Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

f nn eae cou omitted, whereas the Baptist statements were reported Official links with the CCECB have not been possible. At best, a letter of greeting at Christmas was dispatched but failed to be delivered oo time due to a misunderstanding. Mennonites have attempted to write articles about the CCECB in order to give their position a hearing and have sought to relate to them via the Soviet immigrants in West Germany. In recent meetings with Council of Religious Affairs representatives, they have ap- pealed for the release of prisoners as did the Baptists, A similar appeal - approved at the annual meeting of Mennonite Central Committee in January 1980, where Georgi Vins was a featured speaker. 3. Pentecostals. Foreign Pentecostal links with the AUCECB have 382 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II had a similar second-rank status to that of the Mennonites. eich ae costal ties to the Soviet Union were initiated in 1967 when - os : re became a fraternal representative to Eastern Europe on. . a a 2 American Assemblies of God. Makish, a former pastor in Wic a a began to visit the Soviet Union annually as well as acess 0 : other East European countries. The visits usually involved preacl ing ee concern to foster the moderate Pentecostal position characteristic o seats the AUCECB first attended a World ee Sp Pentecostals in 1970, the congress taking place in Dallas, — member delegation attended the world congress in London . oh . while several attended the subsequent congress in Vancouver, ana . : 1979.78 The Pentecostal World Congress, like the Mennonite seat gathering for fellowship and nna and ao pti ga a i carry on programs. As in the case ipipleeteot hee Cc fies to the Pentecostal ees were always led by an AUCECB leader who was not a Pentecostal. ee The AUCEGB has also attempted to utilize the support . Pa Pentecostal bodies, particularly that of the American pean he order to put pressure on Soviet Pentecostals to support t . ; a Thomas Zimmerman, president of the world body, as well as a American Assemblies of God, personally visited the Soviet rose in a : Percy Brewster, a British pastor and secretary of the worl pele similar visit in 1977. It was a period when both the oe be = were urging local independent congregations to register an + oh asked for his advice. In a statement quoted by Bratskii Vestnik Bre stated: i ient to the laws of our own dless of where we live, we must be obedien grow pears The church should be registered. In England registration is ob ligatory. I cannot marry a couple unless I am registered. The statement sounded perfectly natural when applied ies ie context which he knew. But it was apparent that both he and is co sae Zimmerman before him were uninformed about the restrictive Laan registration in the Soviet Union. Although these men also ee en = : not in th