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Last Updated on :
Saturday, November 22, 2014

 

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Contents|| Preface || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || Thanks || INDEX

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Brethren In Christ
BY ALAN EYRE


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The Nemyrych Family

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PAGE 136

The Nemyrych family was by far the wealthiest and most influential, so far as evidence is available, ever to accept the faith of the Brethren in Christ.

They were Ukrainians. The first we know of, Andrew, was converted from Russian Orthodoxy by his wife. Their son Stephen owned twelve towns and seventy-five villages in the Kiev area and held a high post in the civil service. It is said that he "used his vast wealth and authority to support various projects of the Brethren".287 He built a large ecclesial hall and school in Chernigov. He was lavish in his material and spiritual aid to members in need.

George (1612-1659) was sent to the Brethren's college in Rakow to be educated. He was undoubtedly brilliant intellectually, especially in languages (fluent in about ten!). He became the second largest landowner in the Kiev region. It was not long before his loyalty to the Brethren's principles began to waver. He married a non-member and got drawn into politics. However, during the crisis years following the closure of Rakow, he helped the Brethren to grow and prosper in the Ukraine. In particular, he funded a new academy, albeit short-lived, in Kisielin in the western Ukraine.143

To his credit, he tried "to save the Brethren from annihilation",144 sheltering them on his estates. In 1658, when in his midforties, he apostacized to the Russian Orthodox church. His 'letter of resignation' is lost, but Samuel Przypkowski's reply, which has been preserved, reveals how deeply disappointed the Brethren were. He died in battle the very next year.

 


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