In the December/January 2016 issue of Mysterious Ways magazine, Phoebe Love recounts her visit to a small Christian community planted among the mountains of Switzerland and the incredible gift that brought her there. Here’s more on the commune she visited, one that’s still thriving today.
Nestled in the mountains near the south-east coast of Lake Geneva is a tiny community of travelling Christians focused on discovering their faith. They come from all corners of the world, carrying all types of religious baggage – searching for answers and a deeper relationship with God. The place they’ve arrived is one filled with both history and promise – a ministry that began 60 years ago.
In the summer of 1955, noted evangelist Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith opened their home in the Swiss mountains to any curious to hear the word of God. What began as a way to minister to their teenage daughter’s friends soon grew into a community built around the goal of studying the teachings of Christianity and drawing closer to the Lord. They called their budding commune L’Abri – the French word for “shelter.”
Over the next six decades, the organization would grow – producing teachings, materials and students that would influence the Christian community as a whole. Schaeffer would go on to become a best-selling author, giving talks at colleges across America and speaking out on controversial issues later in his career. His daughter, the one partly responsible for L’Abri’s humble beginnings, would take over running the community her father began – one that now caters less to the philosophical skeptics that first entered its doors and more to the disenchanted evangelists and college kids struggling to create a more meaningful relationship with God.
Built on the hope that people would not only be able to escape from the pressures of modern culture but also have a place to question, defend and research their faith, L’Abri brands itself a “Christian Community.” Though open to everyone for any length of time, it offers terms – ranging from 2-3 months – where “students” are encouraged to delve deeper into topics that interest (or frustrate) them.
A typical day at the commune is divided between study time and work time. Work time can mean anything – cooking meals, digging in the gardens, cleaning or maintenance – with study time being the period devoted to listening to lectures, taking notes and meeting with advisors meant to steer students in their course of religious study.
What once began as a missionary couple’s dedication to sharing their faith with young people has grown into a sort of movement. L’Abri “Study Centres” have popped up all over the world – the United States, China, Canada, South Korea and Australia are all home to at least one. Though the type of people coming to L’Abri has changed from when the community first formed, the reason for the organization’s work remains unchanged – to encourage those wandering (or even lost) to find their way back to God.
