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MB Communications – Letters from the Soviet Union

Proper Title

MB Communications - Letters from the Soviet Union sub-series

Dates of Creation

1987–1993

Physical Description

7 m of textual materials and other photographs

Administrative History

Between 1987-1993, over 18,000 Soviet citizens mailed letters to Winnipeg. These letters reveal the hopes and disappointments of ordinary people and the significance of Christianity’s rehabilitation during the late Soviet period in helping some people cope with this extraordinary change and in helping others to contemplate the relevance of religion to their new circumstances. These letters also show how through the medium of radio a strong relationship could develop across political boundaries between Soviet citizens and Viktor Hamm, the voice of MB Communications’ Russian program.

In 1957, MB Communications initiated a project to offer guidance and support to Christians and non-Christians in the Soviet Union. D.B Wiens, a Russian-Mennonite émigré recorded short weekly sermons with the dual purpose of educating people about the Bible and Christian values and of sustaining Christian believers with religious music and encouragement from their Soviet brethren.  MB Communications broadcasted Wiens’ program, the Gospel Light House, into the Soviet Union by short and medium wave radio stations located in neighbouring territories. Between the 1950s and early 1980s, it was difficult for MB Communications to gauge the influence of its radio program on the Soviet population, as only a handful of letters from its listeners filtered through the iron curtain. Nonetheless, these letters provided a glimpse of the effects of Soviet policy and ideology on religious life: “We are eager to hear Christian broadcasts. There is no freedom to preach the gospel. Russia is engulfed by darkness and unbelief.” The eradication of religion from public and private life, according to some listeners, created a moral stagnation that jeopardized the future of the Soviet Union.

In the late 1970s, D.B Wiens retired after 24 years of service and Viktor Hamm, a recent émigré from the Soviet Union, took over his radio host duties. He started a radio program for youth in addition to the Gospel Light Hours. The volume of letters received by MB Communications slowly increased throughout the 1980s, but letters still appeared only in small numbers. The political thaw that accompanied Gorbachev’s ascendancy to power changed this situation. Letters flooded the MB Communications office in Winnipeg. Letters arrived from all corners of the Soviet Union to request religious literature, to thank Hamm for his radio program, to ask him religious questions and to tell him about their own spiritual journeys. They shared with Hamm concerns about their families, detailed their own personal struggles, as well as contemplated the legacy of Soviet rule on their country.

Pictures accompanying the letters provide a glimpse into the tangible outcome of the spiritual awakening that emerged within this atmosphere of religious tolerance and communist disgrace in the final years of the Soviet Union. People sent photographs of new church buildings packed with worshipers, mass outdoor religious rallies and baptismal ceremonies along riverbanks. These pictures capture the spiritual excitement of the period and the forging of grassroots religious communities by the Soviet population. They also show the importance to Hamm’s listeners of sharing with him the resurrection of Christianity in the Soviet Union, a process with which he was intimately involved.

Scope and Content

This fond includes letters written from the Europe and the former Soviet Union to Viktor Hamm sent between 1987–1993.

Geography Areas included:

Siberian Federal District: Altai Krai, Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast (Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug), Irkutsk Oblast (Ust-Orda Buryat Autonomous Okrug), Republic of Khakassia, Kemerovo Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai (Taymyr Autonomous Okrug, Evenk Autonomous Okrug), Novosibirsk Oblast, Omsk Oblast, Tomsk Oblast, and Tuva Republic.

Far East Federal District: Amur Oblast, Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Kamchatka Oblast, Koryak Autonomous Okrug, Khabarovsk Krai, Magadan Oblast, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Primorsky Krai, Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, and Sakhalin Oblast.

Central Federal District: Belgorod Oblast, Bryansk Oblast, Ivanovo Oblast, Kaluga Oblast, Kostroma Oblast, Kursk Oblast, Lipetsk Oblast, Moscow (federal city), Moscow Oblast, Oryol Oblast, Ryazan Oblast, Smolensk Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Tver Oblast, Tula Oblast, Vladimir Oblast, Voronezh Oblast, and Yaroslavl Oblast.

Southern Federal District: Republic of Adygea, Astrakhan Oblast, Chechen Republic, Republic of Dagestan, Republic of Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Republic of Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, Krasnodar Krai, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Stavropol Krai, Rostov Oblast, and Volgograd Oblast.

Northwestern Federal District: Arkhangelsk Oblast, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Kaliningrad Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, Republic of Karelia, Komi Republic, Murmansk Oblast, Novgorod Oblast, Pskov Oblast, St. Petersburg (federal city), and Vologda Oblast.

