Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

hand than a dove on the roof. For this diplomatic approach, he has sometimes been accused of having too close of a relationship with the Commissioner of the CRA, a modest echo of acctisations which “under- ground” Baptists in Russia addressed to the All-Union Council of Evangel- ical Christians-Baptists (AUCECB) leadership. However, materials in the Commissioner's archive show that the state authorities considered Vésu to be “an experienced Baptist” committed to the cause of the churches. The Commissioner described V6su as a person with whom it would be possible “to solve problems” in a way that was necessary for the Soviet authorities, but who would take actions “beneficial first and foremost only for the church” as soon as “an opportunity opens up’. The Commissioner was specifically critical of Vésu's “missionary activities’.*® With his analyt- ical mind and writing abilities, his focus on evangelism, and his persistent support for churches and for the training of young leaders, Robert Vésu helped to shape Estonian Baptist self-understanding for a new generation and to clarify their mission in the 1970s and 1980s. Standing between the state and the churches, he helped the ECB churches to interpret the state pressure and restrictions in ways that helped Estonian Evangelical Chris- tians-Baptists to maintain their basic beliefs and revive, though semi-ille- gally, some of their ministries. Conclusion In the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s, Estonian Baptists were gradually able to take advantage of the situation in society, which in political terms has been characterised as a period of “stagnation” or “suffocation’, but in church life saw some new signs of evangelistic efforts and other activity. This was a period when a generation of young people began to express 4 Toivo Pilli, “Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Estonia 1945-1989", p, 121. °° H. Veermets, Albomi juurde. Haapsalu kogyuduse 100 aastapdev (1984) [To the Album. The 100" Anniversary of the Haapsalu Church (1984)], p. 34. Archive of the UECBE. *6 A report of the Commissioner of CRA of the year 1969. Eesti Riigiarhiiv [Estonian State Archive] (ERA), f. R-1989, n. 2, s. 93, pp. 83-84. 163 their dissatisfaction with superficial Marxist ideology. Some began to look for answers in religion. The UECBE churches, though limited in their ministry opportunities and in their vision for youth, were able to respond to this situation by reviving their worship: Christian youth organised bands (music groups), Bible study and prayer groups of young people came to life, and in the Tallinn Oleviste Church charismatic-evangelistic Effataa evenings began to attract people of all generations, both from Estonia and other Soviet republics. These signs of life were like blades of grass sprouting through asphalt. Baptists in Estonia confirmed their identity as an evange- listically oriented ecclesial body, though there were discussions and de