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Paweł Bajeński (23 December 1908 – 27 November 1971) was a Polish evangelical activist during the Polish People's Republic. He led the Union of Churches of Christ from 1951 to 1953 and served on the Presidium of the United Evangelical Church from 1953 to 1962. A strong advocate for cooperation among evangelical groups, he faced surveillance and arrest by the Security Service in 1950.
Paweł Bajeński a adăugat o fotografie
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Bibliography Weremiejewicz, Mirosława Regina (2014). Kościół Chrystusowy w Polsce w latach 1921–2006 [Church of Christ in Poland, 1921–2006] (in Polish). Toruń: Duet. ISBN 978-83-62558-81-0.
Paweł Bajeński a adăugat o fotografie
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Paweł Bajeński (23 December 1908 – 27 November 1971) was a Polish evangelical activist during the Polish People's Republic. He led the Union of Churches of Christ from 1951 to 1953 and served on the Presidium of the United Evangelical Church from 1953 to 1962. A strong advocate for cooperation among evangelical groups, he faced surveillance and arrest by the Security Service in 1950.
Paweł Bajeński a adăugat o fotografie
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Paweł Bajeński was born on 23 December 1908 in the village of Chańki, near Milejczyce, to a farming family. In 1915, his family fled to Russia during the mass exile, staying until 1922. There, he completed a Russian gymnasium. Upon returning to Poland, he joined the Churches of Christ and was baptised in 1928 by Jerzy Sacewicz. After military service in 1930, he became a preacher in the Milejczyce region in 1933. From 1934 to 1938, he led the youth group in the Białystok district. In January 1938, he moved to Warsaw, engaging in the congregation led by Stanisław Krakiewicz. In 1941, he became chairman of the Lublin Voivodeship. In 1945, he relocated to Gdańsk, establishing congregations and outposts, including one in Gdańsk itself. A proponent of evangelical unity, he worked with the Baptist Christian Church from 1945 to 1947, serving on its Supreme Council. In August 1949, the Security Service began surveilling him. In September 1950, he was arrested alongside other evangelical leaders. Due to poor health, he was hospitalised for several months. He was released in March 1951. As the first senior leader of the Union of Churches of Christ freed, he worked to reopen sealed chapels, petitioning…
Paweł Bajeński a adăugat o fotografie
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Bajeński was noted for his deferential stance toward authorities. After his 1951 release, he used flattery in correspondence, claiming the Union operated freely under the regime. In November 1952, with Konstanty Sacewicz, he sent a telegram to the Office for Religious Affairs expressing gratitude for "religious freedom", while other church leaders remained jailed. Following Joseph Stalin's death, he wrote that it "cast a shadow of mourning over all progressive nations". Ryszard Michalak suggested Bajeński and Stanisław Krakiewicz followed state directives to merge the Union with the United Evangelical Church. This implied collaboration with the Security Service. Tomasz Terlikowski accused Bajeński of extensive cooperation with authorities. This claim was echoed by Paweł Chojecki. The Union's publication Słowo i Życie dismissed Terlikowski's article as biased. Wojciech Sławiński, after reviewing Institute of National Remembrance archives, found no evidence of collaboration, noting Bajeński was targeted for surveillance. Mirosława Weremiejewicz countered that Bajeński's pre-arrest experience with ecumenical cooperation, including during the German occupation and in the post-war Polish Baptist Church, shaped his approach to unity. Leszek Jańczuk confirmed Bajeński was not registered as an informant. Bajeński's grandson, Andrzej W. Bajeński, stated that Paweł consistently supported evangelical unity, viewing like-minded believers as brothers in faith, though…