Perilous Journey: The Mennonite Brethren in Russia 1860-1910, John B. Toews, 1988

served the Brethren constituency with their home visitations, Bible studies and preaching services can be found in their annual reports. 19 Early in 1890 Wilhelm Loewen reported that he had travelled in the Molotschna Colony for 49 days, made 202 home visitations and preached 30 sermons. 20 Four years later David Duerksen reported that in 41 days of travel he had covered 4,908 versts by train and 500 versts by wagon. He had held 57 services and visited 80 homes. 21 A traveling minister was frequently appointed for a two or four month period. Particular attention was paid to new settlements. Hermann Neufeld travelled through two colonies during January and February, 1890, visiting 60 homes and preaching 30 sermons. 22 During the 1895-96 season he travelled for 145 days, preached 126 times and visited 200 homes. 23 After ten years he estimated he had travelled over 100,000 verst by train, covered 3,000 verst by wagon, preached 3,000 times, and entered some 3,000 homes. He had visited virtually every village in all of the settlements where Brethren were present. 24 Later in life Neufeld reflected on his thirty-eight 51 years as an itinerant minister. When he compiled his meticu- lously kept records he discovered he had preached 5,000 sermons, conducted c. 2,000 Bible Studies, made 6,000 house visitations and travelled in the vicinity of 300,000 versts by rail, steamship, and wagon. When it came to baptisms, communion services funerals and marriages his records were less precise. Neufeld estimated that he had conducted approximately 500 of each. 25 The effectiveness of the itinerant ministry was enhanced by the so-called Missionsschule (mission school) or Bibelkursus (Bible course). These sessions, which began as early as 1875 and were regularly held by the 1890s, were open to ministers and interested laity. They lasted a few days, weeks or even months. The courses not only provided inspiration and preaching content for local lay ministers but ensured greater Bible knowledge for the rank and file in the local congregation. In 1893, for example, Jakob Reimer conducted a Bible course in Gnadenheim, Molotschna, which was followed by a three week seminar in language study and orthography for lay ministers by the prominent Mennonite educator Cornelius Unruh. 26 During the winter of 1894 the Baptist, Ivan W. Kargel from St. Petersburg, conducted another course in Andreasfeld. 27 The importance of such training was clearly demonstrated in the case of Herman Neufeld who began participating in such courses as early as 1888, the year of his ordination. Such yearly sessions (in addition to private reading and study) constituted the only formal ministerial training this Brethren elder ever obtained. 28 There were several other activities designed to enhance the Brethren sense of peoplehood. Most churches not only conducted regular Sunday Schools but organized associations of young men and women as well.