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July 10 - Czechowski's European Mission

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As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. John 20:21.

M. B. Czechowski was an interesting Adventist to say the least. After gaining a mission sponsorship from a first-day Adventist group, he sailed to Italy where he preached Sabbatarian Adventist  doctrines. His departure date was May 14, 1864, a full 10 years before the Seventh-day Adventists would send their first overseas missionary.

For 14 months he worked in the Waldensian villages in the Italian Alps. There he baptized several believers and formed the first Sabbatarian Adventist company outside of North America.

But overwhelming opposition eventually forced him in 1865 to move to Switzerland, where he visited house to house, preached in public halls, printed and sold tracts, and issued a periodical named L'Evangile Eternal("The Everlasting Gospel"). When he departed Switzerland in 1868, he left behind about 40 baptized believers worshipping in several groups.

Not knowing exactly what he was teaching, but assuming that he had been "thrown off" by the Seventh-day Adventists, his first-day Adventist sponsors wzxed eloquent on his virtues and continued to raise money for him "saying with one voice, God, and God be with you."

And go he did, preaching the Sabbatarian message in Romania, Hungary, and other parts of Europe. By the time of his death in Austria in 1876 he had laid the foundations for future Seventh-day Adventist activity throughout much of eastern and southern Europe.

By late 1869 the Seventh-day Adventist Chruch had discovered the nature of his European mission and saw God's providence in what Czechowski had done. At the 1870 General Conference session the denominational leaders specifically ackowledged God's hand in his mission. "In consequence of our fears to trust money with Bro. Czechowski, and our lack of care to patiently counsel him as to its proper use, God used our decided opponents to carry forward the work. . .We acknowledge the hand of God in this."

As we will see in the days to come, Czechowski's mission would directly lead to the sending of J. N. Andrews, the first "official" Seventh-day Adventist missionary, in 1874.

Gradually and reluctantly the seventh-day people were waking up to the extent of their mission. But they didn't seem to be in much of a hurry.

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It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12, margin) (COL 69).
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