From the book's introduction:
Finnish-Russian teamwork around a seminar "Paul Nicolay and his relevance for today" at Monrepos in Vyborg June 2005, and further developments since then.
The lawyer and Lutheran cosmopolitan Baron Paul Nicolay (1860-1919), whose privileged family was close to the Russian Czar, was landlord at the Monrepos Manor of Vyborg. Giving up all plans for a personal career he became an instrument of God building new foundations in society through change in people. ln Finland, then autonomous Grand Duchy under Russia, he received the fond nickname ``shepherd of the clergy". Paul Nicolay was a friend of prisoners, ``izvozchshiks" (horse cab drivers) and fishermen, a champion of social justice.
As the ``right hand man" of Dr. John Mott, head of the World Christian Student Federation, Nicolay was responsible for work of the federation in Eastern Europe, mainly Russia. The 2005 Mon repos seminar was originally initiated by a Russian and backed by friends in Finland.
lt is of interest that the methods and aims of Paul Nicolay were practically identical with those, later on, of Frank Buchman, initiator of the global work of the Oxford Group. The two met in 1913. After World War I men and women trained by Nicolay in Finland invited Buchman to their country and launched the work of the Oxford Group there.
The points below were pririmarily recorded for the sake of our own memories. lt struck us that this link of events deserved the title "String of Pearls".
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