Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

Stalinskaia (Donetskaia), Poltavskaia, Voroshilovgradskaia, and L’ vov- skaia Oblasts met with Pentecostal leaders M. I. But, G. G. Ponurko, N. V. Kuz’menko, G. A. Goroshko and D. I. Ponomarchuk. Pentecostal strong points (Rovenskaia and Volynskaia Oblasts) were not represented. 64. BV, 1/57, p. 79. Instead of G. A. Goroshko, A. M. Tesliuk (Sumy Oblast) and S. I. Marin attended. _ approval, simply affirmed the union with the Pentecostals. T The Movement Toward Autonomy 295 RD as ; 13/70 65. BV, 4/57, p. 36, as part of the jubilee history. It has been reprinted in 3/ 0, pp. 59-60 as cae rei Fadiukhin’s unity speech at the 1969 congress; and in Kalendar evangel' skikh khristian-baptistov 1976, pp.. 55-56. This calendar also printed for the first time the four-point agreement with Christians in the Spirit of the Apostles—Pentecostals, led by N. P. Smorodin (p. 57). The Smorodintsy (stress- ing “Jesus only”) had been forced to perform baptism henceforth in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 66. BV, 1/60, p. 87. 7. BV, 6/68, p. 22. a Abbe 35, Andreev freely admitted that the number of Pentecostals within the union was declining. 69. BV, 6/66, p. 30. 70. ee, N. V. Kuz'menko (assistant SP for Ukraine) and A. A. Nesteruk. D. 1. Ponomarchuk was ill (died 1968), G. G. Ponurko too old (died 1978), and I, K. Pan’ko had died in 1964. ; 71. P. K. Shatrov (born 1928); converted in 1946; and baptized as member 0 Smorodin Pentecostals. Following union in 1956 he worked as preacher in the Len- ingrad ECB church and moved to Moscow around 1966 to take up full-time duties. At the 1969 congress he and V. S. Glukhovskii were elected to the council (representing a younger generation of Pentecostals) and L. S. Vladyko (Belorussia) became a Grnilidate member. Kuz’ menko died in 1970 (BV, 1/71, pp. 71-72). 72. BV,3/T7I, pp. ae ae 73. BV.5/70, p. 14; 2/71, pp. 72-78. . . 74, Not i te congress resolution, which received poten unanimous ere has never been a i i i ditions at a congress. ore 9/79. p. 65; 2/78, pp. 78-79, The members were I. G. Ivanov (AUCECB president), A. I. Mitskevich, A. M. Bychkov, N. N. Melnikov, S. P. Fadiukhin (all presidium members), plus V. S. Glukhovskii and P. K. Shatrov 1 ting Pentecostals. were. For Sonne the remarks by the Leningrad assistant leader which are not reported in the official congress report. 77. BV, 6/75, pp. 52-53. ; a 78. BV, 1/76, pp. 64-70. Newly registered congregations in the union were Obukhovka and Singai (Zhitomir Oblast), Chernysh and Rozhishche (Volynskaia Oblast), Aleksandriia (Kirovograd), Kazanka (Nikolaev), and Brianka (Voroshilov- grad). 79. BV, 2/77, p. 64. 4 80. The standard works avoid giving an estimate of strength. sad 81. Durasoff in his book Pentecost Behind the Iron Curtain (Plainfield, N.J.: Logos International, 1972) estimated 500,000; Michael Rowe uses 100,000 as a plau- ible figure. om. 8. Interview with Evgenii Bresend