MBs have history of involvement in India

The first Mennonite Brethren arrived in India from Russia between 1889 and 1914. They developed three areas: Nalgonda, Suryapet, and Jangaon, northeast and east of Hyderabad city. After World War I, these churches were taken over by the American Baptist Missionary Union.

Most of the areas southeast and southwest of Hyderabad, evangelized by American and Canadian MB missionaries, were opened to them by the American Baptist Missionary Union between 1900 and 1937. The first Telegu-speaking MB congregation of this mission was organized by John H. Pankratz at Malkapet, a suburb of Hyderabad, in March, 1904. Under several generations of missionaries, the work branched out into "fields": Nagarkurnool, Deverakonda, Shamshabad, Hughestown, Wanaparty, Kalvakurty, Jadcherla/Mahbubnagar, Gadwal and Makhtal/Narayanpet. These fields offered three levels of schools, four hospitals, and a Bible institute at Shamshabad.

In 1938, there were about 11,000 Christians; by 1970, there were over 20,000 members, nearly half of them in the Gadwal area. Over 90 percent of the converts were from the "untouchable" caste. In the 1950s, the headquarters of the church shifted from Shamshabad to Mahbubnagar/Jadcherla with its leading high school, and its church led by M.B. John, who came up through the schools at Deverakonda under Helen L. Warkentin from Winkler, Man.

India's independence from Britain and other post-war pressures forced the pace of indigenization. Between 1958 and 1973 the Mission turned over evangelism and education to the Governing Council (GC) of the India MB Church, and placed the properties into a trust headquartered in Madras. Some years after Dr. Jake Friesen from Reedley, CA centralized the medical work in the MB Hospital at Jadcherla, this medical ministry was placed under the supervision of Dr. P.B. Arnold of Wanaparty.

Unfortunate rifts began to appear in the church in the late 1960s. The radio work of Anne Ediger, of Winnipeg, and R.R.K. Murthy, one of the few Brahman converts, went independent of the GC. Many Telugus responded to this radio ministry without being added to the India MB Church.

After Dr. Arnold was given the leadership of the GC as well as the hospital, there was a serious challenge to his leadership in 1978. At stake were control of the use of properties, disbursements of funds, and positions in the India Conference structures and schools. Since then, various attempts have been made to bring unity to the church.

Underneath this seemingly endless turmoil at the top, the essential work of the churches has gone forward. The Bible institute at Shamshabad has continued to graduate young people, often young couples, for the work of evangelism. In October, 1990, a celebration was made at the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Mennonite Brethren, A.J. and Maria (Martens) Friesen from Russia. At the celebration, the church was cited as having 60,000 members in 800 villages. R.S. Lemuel's stated aim as extension director was to evangelize the other villages and increase the work in the textile suburbs of Bombay.

In addition to writing this article, Peter Penner is the author of a history of Mennonite Brethren Mission in India, 1880s to 1970s, to be published by Center for MB Studies.

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