Lausanne is beautifully set on Lake Geneva in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Surrounded by the Jura Mountains, the city enjoys a mild climate—a good destination for Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider, who will be visiting the congregation on Sunday to celebrate a divine service.
Invited to the service are the congregations from the western part of Switzerland—the French-speaking section of the country. Here in the canton of Vaud there is an interesting bit of religious history. Vaud, whose capital is Lausanne, belonged almost exclusively to the Reformed Church until the mid nineteenth century. In religious matters, great importance was attached to independence. The city of Geneva, some 60 kilometres away, had long been a stronghold of the Reformed Church. John Calvin, a theologian, came to Switzerland and advanced the reformed theology of his predecessor Zwingli. Both left their mark on the course of history. It was only in the 1870s that religious freedom was enshrined in the Swiss constitution. This opened the way for smaller religious communities to develop, such as the New Apostolic Church. Today Switzerland is the seat of the head office of the New Apostolic Church International. Zurich is the official seat of the Chief Apostle, the president of the Church.
Early beginnings at the national and international level
Zurich is also the place where New Apostolic history in Switzerland starts. The first congregation, Hottingen, was founded on Pentecost 1895. The Chief Apostle at that time, Friedrich Krebs, made a special trip to officiate on the occasion. Further congregations followed: Sankt Gallen, Basle, and Zofingen. Winterthur, Schaffhausen, and Berne followed a little later. There was continuous growth of the New Apostolic Church in these early years right across the country. The membership in Switzerland has been fairly stable since the year 1970: 35,000 members in 160 congregations.
Friedrich Bock and August Hölzel were the pioneers of those early years. They were young and convinced Christians, who had found a new home in Zurich. Later, both became District Apostles in Switzerland. They and their successors made sure that the New Apostolic teaching was also carried into the Alsace region (today eastern France), Ticino (southern Switzerland), Italy, and Austria. Later, it was also carried into the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Spain. The list of countries cared for by the New Apostolic Church Switzerland today is long: Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Gibraltar, Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Cuba, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
From the programme
Armin Studer, who was District Apostle in Switzerland from 1998 to 2008, was also born in Zurich. Later on, he chose make his home in Geneva. He married his wife, Eliane, in 1966, which is why there will be additional reason to celebrate on Sunday: a double golden wedding. Two couples will be celebrating their golden wedding anniversaries: Armin and Eliane Studer and Bernard and Charlette Meier.
Today, Saturday afternoon, there will be a concert in our church in Montreux. The church was built in 1875 by commission of the Ecclesiological Society. Some one hundred years later, the building was bought by the New Apostolic Church. Meanwhile, the church building has been completely renovated and adapted to meet current needs.
Photo: Samuel Borges – Fotolia