonite Brethren in Austria It is difficult to imagine that in Austria, which in the sixteenth cen- tury had many flourishing Anabaptist churches, 95 percent of the people today profess to be Roman Catholics. The influx of refugees from East-European countries after World War II, and the desperate need for MENNONITE BRETHREN AROUND THE WORLD 435 57. Congregation at the M.B. Church in Lage, Germany. 58. Following the baptism of 18 believers, the Tulpengasse Church in Vienna, Austria, met for fellowship on the banks of the river. relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in general, opened the door for the MCC and for the Mennonite Brethren in Austria. In 1953 the J. W. Vogts and the John Gossens began work among the refugees in the camps around Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. When the A. J. Neufelds arrived in 1955, these believers were organized into a congregation, a church was built, and the witness expanded to 436 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH Austrian nationals. Although actual church membership by 1960 was only 25, weekly attendance averaged 220. 60 For more than ten years Gerhard Jantz has given effective leadership to the local congregation and several preaching centers. From Linz the A. J. Neufelds brought the message to the city of Steyr, where the H. K. Warkentins from California had prepared the way by showing relig