Urals Federal District: Kurgan Oblast, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Tyumen Oblast (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug), and Chelyabinsk Oblast.

Volga Federal District: Republic of Bashkortostan, Chuvash Republic, Kirov Oblast, Mari El Republic, Republic of Mordovia, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Orenburg Oblast, Penza Oblast, Perm Krai, Samara Oblast, Saratov Oblast, Republic of Tatarstan, Udmurt Republic, and Ulyanovsk Oblast.

Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Ukraine. South: Crimea, Kherson, Nikolaev, and Odessa.

Ukraine. East: Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Lugansk, and Zaporozha.

Ukraine. Central: Cherkassy, Chernigov, Kiev, Kirovograd, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnitsa, and Zhytomyr.

Ukraine. West: Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lvov, Rivne, Ternopol, Volyn, and Zakarpatya.

Custodial History

This fond came to the Centre for Mennonite Brethren Studies in 1994 from Mennonite Brethren Communications (currently Family Life Network).

Notes

  • Volumes 1192–1210.
  • For more information see: Square One World Media series
  • The photographs that accompanied these letters have been removed and are being processed in the photo-database.
  • File description created by Aileen Friesen.
  • Acc. No.: 1994–12.
  • No restrictions.

File List

Volume 1192

  1. Siberia district. -- 1988.
  2. Siberia district. -- 1989.
  3. Siberia district. -- 1990.
  4. Siberia district. -- 1990.
  5. Siberia district. -- 1990.
  6. Siberia district. -- 1991.
  7. Siberia district. -- 1991.
  8. Aileen’s Siberian research.

Volume 1193

  1. Siberia district. -- 1991.
  2. Siberia district. -- 1991.
  3. Siberia district. -- 1992.
  4. Siberia district. -- 1992.
  5. Siberia district. -- 1993.
  6. Far East district. -- 1988.
  7. Far East district. -- 1989.
  8. Far East district. -- 1990.
  9. Far East district. -- 1990.
  10. Far East district. -- 1991.
  11. Far East district. -- 1991.
  12. Far East district. -- 1992.
  13. Far East district. -- 1993.

Volume 1194

  1. Central District. -- 1988.
  2. Central District. -- 1989.
  3. Central District. -- 1989.
  4. Central District. -- 1990.
  5. Central District. -- 1990.
  6. Central District. -- 1990.
  7. Central District. -- 1990.
  8. Central District. -- 1991.
  9. Central District. -- 1991.

Volume 1195

  1. Central District. -- 1991.
  2. Central District. -- 1991.
  3. Central  District. -- 1992.
  4. Central District. -- 1992.
  5. Central District. -- 1993.
  6. Northwestern District. -- 1988.
  7. Northwestern District. -- 1989.
  8. Northwestern District. -- 1990.
  9. Northwestern District. -- 1991.
  10. Northwestern District. -- 1991.
  11. Northwestern District. -- 1992.
  12. Northwestern District. -- 1993.

Volume 1196

  1. Volga district. -- 1988.
  2. Volga district. -- 1989.
  3. Volga district. -- 1990.
  4. Volga district. -- 1990.
  5. Volga district. -- 1990.
  6. Volga district. -- 1991.
  7. Volga district. -- 1991.
  8. Volga district. -- 1991.
  9. Volga district. -- 1991.

Volume 1197

  1. Volga district. -- 1992.
  2. Volga district. -- 1992.
  3. Volga district. -- 1992.
  4. Volga district. -- 1992.
  5. Volga district. -- 1993.
  6. Urals district. -- 1988.
  7. Urals district. -- 1989.
  8. Urals district. -- 1990.
  9. Urals district. -- 1991.
  10. Urals district. -- 1991.
  11. Urals district. -- 1992.
  12. Urals district. -- 1993.

Volume 1198

  1. Southern district. -- 1988.
  2. Southern district. -- 1989.
  3. Southern district. -- 1990.
  4. Southern district. -- 1990.
  5. Southern district. -- 1990.
  6. Southern district. -- 1991.
  7. Southern district. -- 1991.
  8. Southern district. -- 1991.
  9. Southern district. -- 1992.
  10. Southern district. -- 1992.
  11. Southern district. -- 1993.

Volume 1199

  1. Kazakhstan. -- 1987–1988.
  2. Kazakhstan. -- 1989.
  3. Kazakhstan. -- 1989.
  4. Kazakhstan. -- 1990.
  5. Kazakhstan. -- 1990.
  6. Kazakhstan. -- 1991.
  7. Kazakhstan. -- 1991.
  8. Kazakhstan. -- 1991.
  9. Kazakhstan. -- 1992.
  10. Kazakhstan. -- 1993.
  11.  Uzbekistan. -- 1989.
  12. Uzbekistan. -- 1990.
  13. Uzbekistan. -- 1991.
  14. Uzbekistan. -- 1992.
  15. Uzbekistan. -- 1993.

