Guenin, Jules-Henri (1836–1918)

Jules-Henri Guenin, a Swiss watchmaker and farmer, discovered the Sabbath before meeting Michael B. Czechowski in 1866. He became a founding member of the first European Seventh-day Adventist church and remained a regular church member, passing away in 1918.

Early Life and Education

Jules-Henri Guenin was born on September 12, 1836. He married Marianne Beguelin on May 1, 1862, and together they had seven children. His brother-in-law was an elder in the Free Church, while Guenin, a watchmaker and farmer,¹ was a member of the National Church.² As a result, he was in an environment that questioned established institutions. In 1905, Jules-Henri shared his personal testimony in Le Messager, the official publication of the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

When I read the holy Word of God, particularly the Epistle to the Hebrews, I repeatedly encountered the sanctuary and its services. Since this subject was obscure to me, I often thought: There are still many things in the Bible that remain unclear… Recalling the Lord’s words in Luke 12:32, I searched among the churches to find where this little flock might be.³

Meeting the Sabbath before Adventism

Guenin was part of a separatist group of about fifteen young people who gathered to study the Bible. Albert Vuilleumier often joined this group, suggesting they were already acquainted. Through their discussions, they concluded that baptism should be performed by immersion in adulthood and that the only “set-apart day” was the Sabbath. Guenin suggested they observe the Sabbath, sparking a long and tense debate. Not satisfied with the group's arguments, Guenin sought confirmation from God while caring for his livestock. He later recalled seeing the fourth commandment written in golden letters on his barn wall. Still uncertain, he asked for a second sign, praying that he might see a wild animal the next morning. When a fox appeared in front of his house, he felt convinced and decided to observe the Sabbath, spending the day in the woods. His wife, also troubled, spent the night searching the Bible for passages supporting Sunday observance. Finding none, she too accepted the Sabbath.⁴

Meeting Adventism

Guenin met Michael B. Czechowski in the summer of 1866. Before coming to Switzerland, Czechowski, an independent missionary, had spent 14 months in the Vaudois Alps and Italy. In 1865, he decided to move his mission station to Switzerland, motivated by financial needs and his goal to establish a printing operation. Upon his arrival, Czechowski organized his first baptism on February 7, 1866, followed by a second on August 19, 1866, during which a man known as “Father” Hanhardt was baptized. Hanhardt then became a colporteur for Czechowski, traveling to Tramelan as part of his mission. He likely promoted Czechowski’s new publication and sold subscriptions. According to his own account, Guenin was already a subscriber when Czechowski arrived. After meeting with Czechowski, Hanhardt recommended that the missionary visit Tramelan, as several people there were interested in his message.⁵ When Czechowski arrived in Tramelan, he quickly organized several meetings, including a public one at the local school. It was at this gathering that Guenin met Czechowski for the first time. According to Guenin’s own testimony, during their conversation, Czechowski realized that Guenin was already observing the Sabbath.⁶

Michael Czechowski stayed in Tramelan for several days, making trips between his home and the village.⁷ Along with other families in Tramelan, including the Vuilleumier and Dietschy families, Guenin and his family decided to form a Sabbath-keeping group by New Year’s Day 1866.⁸ Between July 20 and September 15, 1867, he was baptized during one of the three baptismal sessions held in the summer of 1867, during which 15 residents of the commune of Tramelan were baptized by Czechowski.⁹ On September 15, 1867, Vuilleumier was ordained to the ministry, and Guenin and Jules-Etienne Dietschy were selected to serve as deacons. By this date, the Sabbatarian Adventist community of Tramelan, which would later become the first Seventh-day Adventist Church in Europe, had been fully established.¹⁰

Between January and July 1868, Vuilleumier discovered a copy of the Review and Herald in Czechowski's vacant room and started correspondence with the Adventist Church leaders in the United States.¹¹ This led to a breakdown of trust between Czechowski and the Adventist community in Switzerland.¹² In 1869, Czechowski left Switzerland, and the Adventist community had to work without a shepherd.¹³ Nevertheless, worship services continued in Tramelan during this period. Guenin discussed prophecies, Vuilleumier led a Bible study or read from the Review and Herald, and Dietschy spoke about Jesus or the Christian experience.¹⁴

On November 29, 1872, Vuilleumier, Dietschy, and Guenin wrote a letter to the General Conference, formally requesting the appointment of a missionary. They explained that the letter was written at the request of the entire Adventist Sabbatarian community, which had met earlier in La Chaux-de-Fonds. With the General Conference scheduled for March 11, 1873, they hoped to take this opportunity to have their appeal heard.¹⁵ John N. Andrews was sent to them in response to their urgent request. He arrived in Switzerland in 1874 and began working with the members of the Tramelan community and other regions.

