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

er (Rueckenau) and David Duerksen (Margenau- Schoental in the Crimea) as well as others who emerged from the Molotschna congregations. In the M.B. Church of Einlage deep, far-reaching changes occurred in the circle of the most influential brethren. Br. A. Unger, influential even as non-active elder, died as we know in 1880. Br. A. Lepp was getting on in years; Br. Johann Siemens, influential for a long period of time in the whole conference as outstanding itinerant minister, who because of his residence near the elder in Andreasfeld as well as because of his energetic character became The M.B. Church 1885-1910 531 the unofficial co-elder, died in 1890; Jakob Reimer (Wiesenfeld) became older and more quiet and died in the year 1891. In the real church center at Einlage sad spiritual-ethical circumstances arose, demanding dis- ciplinary action by the church. These circumstances, which harmed and brought deep sorrow to the whole congregation, greatly weakened the well-known brother Johann Friesen, Sr., “Giver,” spiritual orator, conference treasurer, committee chairman, friendly host, and loving mediator between persons and parties within the congregation, pre- maturely making him an invalid. Jakob Koslowsky, Sr., however (whom we would like to call the “Philipp Isaak of Einlage”— in his— Koslowsky ’s— good time), was, figuratively speaking, killed by the sad state of affairs in the church and thus became impotent in work for the cause of the church and God’s kingdom on earth. After the period of storm and stress other converted men became active at the local church as well as at the conference level. Included among these were the already mentioned brethren Dietrich Klassen (deceased at Friedensfeld), Peter Peters (later, Naumenko), Cornelius Fehr and Martin Koslowsky of Jasykovo, Gerhard Siemens (Nepliuiev-Naumenko); Wilhelm Dyck (Jasykov-Andreasfeld-Naumenko-Don), graduate of the Chortitza Secon- dary School, formerly elementary school teacher and secretary of the Nikolaipol Volost; Jakob Siemens (Jasykov) an influential member of committees and conference treasurer following Johann Friesen, Sr.; Herman Neufeld (Sergeievka-Ignatievka), for many years itinerant preacher of the conference; of the older brethren, although not too old in years, Cornelius Reimer, for many years active as secretary and member of the conference committee, minister at Wiesenfeld (son of Jakob Reimer— Gnadenfeld-Wiesenfeld, at one time fellow student of the author at the Halbstadt Secondary School and in his early years elementary school teacher, now founder and leader of the girls school in Gnadenfeld, Molotschna) and others. The period of the Einlage congregation dealt with at this time has an anonymous reporter from the midst of the leadership of the M.B. Church— someone who knows the brotherhood from its cradle as “Mennonite” and who describes most of the Mennonite leaders at this time as "Mennonite-pietistic” 325 in