A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

onite Brethren Church should abstain completely from its use. This stand of the church re- sulted in the excommunication of twelve brethren, who were not willing to renounce this habit. After one hundred years, in 1969, the General Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches reaffirmed its stand on this issue." In order to restore the inner peace in the Einlage Mennonite Brethren Church, Aron Lepp recommended to the membership that Baptists (mostly of non-Mennonite ethnic background) and Mennonite Brethren should form separate congregations, but maintain a cordial relationship and fellowship, including communion. This proposal was accepted by the majority of members, but not by elder Abraham Unger, who was reluctant to sever his Baptist connections and also considered the disciplinary measures against the "smoking brethren" too harsh. 12 Tensions continued until another Baptist, August Liebig, by his "benevolent neutrality" reconciled the two factions. Liebig, who graciously accepted this second call for assistance, arrived in the Chortitza Colony, this time accompanied by his wife and daughter, in 74 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH June, 1871. He took up residence in the village of Andreasfeld (where Lepp also lived) and stayed for a whole year. His impartial judgment and personal counseling earned the compliment: "He has done much good among us" from one of the Brethren. Among the good things that Liebig introduced were the Sunday school and the public prayer meeting as part of the Sunday morning worship service. The church business meetings, as mentioned earlier, were now conducted according to guidelines suggested by Liebig. 13 Under his guidance, a committee for itinerant preaching (Reisepredigt) was established. The relationship of the various Mennonite Brethren congregations was also regulated through the organization of the annual congregational, district and general church-wide conferences. In addition he assisted in regulating the financial aspects of conference activities, especially with respect to the method of soliciting support and supervising the conference treasury. An annual monthly training course, designed for preachers and candidates for the ministry, was also introduced by him. For these and other positive contributions Liebig's memory will always be cherished in the Mennonite Brethren Church. Although internal tensions with respect to Mennonite-Baptist relations were largely resolved by 1872, this issue continued to plague the church in its relation to the Mennonite Church and to civil authorities. Early in 1873, an official of the Russian government was commissioned to investigate various problems pertaining to the Mennonites and the impending draft law. In his discussions he raised the question of the relationship of the Mennonite Brethren to the newly organized Baptist groups. The leaders of the Einlage Mennonite Brethren Church went to great lengths to d