Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

which it had done and claimed that all its work had been conducted under the leadership of the AUCECB Presidium.”6 The primary activity of the international department is to facilitate the foreign relations of the AUCECB, It handles the preparatory work for the exchange of delegations, and it provides translators to accompany Soviet delegations abroad and to host foreign delegations. The other activity in which the international department plays a significant role is in mediating relations with state authorities. Alexei Bychkov reported at the 1974 congress that during the past two years ‘‘the international department devoted great effort to the dissemina- tion of objective information in foreign countries on the life and service of our ECB churches.’’2” In addition to the foreign trips, they had sent out 8, 800 individual letters and 21,000 fraternal announcements since 1969. This department had also received 16,000 letters from abroad, as well as news- papers and journals, The department itself at present maintains a staff of eight persons: Alexei Stoian, chairman; Ilia Orlov, vice-chairman; Evgenii Ruzski, Klaudia (Tyrtova) Pillipiuk; Nikolai Zverev; Anatoli Sokolov; Alexander Savel ev, The Foreign Connection 365 and Valentina Ryndina. Additional translators are often assigned by this de- partment to travel with delegations. The background of the chairman, Alexei Stoian, is not very well known. He had been recommended by Ukrainian Senior Presbyter A. L. Andreev in 1957 to study abroad. Stoian had been one of six people who: studied in England for two years (1957-59), On his return he immediately became a full-time employee of the AUCECB and his name was now listed regularly as an AUCECB representative at international congresses, In August 1962, for example, Jacob Zhidkov and he were the sole representa- tives of the AUCECB, when their union was accepted as a member of the World Council of Churches.?8 In this connection Bratskii Vestnik for the first time identified him as director of the international department. Stoian is still a young man, probably in his early fifties, with a hearty, abrupt man- ner.29 The most striking thing about Stoian is the questions people ask each other about him. All invitations to foreign churchmen are signed by him. Many public declarations on behalf of peace are signed by the president, the general secretary, and Stoian. He is obviously an important person. Sensitive observers ask each other whether they have ever heard him preach or lead in public prayer. He is usually present in his second floor office at the rear of the church in Moscow, but has anyone ever seen him on the plat- form with the other ministers? Soviet believers, on the other hand, ask each other whether anyone has ever seen him take communion, In short, he is not fully trusted as a brother. Many Westerners, in particular the staunchly anti-communist Carl McIntyre and Paul Voronaev (s