Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

mination guaranteed that evangelicals remained among the lowest of the proletariat. Thanks to this factor, they continue to appeal to the lowest class of Soviet society, whereas in other countries such as Britain - or America, each new free church began as a lower class movement but then gained respectability. The new conditions had transformed their structures, The new union, i i] = i g 2 2 Evangelist Josef D. Bondarenko leading service in his church in Riga not long before his arrest in August 1978. While awaiting trial and sentencing to three years, he suffered a heart attack, (Photo courtesy of Keston College) 449 ABOVE: Widely known Reform Baptist evangelist Josef D. Bondarenko with his family. TOP RIGHT: Young people contributing to service. Many bring their tape recorders in order to share the program in other towns. BOTTOM RIGHT: Meeting place of unregistered Reform Baptists near Leningrad (1979). (Photos courtesy of Keston College) 450 JTOMANNIOCTPALIMN < — 2 aaen MERAH AM 2 AS oe Sean mpeeee CTEHKM Bit! THC TOP Tepe 4a tit rosa #334 pa anoacraach. Cuars KPMUIKE CaeTSHKA. CTOHKH BHAEH T Pan ttc 1p v AQACAY MHBATEAR, SP RSE ASS SI A SESE CPE SESE I : Jltvesag cropora HOACAY wWNEATEAR: Otpatnas cTOpPOHS HhAaTH HOAC eyinemATe aR. TOP LEFT: Believers surveying the ruins of their hastily erected church building which the au- thorities destroyed in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan (1977). (Photo courtesy of Friedensstimme) scenes IESG ERIS USSR BOTTOM LEFT: Peter Tkachenko in exile 1977. (Photos at left courtesy of Friedensstimme) ABOVE: Six photographs showing successive dismantling of the electric meter in the home of Gen- nadi Kriuchkov in April 1974. They discovered a bugging device (American-made!) that had been installed in order to help trace the whereabouts of Kriuchkov. (Photo courtesy of Keston College) 453 TOP: Rostov church conducts communion in the forest. BOTTOM: The Rostov Reform Baptist congregation on the way to a meeting in the countryside. 454 Fe roel artlnanokAnONOSeNhORIONMO RIS ERIN NAMEN MASON TOP: Rostov Reform Baptists meeting outside (1979) because of continuous harassment. BOTTOM: Rostov Reform Baptists meeting outside. (Photos on both pages courtesy Friedens- stimme) ONC The police attempted to interfere in baptismal services of Reform Baptists in Chernovitsy in 1979, but the baptismal candidates remained in the water till everyone had been baptized. (Photos on both pages courtesy of Friedensstimme) | to the Soviet au- TOP: A member of the Rostov Reform Baptist church signs a document of appea thoritles to cease the harassment and release the workers such as Peter P. Peters. (1979) it i esd sate BOTTOM: Reform Baptists in Rostov signing documents of appeal to state authorities. 456 457 dl 7 : TOP: Local police captain Va