Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

sted God's power and attracted people to church.” For 8 Osvald Tark, “Evangeelium on Jumala vagi” [The Gospel is the Power of God], a speech at the presbyters’ conference in Tallinn (17 February 1968). VpAruanded, Archive of the UECBE; Eesti EKB koguduste presbiiterite konverents Tallinnas, 15.-18. veebruaril 1968. a. [The Estonian ECB Presbyters’ Conference in Tallinn, 15-18 February 1968], pp. 162-163. Personal library of Ulo Meriloo. ” Haljand Uuem6is, “Effataa-arkamine” [Effataa Revival], in Oleviste 50. Oleviste koguduse juubelikogumik, p. 22. °° Jumala teenistuses: Rein Uuemdis (Tallinn: Oleviste kogudus, 2001), p. 37. *! Minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 51 (7 March 1978), no. 52 (18 April 1978). PNProt1969-1985, Archive of the UECBE. *2 Jumala teenistuses: Rein Uuemdis, p. 37. 154 the UECBE the “Effataa revival” was a mixed blessing. It created heated discussions, even controversies. Issues like baptism of the Holy Spirit, praying for the sick and laying on of hands, falling down in the power of Spirit and speaking in tongues - all these themes were debated both at churches and at the meetings of the presbyters’ council. Nevertheless, the movement had an impact on Oleviste membership statistics. The decline in membership slowed down from 1970, stabilised and turned into a modest growth in the 1980s.** Against the background of the continuing decline in the Union membership, which dropped from 8,206 members in 1970 to 6,346 members in 1985,” there is no doubt that the evangelistic activity in Oleviste had measurable results. Moreover, according to Baptist histo- rian Albert Wardin, the Oleviste Church “became a dynamic evangelical center known throughout the Soviet Union’. The charismatic elements in the “Effataa revival” harmonised with Estonian Pentecostal and reviv- alist free-church Spirit-oriented and enthusiastic identity, which had been suppressed in the Union of Estonian ECB churches during the Soviet years. The revival brought new elements into Baptist congregational life. The input of Finnish Pentecostals and the charismatically oriented Finnish Free Church in this “Effataa revival” is clearly evident. However, the leading figures preaching and praying for people were Estonians.”” The Effataa “meetings” took place both in Estonian and in Russian, as many people travelled from throughout the Soviet Union to attend the services. Sometimes three hundred or more people came from other Soviet repub- lics to attend these services. Many came from “underground churches’, arriving in Tallinn by train from as far away as Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East.*° *3 See the minutes of the presbyters’ council meeting, no. 30 (20 May 1974), no. 31 (17 Sep- tember 1974), no. 51 (7 March 1978), no. 52 (18 April 1978), no. 53 (30 May 1978), no. 54 (11 September 1978). PNProt1969-1985, Archive of the UECBE. 4 In 1965 there were 1613 members; in 1970 there