Gottlieb Surer - A song of praise
In 1856 Gottlieb Surer was born in Arisdorf, Switzerland where he attended school. Sadly, as a young man, he often drank alcohol and became an addict. One day, during the time he was working, he felt the impulse to pray. After he had knelt down and prayed, he felt a great joy flood his heart. He did not have another with whom he could talk about the experience, he also did not know about the personnel God. The result was that he continued to depend on alcohol and could not get free from the addiction.
Corps Sergeant-Major Gottlieb Surer
In 1884 Gottlieb Surer got married. His wife realised that each morning he would become drunk. She began to pray for him, but for several years she had to endure life with him using his wages to buy alcohol. His family suffered even though he tried to free himself from his addiction.
Surer hoped, that perhaps a move would help so the family moved to Birsfelden, Switzerland. In Birsfelden, he was invited, by a local member who lived in his area, to attend a Salvation Army Meeting. Surer did not own the proper clothes so, at first, did not attend. But a salvationist lady who saw the need, brought him what he needed.
At the meeting Gottlieb Surer attended, he gave God his life and gave God his needs. He found Jesus Christ and accepted Him as his Saviour and Lord.
This experience changed his life: He was able to conquer the addiction to alcohol and remained sober.
In the beginning he did not want to stop drinking altogether. After work he thought that he deserved 1 or 2 glasses of beer. In The Salvation Army, the members promise not to smoke or to drink. Surer wanted to become a member and so began a hard personal struggle. He fought in prayer for a full release from his addiction.
Musikkorps Birsfelden 1898
Finally Surer felt himself freed from his addiction. He did not only thank his God in private. He praised God at his work place and at home as well as in the meetings of The Salvation Army.
Surer became a great blessing to many. His children named him "a living song of Praise to God".
Surer became the first Corps Sergeant-Major in Corps Birsfelden, a very responsible position. There was no place or time where he would not speak about what God had done for him. He had a great love for others. For over thirty years, until his death in 1920, he worked for Jesus, a recovered alcoholic and a happy man.