The Büro der Molotschnaer Mennonitischer Vereinigung came into being in the Molotschna settlement, Ukraine, Russia, during World War I or the Revolution which followed. Little is known about this organization, which was to give the social, economic, and cultural life of the settlement stability. At the meeting of the Allgemeiner Mennonitischer Kongress in 1917 Johann Willms was the chairman of the Bureau and opened the Kongress in that capacity. The Protokoll of the Kongress gives the impression that the Bureau was well established, had 141 delegates, and that it was instrumental in organizing the Kongress. B. H. Unruh followed Willms as chairman of the Bureau, but little else is known about it. The names "Mennozentrum" and "Zeitweiliges Mennonitisches Zentralbüro" were also used to refer to it.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 1069. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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