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

” that was set up each year. This is an old custom in the Molotschna, still practiced by the “Kleine Gemeinde." b) “One could almost apply Acts 9:31 to the stance of the church at that time. The church . . . had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied. When one reads letters written by leading brethren at the time, or observes the courage and tireless activity which the brethren generated, though their number as compared to the present number was small, one finds that the power of God was great in the church.” “The attendance at meetings increased to the extent that the brethren had already decided in the autumn of 1882 to build a new church building in Rueckenau. 289 For this purpose a sum of money was immediately gathered and still more was pledged. The Lord gave the brethren courage and strength to proceed with the task. That same aut umn some of the The M.B. Church 1873-1885 495 preparations were begun. In the summer of 1883 the church was built under the supervision of Br. Johann Koop of Fuerstenau.” (The interior dimensions were 84 x 42 x 141/2 feet; unfortunately the ceiling was too low, something that had been predicted by many but without effect.) "On October 2 of the same year it was solemnly dedicated as a place of worship for God’s glory and for the proclamation of the precious Gospel. Many attended the dedication service.” The house of prayer, constructed from the most solid material, together with the barns 290 and a massive brick fence, was built at a cost of eight thousand five hundred rubles. 291 The cost would have been much greater if much of the labor, such as the transport of materials to the building site, had not been done gratis, and if the construction supervisor and the other brethren had not been so faithful in their punctuality and orderliness. When the building was dedicated, two-thirds of its cost had already been covered, many of the farmers who owned full-sized farms having donated two hundred rubles or more. c) “In order to meet the total cost of the building, the congregation unanimously and with willing hearts agreed that each would give to the building fund according to the amount of farmland owned. Whoever had a full farm would give the proceeds of one dessiatine, the owner of a half-farm would give the proceeds of half a dessiatine, and the owner of a small farm, the proceeds of a quarter dessiatine. The money was to be given to Gerhard Epp, who was treasurer. Artisans or businessmen who were not landholders in turn paid a proportionate sum for this purpose. This has remained a custom to the present day. In this manner a number of churches have been built or remodelled in the Molotschna Colony with assistance from the treasury. In addition, subsidies have been given to build churches in the Memrik, Samara and Orenburg provinces.” 9. Emigration to America of Leaders and Members of