With great joy we celebrated the 75th anniversary of CEF ministry in Switzerland in Rüti (near Zurich) on 13 September 2025.
Almost exactly 75 years earlier, Agnes Martens (later Hofmann), a Canadian missionary, obtained her visa after facing significant challenges. The consular official could not understand why anyone would want to reach children in Switzerland, of all places, when there is already a church in practically every village.
Seventy-five years later, many grateful friends came together to celebrate CEF’s ministry in their country. They testified to the great blessings God has brought through it.
The theme of the day was ‘Called by God‘. Michael Putzi, a Swiss preacher and evangelist, in his sermon on John 4 emphasised the importance of preaching the gospel, in particular to children.
Claire Bain passed on greetings from CEF Europe. Drawing from CEF’s rich history, she showed the blessing of accepting God’s call to be or support a missionary. One of her key statements was: “By human logic, we might say that it is better to invest locally and not send missionaries to other countries. However, this is not God’s way.’
The afternoon was filled with presentations about how God is working today.
Stephen Chambers shared the latest news and highlights from his area in Northwest Europe. Daniela Allenspach, a Swiss CEF staff member, spoke about what God is currently doing in Switzerland.
The programme included presentations and testimonies from Galina Klat (Education Department), Stefano Avvisati (CMLC 2024 student), and Joel Hildebrand (CEF Germany). These gave the large audience a wonderful insight into how CEF works and what we offer.
Gerd-Walter Buskies, the vice chairman, led the programme and acted as a translator for the international guests. We were hosted by Andi (the chairman of CEF Switzerland) and Sarah Wagner’s church. The team there made us feel very welcome.
We thank God for the great blessing on this day and pray that it will have a lasting impact. We also ask that the Lord use what we have heard to call workers—especially a leader—to serve with CEF Switzerland.
