Sri Lankan Methodists find hope despite war, tsunami

The Rev. W.P. Ebenezer Joseph, president of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka, addresses members of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries Oct. 10 during their meeting in Stamford, Conn. A UMNS photo by Cassandra Heller.

By Linda Bloom*

STAMFORD, Conn. (UMNS) - The escalation of the war in Sri Lanka has made life very difficult, according to the president of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka.

"Our own congregations are now being displaced from their areas," the Rev. W.P. Ebenezer Joseph, who is based in the capital city Colombo, told United Methodist News Service.

Because of the conflict, which has intensified since a ceasefire collapsed in 2006, at least eight Methodist congregations have been forced to move, along with the rest of their villages.

Joseph, who spoke during the Oct. 8-11 annual meeting of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, also thanked the board and its relief agency, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, for support after the devastating tsunami in late 2004.

"We need your visits to engage us. …We need your prayers, and also we need your support to be involved in international advocacy," he told the board's directors.

The tsunami displaced 16 congregations, destroyed nine churches, and accounted for the deaths of 166 church members, including 22 children who were in a church facility when the tsunami hit.

Afterward, Joseph said, "We were panicking. We really did not know how to respond to that."
Sri Lankan Methodists were grateful for the solidarity of people who came to visit after the tsunami, including two representatives from UMCOR. "Their presence gave us so much strength," he added.

Rebuilding communities
At the invitation of the Sri Lankan church, UMCOR-NGO - the relief agency's nongovernmental organization - set up an office to begin collaborating on relief work. The support from UMCOR and the Board of Global Ministries "definitely enhanced what we were able to achieve," Joseph said.

Those achievements have included the building of 775 new houses, with another 536 under construction and 300 planned in the future. Repairs have been completed on 178 homes, with 85 currently under repair.

The church has two vocational training centers and one handloom center and has restored livelihoods for 2,300 families. Livelihood restoration has been provided for 800 widows.

Nearly 5,000 children have started school again with the church's help. It sponsors three new homes for children, 18 nurseries and one day care center.

A "care for the caregiver" program, which receives support from the Board of Global Ministries, has provided "space for reflection," counseling and financial assistance for pastors, evangelists, church workers and lay leaders.

"Care for caregivers has really lifted up the spirit of the people on the ground," Joseph said.
But the renewed conflict between the rebel Tamil Tigers and the government, particularly in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern provinces, has both slowed down the tsunami recovery and created new needs as people are displaced from their homes.

The impact of war
Joseph said the long years of war have left one in 14 people internally displaced in Sri Lanka. "We had hope, but it was shattered last year, when the war resumed," he added.

The situation also has created new dangers. More than 30 aid workers have been killed in Sri Lanka since November 2005.

Methodists were among the 5,000 people attending the recent funeral of a Roman Catholic priest who was killed while bringing relief supplies to displaced people in the Kilinochchi area.

According to Ecumenical News International, the Rev. Nicholapillai Pakiaranjit often drove between areas controlled by the government and by the rebels in his role as coordinator of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Mannar.

Sri Lankan Methodists also cross the divide in their roles as relief workers and peacemakers. When a community is displaced by war, the congregation follows. "They see the church as a church that is ever present with them," Joseph explained.

"The last person to withdraw will be the church worker," he said.

For now, the peace process has been silenced. "I think the days ahead are going to be challenging," he said. "On both sides, the extremist voices are getting more and more hardened."

Methodists are part of an interfaith effort to start a campaign against violence. On Oct. 19, nearly 500 religious leaders will embark on a five-kilometer march bearing banners that say "Stop the War," according to Joseph.

He also is among those trying to organize a national seminar on peace next February. The event would bring in key figures from other countries where peace was achieved after a long struggle, such as South Africa and Northern Ireland. At the same time, a peace festival would occur in various regions to signal "that people are tired of the war," he added.

Goals for growth, witness
Started in the 19th century by the British Methodists, the Sri Lankan church was the first Methodist church in Asia, according to Joseph. Currently, it has 36,000 members, with 180 churches, 110 ministers and 80 evangelists. With its schools, nurseries and feeding centers, "about 11,000 children come into contact with the church daily," he said.

The official objectives of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka include promoting personal and corporate evangelism; bringing back lapsed members through pastoral care and fellowship; strengthening worship, Bible study and prayer; and using Christian fellowship to promote commitment to the faith.

The church's tsunami work touches upon its objectives of peacemaking and social holiness, which means to "formulate appropriate forms of Christian witness to vulnerable and affected communities and in issues of justice, peace and integrity of creation."

Other goals are to harness existing potentials and resources, train youth and develop leadership, and strengthen ecumenical witness and unity with other churches.

"By the end of this year, every Methodist church in Sri Lanka will share with us their activity programs to achieve these goals," Joseph said.

Additional goals include doubling giving to churches and increasing membership within a two-year period. "We are asking every Methodist to bring another into the saving power of Christ in the next two years," he declared.

Joseph predicted 40 new Methodist churches will open within the next two years.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.