Alliance News Issue 2 2019

ALLIANCE

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NEWS

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I S S U E

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Rev’19: Inspiring youth to follow Jesus into the Nation

Pg 04 Around 60 Christian youth were equipped on the biblical mandate for social engagement, sensitised to current social issues and equipped with practical skills to engage with problems.

Interfaith Group Meets

Truth Centred Transformation

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Pg 02 NCEASL Reaches Out to the Grieving Church

Creation Care and Environmental Conservation

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GET IN TOUCH

Leprosy Awareness in Schools A Guide To Emergency Regulations

P.O. Box 113, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka

Churches Register with the CEA

+94115511358

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Badowita Childrens’ Club Celebrate World Environment Day

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School of Church Planters Camp

IN-BRIEF

info@nceasl.org

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facebook.com/NCEASL facebook.com/ADT.Sri.Lanka

Interfaith Group Meets Since 2017, the NCEASL has worked with interfaith groups in 24 districts to raise awareness on leprosy. An interfaith planning meeting was held in the Mannar district, in June 2019. Between April and June, awareness programmes were held in high endemic pockets such as in Trincomalee, Mannar and Nuwara Eliya. The interfaith groups of Matara and Monaragala have conducted leprosy awareness programmes in schools as well.

Truth Centred Transformation The Truth Centred Transformation (TCT) programme equips pastors and churches to spread Christ’s love in their communities.

During the period under review TCT programmes were conducted in Monaragala, Ampara, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Puttalam, Nuwara Eliya and Jaffna. The participants in Puttalam confessed that they had not patronized the Muslim shops after the Easter Sunday attacks. The TCT programme helped them to change their attitudes and reach out to them with love as Jesus commanded.

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Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

"People may do us wrong and attack us, infiltrate us and even hate us. But this will not change us as Christians. In spite of the wrong they do, we will continue to do the right thing. They can hate us, but we will love them. They may want us to react, but we will only act with compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love. That is the essence of our faith and we will live by it."

Godfrey Yogarajah, General Secretary

Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

FEATURE

STORY Rev’19: Inspiring youth to follow Jesus into the Nation Entangled in political turmoil, ethno-religious tensions, and systematic human rights abuse, Sri Lanka continues to be plagued by many social ills. As a result, even after the end of three decades of armed conflict, reconciliation and justice have evaded our nation to the detriment of our people and common future.

Young people are the future of the church and the country. Right thinking, equipped, and inspired youth have the potential to be catalysts for much-needed change in Sri Lanka. Sadly, though, over the years, there has been a dearth of Christian youth engaged in the public square. Moreover, the church too has demonstrated sentiments of indifference and an attitude of passivity in the face of social issues.

In response, during 20-22 June 2019, the newly formed NCEASL Youth wing, organized Revolution’19, a gathering to inspire, equip, and mobilise young people to engage in the public sphere and make a difference in the nation. Accordingly, at Rev’19, around 60 youth were equipped on the biblical mandate for social engagement, sensitised to current social issues, and equipped with practical skills to engage with problems.

During the programme, discussions were held on topics such as our role as Christians in the public sphere, the biblical basis for social engagement, our responsibility toward the nation as Christians, and how we, as Christian youth can become a generation that brings about change in our nation. In addition, workshops were held on advocacy and anti-corruption with the aim of building practical skills in participants to engage with issues. At Rev’19, the participants were also given an opportunity to hear inspirational stories of Christian youth who have engaged in the public square and taken a stand on social issues in Sri Lanka.

This proved to be an eye-opener for many participants who shared that they were inspired to engage with issues. Moreover, at Rev’19 the participants were also introduced to two campaigns launched by the

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Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

NCEASL; MinorMatters, mobilising youth involvement on religious freedom issues and Act Now, engaging young people in the area of democracy and social change.

At the culmination of Rev’19, participants signed up to join the NCEASL Youth Forum for Social Action, a platform that would unite, equip and mobilise Christian youth in the area of social action. Following the programme, many participants expressed that

Godfrey Yogarajah (NCEASL), Savithri Sumanthiran (FOCUS), Noel Berman (Our Daily Bread Ministries), Yamini Ravindran (NCEASL, Attorney-at-law), Prashan De Visser (Sri Lanka Unites/Global Unites), Rev. Raju Bhagwat (Cambodia), Tony Senevirathna (Transparency Intl.), and Raghu Balachandran (NCEASL) spoke at the gathering.

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... many participants expressed that they were challenged to follow Jesus in to the nation to bring about much-needed transformation and renewal.

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they were challenged to follow Jesus into the nation to bring about much-needed transformation and renewal.

Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Leprosy Awareness in Schools

A Guide To Emergency Regulations

The interfaith group in Matara and Monaragala facilitated leprosy awareness programmes for over 200 students of Thelijjawila Central College Matara, Dailawala Central College Monaragala and Baduluwela Kanitu Vidyalaya Monaragala.

The RLC has released a trilingual Guide to Emergency Regulations and Related Issues; - which relates to the current emergency regulations and laws relevant to the church.

