A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

lessing of the church they enrolled in the German Baptist Seminary in Hamburg to prepare for a ministry abroad." During his last year of studies there, Friesen corresponded with the church leadership at home with regard to the choice of a mission field. Since he had become acquainted with the work of the American Baptist Missionary Union in India, he felt inwardly constrained to go to that needy field. The Friesens were accepted by the Union and commissioned by their home church for a ministry in India, the Mennonite Brethren assuming full responsibility for financial support. After travel and language study, the Friesens arrived on the Nalgonda field in October, 1890, to begin a fruitful missionary career. The arrangement with the Baptist Missionary Union of Boston was such that the Mennonite Brethren were virtually independent in the administration and operation of the mission among the Telegus of this area. The growing missionary interest and strong financial support of the M. B. churches in Russia encouraged the Baptist Union to accept two more couples, the Abraham Hueberts and the Heinrich Unruhs, as missionaries to India in 1898. Eventually sLx couples and six single missionaries went out to India, and two men left for Africa — all supported by the Mennonite Brethren of Russia. When the Friesens were forced to terminate their ministry in 1904 because of ill health, they left behind four indigenous churches with a total baptized membership of over one thousand."' The First World War severed all connections between the Nalgonda field and its home base in the M. B. churches of Russia. Consequently, Lhe once flourishing work of the Mennonite Brethren became an integral part of the American Baptist Mission Board and is now completely supported and supervised by that society. 3 ' Even before this time, however, American Mennonite Brethren had begun to contribute financially to this work and had also commissioned their own workers for mission service in India. Thus the mission of the Mennonite Brethren in India can be considered a direct outgrowth of the missionary spirit developed in the Mennonite Brethren Church of South Russia. 3 " 5. New Frontiers in Inter-Mennonite Relations From the annals of Mennonite history it would appear that it is 100 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITR BRETHREN CHURCH easier for various Mennonite groups to work together than to worship together. Although the Mennonite Brethren cooperated with the "churchly" Mennonites in public education, general welfare, and alternative service, it was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that new frontiers for fellowship in various areas were explored and won. No doubt the constant contact in practical working relationships through the years broke down many barriers of suspicion and prejudice and prepared the way for more intimate spiritual fellowship between the "new" and the "old" churches. Many of the early Brethren wer