The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

e miseries of the families of Siebert Goertz and Georg Reuffels in Tashkent, Funk expressed his thanks to God for the health of his wife and five children. He requested prayers and letters for Janzen’s son, Heinrich, who was quite ill with an infected leg.” Church Activities As conditions worsened and the poor grew poorer during the summer of 1883, many settlers depended more and more on their 144 The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites deep faith in God to carry them through this difficult time. Millennial- ism waned through the colony, but a new fervor took its place. The teachings of Claas Epp had been shown repeatedly to be con- tradictory to the spirit of the Bible. The moderating force of their leaders, Abraham Peters, Jacob Janzen, and Jacob Funk, as well as their impoverished condition persuaded the majority to abandon es- chatological preoccupations in favor of a concern for the here and now. In this new revival of faith, the Kuban people began exerting a growing influence. Those from Molotschna and the Trakt who were connected with what they called the old Mennonite Church, or Kirch- liche Mennonites, listened with interest to the teachings of the Men- nonite Brethren from Kuban. Though they had composed the smallest party in the immigration, they were destined to have the greatest impact on the religious life of Aulie Ata. They convinced many of their brethren that strict adherence to the Bible and belief in immer- sion as the only mode of baptism would build a more dedicated Christian community. Sprinkling as a form of baptism, though general- ly practiced, they rejected as lacking in biblical foundation. In the final analysis, this theological dispute meant that two separate congrega- tions were developing. As this separation progressed, they wisely made sure that no enmity would be shown to those who disagreed theologically. The Mennonite Brethren built a church at Nikolaipol and decided to admit even those not immersed into their fellowship if the doctrine of immersion was too hard for them to accept.” Képpental had a Mennonite (Kirchliche) Church; it later adopted im- mersion as a rule but did not strictly enforce it.** Mennonites from the four villages had a choice of where to go to church on Sunday. As time went on, the strictness of the Mennonite Brethren Church became less rigorous, and there was a decline in emphasis upon dis- cipline by biblical exhortation. In fact, some M.B. members became concerned about the growing laxity in their community. After con- vincing others in the Kirchliche Church, they formed a new congre- gation called simply the Alliance Church (Allianz-Gemeinde) which was to lead the whole community back to practicing the faith accord- ing to the example of the early Christians. This third church, with its emphasis on the “inner life,” became the new model for religious devotion in Aulie Ata. The more liberal Kirchliche Mennonite Church, overreacti