Churches Register with the CEA The Ceylonese Evangelistic Association (CEA), which was incorporated by an Act of Parliament, offered a one-day registration service for pastors to register with the CEA. The Missions department facilitated 90 independent churches to sign up as members of the CEA.

Badowita Childrens’ Club Celebrates World Environment Day Eleven children from the Badowita Childrens’ Club celebrated World Environment Day on the 5th of June. They were educated on the importance of being environmentally conscious and were encouraged to reach out and create awareness amongst their communities.

School of Church Planters Camp A three day residential camp was held for 17 church planters and their families from the 25th - 27th of June. These church planters received training and encouragement to reach out to communities in their neighbourhoods amidst hardships.

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Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

NCEASL Reaches Out to the Grieving Church

Following the Easter Attacks, the NCEASL met with His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith and the Pastors’ Fellowships of Mattakkuliya, Wattala, Colombo and Warakapola to discuss how the church could work in unison to respond to the needs of the churches affected by the bomb blasts. Amongst the relief provided were nutrition packs for children, dry ration packs, monetary support for families, medical health care support, bicycles and sanitation facilities for the victims from Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.

Creation Care and Environmental Conservation Since its launch in 2007, the Sanctuary House (SH) has always been conscious of its environmental responsibility. As part of its efforts to go green, SH has planted endemic and fruit bearing trees and is now reaping its benefits. In 2014, SH launched wetland restoration in order to create awareness of the need to protect our environment, especially as SH is located close to the Muthurajawela Wetland Sanctuary.

Alliance News Issue 2 2019. For private circulation only.

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PROJECTS AT A GLANCE MISSIONS • NCEASL representatives met the Pastors’ fellowships of Kurana, North Colombo, Wattala, Warakapola, Colombo, Muthupua, Kandy and Ratnapura.

• Met with His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith following the Easter attacks.

• Attended a press conference and held several meetings with churches to advise on how to respond to the current situation.

• Met with 35 Presidents of the Pastors’ Fellowships to update on the current security situation.

• Prayer warriors mobilised to raise prayers for the nation.

• A total of 90 independent churches registered through the Ceylonese Evangelistic Association.

• 17 church planters and their families attended the School of Church Planters camp (SCP).

• 76 pastors’ children receive ongoing educational support.

• Truth Centred Transformation training programmes were held in 7 districts for 73 people working in the field of missions in Monaragala, Ampara, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Puttalam, Nuwara Eliya and Jaffna.

• An average of 22 pioneering workers were supported.

• Distributed Sinhala and Tamil booklets ‘When Tragedy Strikes’ and ‘After the Disaster’ among churches.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION • Act Now orientation in Nuwara Eliya for 25 youth.

• Relief efforts were carried out with the RnD department towards the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks.

• A fact-finding mission in Katuwapitiya and Kochchikade, field visits and visiting victims of the Easter Sunday attacks.

• Released statements condemning the Easter Sunday attacks and the attacks on the Muslim community in the Kurunegala district.

• 16 incidents against Christians reported between April and June 2019.

• Published an analysis of Restrictions and Violence Against Religious Minorities in 2018.

• Published a handbook on Emergency Regulations for persecuted pastors.

• Conducted a workshop on Religious Freedom and Emergency Regulations for over 40 Pastors.

• Visited Pastors in the Eastern Province who experienced persecution.

• Facilitated a consultation between 13 pastors and a lawyer in Batticaloa.

• Distributed Land, Victim and Witness Protection booklets to Pastors.

• Visited the Human Rights Commission/ Divisional Secretariat / Grama Niladhari regarding complaints made by Pastors.

• Minor Matters – produced 5 testimonial videos. In the process of developing 5 informational videos.

• Media monitoring reports produced on a monthly basis.

• Youth meeting held in Batticaloa on career building.

• Over 800 Bibles were distributed among churches.

• Livelihood grants provided to 5 pastors, 3 pastors were provided with emergency assistance, 5 youth supported through the youth education scholarship, 212 kids supported through the children’s scholarship.

• 4 Christian teachers were added to the grant; currently a total of 50 Christian teachers are being supported.

• Continuous legal support on pending cases

RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT • 15 Interfaith programmes including committee meetings, school and community awareness programmes, and one programme in the prison were held benefitting 969 persons in Mannar, Nuwara Eliya, Trincomalee, Monaragala, Gampaha, Galle, Hambantota & Matara.

• 35 Leprosy awareness Sundays were held in 8 Districts; 2350 persons received awareness.

• 11 children from the Badowita childrens’ club celebrated the World Environment Day • Together with the RLC department relief work initiatives were carried out for the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks.

• 839 nutritional packs were given to children in Saindamarudu, Kalmunai, Colombo and Negombo • Dry rations and financial support will be given to 88 families in Batticaloa, Katuwapitiya and Kochchikade for a period of 6 months.

• 13 bicycles were distributed among Zion church members.

• Sanitation facilities were constructed for 6 patients affected by the attacks.

• Financial support for 95 persons.

• 90 people affected by the attacks in Batticaloa received medical health care support, this includes commode chairs, wheel chairs, beds, mattresses and travel expenses.

• Livelihood support was provided for 01 person in Batticaloa.