Volume 1200

  1. Central Asia. -- Undated.
  2. Central Asia. -- 1988.
  3. Central Asia. -- 1989.
  4. Central Asia. -- 1990.
  5. Central Asia. -- 1991.
  6. Central Asia. -- 1992.
  7. Azerbaijan. -- 1989–1992.
  8. Armenia. -- 1987–1991.
  9. Georgia. -- 1990–1991.
  10. Central/Eastern Europe. -- 1987–1991.
  11. Western Europe. -- 1989–1991.
  12. Israel. -- 1987–1991.
  13. Canada/United States. -- 1988–1993.
  14. Paraguay. -- 1990–1991.
  15. Unknown Location. -- 1988–1992.
  16. Reception Reports. -- 1987.
  17. Canada Post. -- 1989–1991.
  18. Letters for Aileen’s research. -- 1990–1992.
  19. Letters for Aileen’s Siberia research. -- 1989–1992.

Volume 1201

  1. Belarus. -- 1988.
  2. Belarus. -- 1989.
  3. Belarus. -- 1990.
  4. Belarus. -- 1991.
  5. Belarus. -- 1992.
  6. Belarus. -- 1993.
  7. Baltic. -- 1987.
  8. Baltic. -- 1988.
  9. Baltic. -- 1989.
  10. Baltic. -- 1990.
  11. Baltic. -- 1991.
  12. Baltic. -- 1992.
  13. Baltic. -- 1993.

Volume 1202

  1. Moldova. -- 1988.
  2. Moldova. -- 1989.
  3. Moldova. -- 1989.
  4. Moldova. -- 1990.
  5. Moldova. -- 1990.
  6. Moldova. -- 1990.
  7. Moldova. -- 1991.
  8. Moldova. -- 1991.
  9. Moldova. -- 1992.
  10. Moldova. -- 1993.

Volume 1203

  1. East Ukraine. -- 1988.
  2. East Ukraine. -- 1989.
  3. East Ukraine. -- 1989.
  4. East Ukraine. -- 1989.
  5. East Ukraine. -- 1990.
  6. East Ukraine. -- 1990.
  7. East Ukraine. -- 1990.
  8. East Ukraine. -- 1990.
  9. East Ukraine. -- 1990.
  10. East Ukraine. -- 1990.

Volume 1204

  1. East Ukraine. -- 1991.
  2. East Ukraine. -- 1991.
  3. East Ukraine. -- 1991.
  4. East Ukraine. -- 1992.
  5. East Ukraine. -- 1992.
  6. East Ukraine. -- 1992.
  7. East Ukraine. -- 1993.
  8. South Ukraine. -- 1989.
  9. South Ukraine. -- 1990.
  10. South Ukraine. -- 1991.
  11. South Ukraine. -- 1992.
  12. South Ukraine. -- 1993.

Volume 1205

  1. Central Ukraine. -- 1987.
  2. Central Ukraine. -- 1988.
  3. Central Ukraine. -- 1989.
  4. Central Ukraine. -- 1989.
  5. Central Ukraine. -- 1989.
  6. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  7. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  8. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  9. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  10. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  11. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.

Volume 1206

  1. Central Ukraine. -- 1990.
  2. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  3. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  4. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  5. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  6. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  7. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  8. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  9. Central Ukraine. -- 1991.
  10. Central Ukraine. -- 1992.
  11. Central Ukraine. -- 1992.
  12. Central Ukraine. -- 1992.
  13. Central Ukraine. -- 1993.

Volume 1207

  1. West Ukraine. -- 1988.
  2. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  3. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  4. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  5. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  6. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  7. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  8. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  9. West Ukraine. -- 1989.
  10. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  11. West Ukraine. -- 1990.

Volume 1208

  1. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  2. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  3. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  4. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  5. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  6. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  7. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  8. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  9. West Ukraine. -- 1990.

Volume 1209

  1. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  2. West Ukraine. -- 1990.
  3. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  4. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  5. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  6. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  7. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  8. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  9. West Ukraine. -- 1991.

Volume 1210

  1. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  2. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  3. West Ukraine. -- 1991.
  4. West Ukraine. -- 1992.
  5. West Ukraine. -- 1992.
  6. West Ukraine. -- 1993.
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