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

braham Paetkau, Komelius Gronau, Paul Wiebe and Johann Schellenberg (school teacher), were called to serve as ministers. From this group, sooner or later, Brother Gronau moved to America and the brethren Paetkau and Schellenberg moved to Naumenko. To make up for this, the Lord led Brother Peter Wiebe to this church. He was appointed to the ministry of the Word along with Br. Hermann Neufeld, Sergeievka, (already known to us as preacher and itinerant minister in the church of Einlage) who became convinced, in the fall of 1892, that he should devote his full time to a spiritual ministry. Accordingly, when the church of Ignatievo, with the approval of all the affiliated groups of the Einlage Church, called him to serve as leading The M.B. Church 1885-1910 565 minister whenever he was not involved in his itinerant ministry, he accepted and moved to Nikolaievka. The church grew through the addition of converts; and the Lord also gave new ministers of the Word. So it happened that at a great thanksgiving festival in the fall of 1893, the brethren Peter Wiebe and David Block were ordained as ministers and Paul Wiebe and John Siemens as deacons. Elder Lepp and Minister Hermann Neufeld served at the ordination. During this time several Mennonite Brethren, together with some members of the Mennonite Church, bought some land in the neighborhood of Nikolaievka and established the village of Feodorovka. The members of the Mennonite Brethren Church in this village were also members of the affiliated Ignatievo-Nikolaievka Church. Troubled times also came to this church in that some members lived and acted carelessly and superficially. These were dealt with repeatedly and finally had to be excommunicated. Another source of trials were the Adventist ministers who ‘ ‘seemed to do much damage, especially attacking and ridiculing ministers and fellow-workers openly.” Some of the members transferred to the Adventists ; others had to be “denied fellowship because they promoted the teaching of the Adventists and became opponents of the M.B. Church.” This went on till about 1896. “But in the midst of these difficult times, the Lord comforted his people in that souls were awakened and converted.” At Pentecost, 1898, twenty-five persons were baptized and that same year several other baptisms were held. Three new brethren, Wilhelm Klassen, Heinrich Neufeld and Peter Krause were inducted into the work of the church. Soon another time of trouble arose; a number of young members, "in whom the seed had not fallen on good soil (Matt. 13:19-23),’’ to the great sorrow of the church, had to be excommunicated after many admonitions, warnings and prayers. Another visitation came when several brethren, along with some members of the Mennonite Church, agreed among themselves that they would not repay the Chortitza mother colony (volost), all the money they had received for land purchase, because the money had originally come from the