Later Years

Jules-Henri Guenin seems to have remained a lay church member, unlike his two counterparts, Albert Vuilleumier and Jules-Étienne Dietschy, who pursued careers in church administration and ministry. Guenin passed away in January 1918 in Tramelan.¹⁶

Sources

Periodicals

Czechowski, Michael B. “Notre journée.” L”Évangile Éternel, September 5, 1866; September 12, 1866; September 19, 1866; October 10, 1866; October 17, 1866; January 9, 1867.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Avis.” L”Évangile Éternel, December 31, 1866.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Mission.” L”Évangile Éternel, May 22, 1867; June 12, 1867; July 12, 1867; July 26, 1867; August 9, 1867; August 16, 1867; September 20, 1867

Czechowski, Michael B. “From Br. M. B. Czechowski.” Voice of the West, January 15, 1867.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Letter from Switzerland.” Voice of the West, February 12, 1867; August 28, 1867.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Our European Missionary.” Voice of the West, October 1, 1867.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Mission Letters from Switzerland: Number Eighteen.” World Crisis, September 25, 1867.

Czechowski, Michael B. “Mission Letters from Switzerland: Number Nineteen.” World Crisis, October 23, 1867.

Magazine articles

De Prato, Anna. “Origine du “sabbatisme” ou plutôt de l”Adventisme du septième jour en Europe.” Revue Adventiste, December 1, 1922.

Geymet, Jean-David. “Petits commencements: 1re partie.” Revue Adventiste, May 1, 1922.

Guenin, Jules-Henri. “Les premiers jours du message à Tramelan.” Le Messager, May 1905.

Roth, Gustave. “Débuts de l”adventisme en Europe.” Revue Adventiste, April 1, 1937.

Vuilleumier, Jean. “Souvenirs intéressants sur l”origine du message adventiste en Suisse.” Le Messager, June 1905.

Vuilleumier, Jean, “Débuts de l”œuvre en Europe et dans l”Union latine.” Revue Adventiste, September 1, 1924.

Vuilleumier, Jean. “Premiers jours de l”œuvre en Europe [partie 1].” Revue Adventiste, May 1, 1939.

Vuilleumier, Jean. “Premiers jours de l”œuvre en Europe [partie 2].” Revue Adventiste, May 15, 1939.

Vuilleumier, Jean. “Premiers jours de l”œuvre en Europe [partie 3].” Revue Adventiste, June 1, 1939.

Vuilleumier, Jean. “Premiers jours de l”œuvre en Europe [partie 4].” Revue Adventiste, June 15, 1939.

Books

Vaucher, Alfred. M.-B. Czechowski. Collonges sous Salève: FIDES, 1976.

Waber, Karl. Streiflichter aus der Geschichte der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten in der Schweiz 1865-1901. Zürich: Advent-Verlag, 1995.

Notes

1. Jean Vuilleumier, “Premiers jours de l’œuvre en Europe [partie 2],” Revue Adventiste, May 15, 1939, p. 9.↩

2. In Switzerland, since the Reformation, church and state have not been separated. In the Bernese territory context, the National church is Protestant, rooted in the Calvinist-Zwinglian tradition. The early 19^th century was a tumultuous period for religion in Switzerland. The first Revival in Geneva began in 1815, and in 1845, the Free Church of the Canton of Vaud was established, separating from the National Church. This new organization start sending missionary to other French-speaking Canton and establish some churches separate from the National Church. Historians refer to the religious movements within Swiss Protestantism during this period as “fractures” (i.e. a rift). For further reading, see Jean-Pierre Bastian, Christian Grosse, Sarah Scholl (éd.), Les fractures protestantes en Suisse romande au XIXe siècle, Genève, Labor et Fides, 2021.↩

3. Jules-Henri Guenin, “Les premiers jours du message à Tramelan,” Le Messageer, May, 1905, 59.↩

4. Ibid., 10.↩

5. The first and second baptism sessions are documented in mission reports sent by Michael B. Czechowski to the Adventist periodicals Voice of the West and World Crisis. See Michael B. Czechowski, “From Br. M. B. Czechowski,” Voice of the West, March 20th, 1866 and “Mission letters from Switzerland : Number Five,” World Crisis, March 14, 1866. There are differing opinions regarding Czechowski's arrival in Tramelan. Anne de Prato identifies Mrs. Borle as the person who directed Czechowski to Tramelan (Anna De Prato, “Origine du ‘sabbatisme’ ou plutôt de l’Adventisme du septième jour en Europe,” Revue Adventiste, December 1, 1922). Jean Vuilleumier mentions the "friends in La Chaux-de-Fonds," which could refer to either the Borle family or the Hanhardt family (Jean Vuilleumier, “Premiers jours de l’œuvre en Europe [partie 2],” Revue Adventiste, May 15, 1939). Jean-David Geymet mentions “Father Hanhardt… as he was well-acquainted with the Jura” (“Petits commencements : 2e partie,” Revue Adventiste, May 15, 1922). A third scenario, in which a colporteur is asked to meet the author of the books they distributed, seems the most likely. This is because Czechowski mentions that upon arriving in Tramelan, he met both Jules-Étienne Dietschy and the village mayor, who was also Jules-Étienne’s father-in-law (“Notre journée,” L’Évanglie Éternel, September 5, 1866).↩

