A shy librarian,
passionate and humorous
Alfred Félix Vaucher was born and raised in Piedmont, in the Waldensian valleys of Italy.His grandmother was none other than Catherine Revel, the first Adventist baptized outside the United States.
In Alfred’s own words, it was born of a misunderstanding. Her parents divorced just a few months after the wedding. Perhaps even before he was born. In the 19th century, divorce was still a rare occurrence.
Alfred is now nine years old. He understands that God is calling him to enter and work in the Adventist Church. His mother wants him to be better prepared and asks him to wait.
At 13, the call comes back, solemn. So, without consulting his family, he contacted the pastor and asked to be baptized. We’re at the turn of the century, in 1900.
A little later, during a service, he was granted the privilege of commenting on the second part of the first chapter of Daniel. He’s so shy he doesn’t look up from his Bible or look at the audience.
Still too young to be employed by the Church, he studied at Turin’s technical school.
On March 31, 1910, he married Emma and the young couple were sent to Lugano. In August, he receives a call to Italy, which he will visit in September.
The Adventist story in Ticino began with a shy young man who was able to stay for a maximum of five months. But it was enough to light the wick of a candle that still burns today.
Alfred’s story doesn’t end there. He became involved with the Ecole de Formation Biblique, which opened its doors in Collonges-sous-Salève in 1921, after a number of different locations.He was appointed librarian. Books are his great passion. But he was the librarian of an empty library! Everything had to be built. So he places an order. But the director of the seminary tells him there’s not enough money in the budget to fill the order. So Alfred pays out of his own pocket. And so begins the library.
Documentary research and books are Alfred’s passion. Half of his salary is spent on it. So much so, that one day his better half, Emma, serves him a book on a plate with knife and fork, wishing him “Bon appétit!
The beginnings of the “Séminaire
“From the very first years after their establishment in the countries of Latin Europe, the 7th Day Adventists felt the need to possess a missionary school”.
“It wasn’t until 1892, however, that we were able to think about creating an education fund. Until a permanent school was established, Bible classes were held, with encouraging results:
in Peseux, near Neuchâtel (1893-94), under the direction of J. Curdy ;
à la Chaud-de-Fonds (1895), edited by E. J. Waggoner;
in Geneva (1901), then in Paris (1902-03), under the direction of B. Wilkinson.
The property at La Lignière, in Gland (Vaud), was purchased in 1904, and a permanent missionary school was opened the same year in conjunction with a school for nurses. First under the direction of J. Vuilleumier (1904-11), then P. Steiner (1911-17), the Gland school operated regularly, with a brief interruption (1914-1915) due to the war.
Many evangelists and Bible readers were trained during these years.
When the school had to close, a Bible course was held in Nîmes (1919-1920), under the direction of J.C. Guenin, until better days.
Extract from the first bulletin of the Salève Adventist Seminary, 1921.
Buying in Collonges-sous-Salève
“At the Union Committee meeting held in Geneva a year ago [in 1920, editor’s note], it was decided to purchase property in France, with a view to establishing a higher missionary school for the Latin Union.Following this decision, we immediately undertook research to this end. This research continued for months, but to no avail. We visited and examined hundreds of properties in different parts of France. We saw a large number of châteaux. Some were old, damp and unhealthy. Others were magnificent edifices, surrounded by lovely gardens and parks. But they were built as residences and didn’t suit our purpose.However, among these, there were a few that, with certain changes, could have been converted into a school. But the price, ranging from one to five million, was far beyond our means.After several months of fruitless searching, we were beginning to believe that all our efforts would be in vain, when one of our sisters in Paris sent us an advertisement she had read in a newspaper. It said that in a town not far from Geneva, a beautiful furnished hotel would be auctioned off in a few days’ time.A few of us went there at once, and the impression being most favorable, we telegraphed the members of the Union committee to come and join us at once. This was on Thursday, and the auction was to take place the following Monday.That day, we were on site with the majority of the Union committee members, the members of the Léman Conference committee, as well as the heads of our Gland Institution and a number of brothers from the Geneva Church.We carefully toured the hotel and property in question. As the adjacent property, which also includes a hotel, was also for sale, we examined it, and it was unanimously decided to acquire both properties and the surrounding land.”
A.V. Olson, Le Messager, July 15, 1921
That’s how Olson describes the purchase. Everything seems to have been guided by God in the most cordial understanding.
Except that…
Except that the vote needed two rounds. The first vote was one against. In the second, one abstention. This discordant voice was that of Alfred Vaucher. To find out what he thinks, click here to go to the Archives.
Practical info
Campus Adventist Church:
131 Chem. du Pérouzet74160 Collonges-sous-Salève, France.
www.egliseducampus.org
Campus :
33 Chem. du Pérouzet74160 Collonges-sous-Salève, France.
http://www.campusadventiste.edu/
Museum :
The museum covers key aspects of Adventism from 1864 to 1945 in 6 areas. One of the treasures: the belongings of John Nevin Andrews.
Visits by appointment.
Alfred Vaucher Library :
https://www.bibavaucher.net/
To find out more :
Archives adventistes – Alfred Vaucher
Campus Archives
