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

church services of the Prussian Mennonite congregations described by Rev. J. Mannhardt of Danzig, the publisher of the Mennonitische Blaetter, M. 4, 1862. The architecture of the church 66 DUTCH-PRU SSI AN ANABAPTISTS Jakob Mannhardt, minister of the Mennonite Church, Danzig, 1836-1885. Founder of the Mennonitische Blaetter. Prussia 67 Mennonite Church and Manse, Danzig. 68 DUTCH-PRU SSI AN ANABAPTISTS building and structure of the church services described here are more than likely older than two hundred years since virtually no changes in formal matters have taken place in these congregations. [We paraphrase freely.] a) Our rural church buildings are simple, oblong four-cornered structures, neither of great height nor special beauty, some smaller and some larger depending on the size of the congregation, seating from three hundred to a thousand souls. Like other rural structures, they are built entirely of wood, though most often fitted with a tile roof. [Try to recall our old (earlier) “wooden” church in Petershagen, Molotschna.] Until a few years ago (before 1862) all of these buildings remained unpainted [we did not learn to know such “bland” buildings in Russia]; it is only in recent years that some congregations, while making necessary repairs in the churches, have brightened the inside of the churches with a coat of paint. All of the churches are provided with large stoves made of Dutch tiles [Kachelofen] to provide heat in the winter, and the majority of them, if I am not mistaken, are so arranged that a part of the inside can be sealed off in the winter months by a wooden partition [in the Molotschna, Russia, by an oilcloth] in order to heat up the room more quickly. The pulpit is usually raised a few steps and placed midway on one of the long sides [more recently the pulpit is set against the short wall in Russia]; on both sides of the pulpit and a few steps lower are the chairs for the deacons and ministers. The song leaders [Vorsaenger] also have their special, somewhat elevated seats. A choir is situated opposite the pulpit as well as against the short wall of the church. It is here that the male members of the congregation take their seats while the female members sit on the lower level. [Until a few years ago these conditions obtained in all Russian Mennonite churches, and still do in most of those of South Russia.] One finds two rooms, either as special additions or built into the original structure, in every church: the one reserved for the first entry into the church by the women, the other for the gathering of the church leaders [the "Ohmsstuebchen”; exactly as in South Russia]. In front of the church are spacious yards where the wagons can be parked, with the necessary arrangements for tying up the horses. [The same is true of South Russia.] Likewise most congregations have their own graveyard next to the church. The urban Mennonite churches differen