6. It is Jean Vuilleumier who reports this dialogue, after conducting research on the beginnings of Adventism (Jean Vuilleumier, “Premiers jours de l’œuvre en Europe [partie 2],” RA, 15 mai 1939, p. 10). However, he places this event in a different context. According to Vuilleumier, the first meeting between Guenin and Czechowski took place in front of the door of Guenin’s farm, rather than after a conference. However, Guenin asserts that he did not meet Czechowski until Sunday, September 2, 1866. It is likely that, once in Tramelan, the missionary editor took the time to visit his subscribers and then came across Guenin. The dialogue reported by Vuilleumier most likely reflects a past experience, rather than being an exact transcription of reality. The personal background of Jules-Henri Guenin may suggest that such an exchange could have taken place, as he had discovered the Sabbath before meeting Michael B. Czechowski.↩

7. In his periodical L’Évangile Éternel, he regularly mentions Jules-Étienne Dietschy. This is also the case in his report sent to World Crisis. See “Notre journée,” L’Évanglie Éternel, September 12, 1866, September 19, 1866, October 10, 1866 and October 17, 1866, “From Br. M. B. Czechowski,” Voice of the West, January 15, 1867.↩

8. Czechowski’s journey in Tramelan and mission efforts in the region are documented by Czechowski in his own periodical L’Évangile Éternel. See Czechowski, Michael B., “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, September 5, 1866, “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, September 12, 1866, “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, September 19, 1866, “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, October 10, 1866, “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, October 17, 1866, “Avis,” L’Évangile Éternel, December 31, 1866, and “Notre journée,” L’Évangile Éternel, January 9^th, 1867.↩

9. Without being able to determine with certainty who was baptized and on what specific date, it seems justified to assert that the following individuals were baptized between July 20 and September 15, 1867: Jules-Henri Guenin and his wife, Sophie and Jules-Étienne Dietschy, Albert and Wilhelmina Vuilleumier, Édouard and Lina Vuilleumier, Luc Vuilleumier, and Abel Vuilleumier and his wife. Michael B. Czechowski, “Letter from Switzerland,” Voice of the West, August 28, 1867 mentions that three individuals from Tramelan were baptized on July 20. According to Voice of the West (“Our European Missionary,” Voice of the West, October 1, 1867) and World Crisis (“Mission Letters from Switzerland : Number Eighteen,” World Crisis, September 25, 1867) eight more individuals from Tramelan were baptized on August 3. It is known that Albert Vuilleumier was among those baptized on this date. Finally, according to World Crisis (“Mission Letters from Switzerland : Number Nineteen,” World Crisis, October 23, 1867), tfour residents of Tramelan were baptized on September 15.↩

10. “Our European Missionary,” Voice of the West, October 1, 1867 and “Mission Letters from Switzerland : Number Eighteen,” World Crisis, September 25, 1867.↩

11. The only factual sources that exist about this historical event, is a letter sent by Czechowski to Vuilleumier (Michael B. Czechowski to Albert Vuilleumier, July 5, 1868, DP02. Historical Archives of French-speaking Adventism, Collonges-sous-Salève, France).↩

12. Karl Waber, Streiflichter aus der Geschichte der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten in der Schweiz, 1865-1901. Zürich: Advent-Verlag, 1995, 36‑48 and Jean Vuilleumier, “Souvenirs intéressants sur l’origine du message adventiste en Suisse,” Le Messager, June, 1905.↩

13. “Letter from Hungary: My Labor,” World Crisis, March 31, 1869.↩

14. Jean Vuilleumier, “Premiers jours de l’œuvre en Europe [partie 4],” Revue Adventiste, June 15, 1939.↩

15. Albert Vuilleumier, Jules-Etienne Dietschy, Jules-Henri Guenin, “Bien aimés frères en notre Seigneur Jésus !,” November 29, 1872, General Conference Archives, box 13721D.↩

16. Ulysee Augsbourger, “Jules Henri Guenin, obituary,” Le Messager, February-March 1918, 19.↩