Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

resbyter, continuing to work for a living while serving the 200-member congregation in his free time. He had a family of nine children and was very poor. Usually he would arise at 5:00 a.m., and together with some of the older children, go to the Children and Youth 327 fields to stuff several bags full of grass which they had picked with their hands in order to provide fodder for his cow. In the evening and often at night there were always guests coming to see him for spiritual counsel or to discuss affairs of the church. Many of his fellow pastors had spent from three to five years in prison; a growing number of them had been in prison several times. Others were in hiding from the authorities, able to aes thei family for only fleeting moments every few weeks. That a why, one aah person explained, the wife of a presbyter stood with him at the frorit of the church for the ordination service, why she had to kneel with him and was asked whether she, too, was ready to pay the costs of the ministry. For her that meant assuming the bulk of family responsibilities, | F roese was not the only one regularly urged to cooperate with the au- thorities. One immigrant tells a somewhat dramatized story of a deacon who was simply asked to inform the authorities on the activities of the pas- tor and his church. Naturally, he refused, but they said that if he adie do so, they would circulate rumors that the presbyter of his Adventist church was planning to join forces with the Baptists. That would probabl mean that the church members would oust him. It was in the ene power to preserve the reputation of the presbyter—by reporting he would actually be doing a good deed! When he still refused he was threatened with prison, with false charges of having embezzled money, until finall literally in a state of shock, the poor man signed the sheet of paper thrust in front of him. Later he was sure it had all been a bad dream because he did not hear from the authorities again, but a half year later they called on him and demanded information. When threats did not work, he was given a drug which loosened his tongue. This deacon’s mistake had been that he did not wish to burden his presbyter with additional worry and therefore had not confided in him when the first pressure started. Later he was-too ashamed to talk. Few of the church spies, of which there is usually one per congregation whether registered or unregistered, deliberately wish to harm the church. They are people whose weakness has been discovered. Local Leadership In most registered congregations there is one presbyter and one or several deacons. Presbyter and deacon are individuals legally registered b the state for their tasks. As a result, the deacons are often Seis assistants, engaging in a much broader pastoral activity than is true of dea- cons elsewhere. Deacons are also ordained, but when a deacon is elected a presbyter, a second ordination service follows. I