Contemporary Church Plant in Switzerland Celebrates 10 Years of Growth

Vivo Church recently celebrated a decade of faith and growth in Geneva, Switzerland. As the contemporary church plant in the heart of the city celebrated its 10th anniversary on the evening of Saturday, January 13, members looked back on a spiritual adventure marked by mission, relocation, and Saturday evening worship. 

It is a captivating story of a dynamic community, celebrating its achievements with gratitude and determination to face the challenges ahead, local church leaders said.

The January 13 gathering was a big party, and the members of Vivo pulled out all the stops. In two parts, first with a captivating liturgy, then an evening filled with games and feasting, members and guests shared an infectious joy together, expressing their gratitude to God for this community’s extraordinary journey.
Ten years may seem a short time for a church, but for building a community, it’s a significant period. In 2005, Adventist Church leaders launched “Hope for the Big Cities” at the 58th General Conference Session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, with the aim of extending evangelism into big cities, where the world’s population is growing denser.

Eight years later, in 2013, Geneva members submitted an application for funding. The project was approved, and on January 11, 2014, Vivo’s first service was held. The fledgling community rented a room just a stone’s-throw from Cornavin station, welcoming missionaries from all over Europe for a year, multiplying street activities and events. The first baptism took place that November, marking the start of a series that continues to this day.

After several moves, the church finally found its home in 2022, in the basement of Geneva’s French-speaking church, ideally located just 100 meters from the hospital and near the historic center.

Vivo’s DNA lies in its mission, with one special feature: Saturday evening worship. 

Local church pastor Leandro Lopez, who has been in charge of the community from the outset, explains that “the aim is to enable members of other churches to invite their friends to Vivo while continuing to attend Saturday morning worship in their own community.”

Vivo is looking forward to many more anniversaries like this one, featuring modern worship, poignant testimonies from early members, a video retrospective, and a moment of thanksgiving after the sermon. During the January celebration, the whole evening was dedicated to God, who has paved the way for this community determined to make His name shine on the streets of Geneva for the foreseeable future.

The original version of this story was posted on the French-Italian Swiss Conference news site. Benjamin Calmant is a member of Vivo Church.