L’Abri Fellowship began in Switzerland in 1955 when Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their home as a place where people might find satisfying answers to their questions and a practical demonstration of Christian care. It was called L’Abri, the French word for “shelter,” because they sought to provide a shelter from the pressures of a relentlessly secular 20th century. As time went by so many people came that others were called to join the work, and more branches were established.