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About Latvia:

• A Short History
• Latvian Baptists

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Our ministry in Latvia covers a wide range of activities. There is more work to do here than any mortal human could possibly do. Because of that, it is necessary for each missionary to focus his work in very specific areas. We are fortunate to have a relationship with the Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia and focus the work we do through the Baptist Union and its churches.

It is generally thought that the foundation for Baptist work was established by a Lutheran school teacher by the name of A. Hamburger, around 1847. He began studying the Bible for himself and began asking questions which the established church leadership was not able to adequately answer. While he never left the Lutheran church, he did establish independent Bible studies. Some of the people who later helped start the Baptist movement in Latvia came from these Bible studies.

During the next several years, a number of these Bible studies were established and contacts were made with Baptists in Lithuania and Germany. Finally, in 1860, a group of nine believers went to Lithuania and were baptized in a Baptist church there. These nine came back and formed the core of the first group of Baptists in Latvia.

The next year, in 1861, 72 people were baptized in the city of Ventspils, and established the first Latvian Baptist church.

The Union of Baptist Churches in Latvia is composed of eight different departments.
These are:

1. the Baptist seminary
2. the publishing department
3. the bookstore department
4. the women's department
5. the music department
6. the Sunday school department
7. the medical services department
8. the "British-American Misson"

The officers of the union are:

• Bishop - Andres Sterns
• General Secretary - Ilmars Hirss
• Vice bishop - Ainars Bastiks

In 1996, six new pastors entered the ministry in the Baptist Union. This brings the total of pastors to 80 (13 of which are retired).

* This includes all of the students enrolled in two separate programs. There are 8 in the theological division and 19 in the education division.