Church life saw a revival of missionary activities both at the national and diocese levels in the last third of the 19th century. The Michael the Archangel Fraternity was founded in Orenburg diocese in 1886 to carry out internal and external Russian Orthodox missions. Fraternity missionary schools provided basic Christian and general education for newly baptized non-Russians as well as non-Christians. Its non-liturgical discussions, public readings and movable libraries were aimed at strengthening conscious religious and moral attitudes of the Russian Orthodox people in the region.