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

ge with Br. Johann Loewen. I was there for a day and a night, with the brethren .... Some brethren wish to join us, so that they will not be a fellowship unto themselves, but will be in one group with us. Abram Unger has written to Hamburg for a minister who is to come and baptize them. It appears that in spring a Baptist minis ter will come. But they are not all agreed on this .... Benjamin.” b) Brother Heinrich Epp relates: At the Molotschna, a school teacher, Gerhard Wieler [in Liebenau] became a believer. Since W. belonged to the Chortitza District, he was exiled there and sent here. Br. Abram Unger took him into his home toward the end of 1861. Because Br. Wieler was talented and educated he urged Br. Unger to cancel the call to the brethren who were to come from Hamburg, which Unger did after resisting for some time. Br. Oncken wrote that he had nothing to lose, but that the brethren would discover that it was not easy to establish a church. c) [Epp relates that] several brethren had gone to the Molotschna [summer, 1861: see Unger’s letter #115, c, above] to attend a baptism and speak with the brethren. Here one heard quite a bit about how things were going with the Brethren. Baptism was performed according to the Word of God, but there was no order [and a “childish” mann er of expressing their joy was repulsive. Cf. #115]. Yet the baptism was correct, and Gerhard Wieler, who was with us and had proclaimed §132 290 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH himself as leader, as well as Benjamin Becker, urged that we unite with the brethren at the Molotschna. Ten months later [according to Epp and others], the brethren Abram Unger, Heinrich Neufeld and a third brother again went to the Molotschna and were baptized there by Gerhard Wieler. This took place on Sunday, March 4, 1862, in Liebenau in the Tokmak Creek according to letters from Benjamin Becker, G. Wieler and Mrs. Claassen (Liebenau), written during those days. On the following Sundays, March 11 and 18, the first baptisms ensued at Einlage, in the Dnieper River, with 18 persons, both men and women on the first occasion, and 17 persons on the second. Thus writes Br. Jakob Janzen from Sergeievka, whose dates seem to be the most accurate and correspond with those of the Molotschna letters. Further baptisms followed in rapid succession. d) Elder Aron Lepp tells of his baptism: In my opinion, the movement that occurred at the Molotschna [the “exuberant” movement] was not in accordance with the Gospel. At that time I advised the brethren to wait until we could see what the outcome of the matter there would be. Yet in the spring of 1862 Br. Abram Unger, Heinrich Neufeld and another brother went there and were baptized. I and my dear wife, who had also accepted the Savior during that time, traveled to the colony to be baptized. We were driven out of the baptismal waters with sticks. But another spot was chosen where the sacred ceremony was then