THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

Church will, with good will to all and malice to none, pray to God: “And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us!” 18. We shall close the chapter on the religious controversy of the §113 Molotschna M.B. Church, in which the Ohrloff and Gnadenfeld of that day played such important and diversified roles, with a note by the author written in the summer of 1890. 63 a) “In the last years of his life, the late Bernhard Harder, this dear, patient brother of all brethren, communicated with me regarding his clash with the then deceased Elder Lenzmann and Minister Heinrich Franz 260 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH because of his favorable reports concerning the Brethren issue to the Mennonitische Blaetter and Pastor Dobbert, and their subsequent reconciliation. He said that Elder Lenzmann in his old age had been a dear and humble brother, who trusted in and depended only upon the mercy of Jesus. Death often separates brethren while they are still in a state of mutual misunderstanding. We regret this deeply, but do not wish to add to this by an overly critical judgment of our own. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’ b) "During the winter of 1886-87 in the Kuban, Brother Abram Schellenberg, now an elder in America, told me of a meeting he had had with the late Elder Lenzmann. At the beginning of the '70s (I believe), Elder Schellenberg visited the church elders on behalf of the M.B. Church in order to win their recognition, perhaps more because of the Mennonite civil rights in relation to the military service law, 64 which was then in the offing. Elder Lenzmann addressed him rudely, made derogatory insinuations about Schellenberg being too young for the office of elder, reminded him of the follies and several instances of sin in the M.B. Church during the first half of the ‘60s,— laid these follies— recog- nized, condemned and confessed by the church in 1865, as well as the sins it had already judged [compare Chap. XVIII],— at the feet of the entire M.B. Church during the time of Schellenberg’s visit, and finally, using the form of address ‘You are . . .,’ he called Schellenberg and the church very coarse and uncomplimentary names, alluding to the above- named incidents of some ten years earlier, during which memories of past insults moved him (Lenzmann) to tears of anger. Brother Schellenberg also sat there quite dejected with tears of insult in his eyes, and finally said quietly: ‘You offend me; these accusations do not apply to me and the present church.’ (Naturally, I cannot reconstruct his exact words.) Then Elder Lenzmann said: ‘In that case, forgive me if I have unjustly offended you.’ (As is known, the question of recognition on the part of the ‘five congregations’ was then still in doubt.) Whereupon there followed a friendly invitation to coffee. This is all that I have come to know of a ‘reconciliation’ or rapprochement with the offended Elder Lenzmann, embittered 65 to the point