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

r, son of Henry, age 37, born in the colony of Einlage and into the Mennonite religion, still live there. Wife Catherine [other matters concerning the family). I have never been judged nor investigated before. “2) Asked concerning the matter under dispute, I, like the other members of our congregation, give notice that I recognize the Mennonite confession of faith as it is set up in the Mennonite catechism [NB! J. I, like Heinrich Neufeld, Gerhard Wieler and Peter Berg, have not concocted a new teaching or formed a new sect; ratherl, like Heinrich Neufeld, together with a number of other Mennonites, have come to the realization that the elders in the colonies of the Chortitza District do not live up to the Mennonite confession of faith. Thereupon we spoke to the elders, Hardships at Einlage 317 requesting that they reinstitute the Mennonite customs ; but these declared that to be impossible. We thereupon felt compelled to elect our own ministers from our midst, in accordance with the Mennonite rights. As a result, Heinrich Neufeld and I were elected and subsequently baptized in the river Tokmak near the Molotschna by Gerhard Wieler, who had been commissioned to perform this act by the local ministers. This teaching we draw from the Word of God and the teachings of our reformer, Menno Simons, who is the founder of the same, and call ourselves Mennonite brethren [NB!j. “Our teaching differs in that we put into practice the Mennonite confession, while you allow the teaching to be corrupted and practice it only partially. “We fully recognize ecclesiastical customs; we allow marriage; it is binding for one’s entire life; the marriage ceremony is performed by the minis ter after the couple to be married has reached the right age. “Holy communion is distributed by the elders and the minis ters. It consists of bread and wine; in accordance with the word of the Lord, the bread is broken as the body of Christ and distributed, the same is done with the wine as the blood of Christ. Only those are allowed access to the service who can prove, by word and by deed, that they are true disciples of Christ. “Baptism is performed by us only through submersion in water, and that only on such persons as have made a contrite confession of their sins and have found forgiveness for their sins in the blood of Jesus Christ. “If someone blasphemes the teachings of Christ and returns to a life of sin, he will not be helped by his former forgiveness and is excluded from our fellowship. “According to the Word of God and Menno’s teachings, 117 we cannot accept the pouring that occurs in the corrupt Mennonite Church as a valid form of baptism; because of this we do not rebaptize but rather only baptize; “The number of baptized Mennonites is 76 male and female souls, who have all freely requested baptism and live in the colonies of the Chortitza District. I represent one such person. No one of Russian descent has joine