A Swiss national ventures to South America to seek his fortune, but what he finds is God. August 9th marks the fortieth anniversary of the death of District Apostle Rüfenacht of South America.
Religion was not his thing—at least not for the time being. “Due to work, however, I was forced to attend Catholic mass. This forced necessity made me averse to any interest in religion,” he wrote about his time in Italy, when the cheese business had already begun but had not yet reached the desired goal.
Gottfried Rüfenacht was born in Switzerland on 9 January 1899. He was the youngest son. Even at a young age, he had to actively support his parents. Eventually, they were forced to sell their home and “a bitter period of poverty and hardship” began. Out of love for his parents, who were strict Lutherans, he accompanied them to church. However, he had little interest in the village pastor’s sermons.
Every beginning is difficult
After school, he completed an apprenticeship as a cheese maker and tried his luck in Italy, where Swiss cheese was in high demand. In 1921, he followed his dream and emigrated to South America. His beginnings there proved more difficult than expected, as he barely spoke Spanish and as a result lost his job in Argentina.
The struggle for daily survival began. He supported himself with casual labour. It was during this time that he met his future wife. He moved to Uruguay with her and their children in 1930. Here he established himself professionally and opened a cheese dairy. The only reason he visited the Waldensian church next to his factory was for business reasons.
Finding a new spiritual home
Rüfenacht needed advice. Urgently, in fact, because he needed an important recipe for a very special type of cheese, for one thing. The other thing was that cheese making in the humid, subtropical climate of Uruguay was different from that in Europe. So, what could he do?
“My wife knew the daughter of a famous cheese maker in Argentina, a certain Eduard Gantner.” This gentleman agreed to help. He undertook the nearly 600-kilometre journey and stayed for ten days. “During this time, he gave us testimony of the work of redemption as it was in the beginning and as it had been re-established in the apostolic church. It wasn’t easy for me and my wife to believe,” Rüfenacht wrote. But after another visit, all doubts were dispelled.
Evangelising despite resistance
In February 1935, some eighty invited guests gathered at the Rüfenachts’ home for the first divine service. Eighteen of the visitors stayed, and four months later the young congregation in Cosmopolita already had thirty members.
However, from that first “service onwards, I not only had to fight for my daily bread, but also with the many people who were now openly hostile towards us”, Rüfenacht reported. Milk suppliers refused to deliver, his partner turned against him, and the big drop in prices did the rest. Rüfenacht had to close.
A helper in need
Just about two years later, Assistant Chief Apostle Heinrich Franz Schlaphoff came to Uruguay. “In my darkest and most difficult hours, when I didn’t even have my daily bread, he said to me: ‘I also went through such trials, so hold on. God will help you very soon,’” reported Rüfenacht. “And that is exactly what happened. Every word was fulfilled.”
First, however, Gottfried Rüfenacht was not only sealed by the Assistant Chief Apostle Schlaphoff, but he was also made a District Evangelist. Over the next few years, new congregations were established while existing congregations grew. Even churches were built. Further ministries followed, including the Apostle ministry. Then, on 29 October 1950, Rüfenacht was ordained District Apostle for South America. “He tirelessly pushed ahead to expand God’s work. By the end of 1956, the district had grown to 160 congregations, 43 of which had their own churches,” the chroniclers report.
Grateful retirement
District Apostle Rüfenacht retired in August 1957. At a meeting in 1982, Chief Apostle Hans Urwyler expressed his special thanks to the pioneer and pointed out that the many thousands of members in Uruguay are the fruit of his tireless work.
On 9 August 1985, District Apostle Rüfenacht passed away at the age of 86. “He is credited with being the pioneer of the New Apostolic Church in Uruguay. He gave up many things and made great personal sacrifices for his New Apostolic faith.”