June 6, 2000
Dear Friends,
Since our last update the country has plunged deeper
into crisis with the
government declaring a nationwide State of
Emergency. All news pertaining to
the 'crisis' is now censored with the result that
people know very little
about what is really going on in the north. We are
very concerned about all
the people affected by the crisis, especially the
civilians trapped in the
midst of it, in Jaffna. In other parts of the
Northeast, people fear the
consequences of Jaffna falling, expecting that the
crisis will then quickly
spread to their area. All the signs indicate a long
and protracted situation
that shows no signs of being resolved.
Pastors and Leaders gather together
The pastors of Grace Evangelical Church in Colombo,
Brian, Suresh and Ajit,
played a key role in facilitating a conference in
Trinco last week, which
brought together Reformed pastors and teachers from
around the island. Peter
Cresswell of Yatton, UK, and Trevor Smetham, of
Clevedon, UK, addressed the
conference covering many topics including the life
of a minister as a
prophet and shepherd of God. The participants,
numbering about 20-25, were
greatly stimulated and edified. Charles, Nepoleon
and Pradhapan had
the privilege of attending the conference as their
teaching schedules
allowed and found Peter's similarity to Francis
Schaffer in having a desire
to engage and interact with those who hold to a
different theological
position was particularly stimulating and
heartening. Jothy Hoole also
contributed by giving a talk on Puritan devotional
life. Interestingly a
local AOG pastor who attended the session was so
enthused that he
subsequently enquired about English Puritan
literature, and hopes to visit
the BTC library.
Not only were the talks profitable, but also the
many more informal
discussions and personal counseling amongst the
participants, bringing
together a real fellowship amongst the Reformed
constituency in Sri Lanka.
Everyone was eager for Peter and Trevor to return
and continue this ministry
they have begun.
Special Visitors
It was a special privilege for BTC to host a number
of the participants on a
short visit during the conference. Charles, Nepoleon
and Jaqui shared about
different aspects of college life. It became clear
to all how God has so
providentially brought BTC into being against all
odds. Peter and Trevor
were particularly interested and visited the Hooles
and the hostel after the
conference, sharing very rich, warm and precious
fellowship.
Selvaraj and Jancy
Pastor Selvaraj, from Grace and Truth Church, on
Mannar mainland, also
attended the conference, bringing along his wife,
Jancy, who comes from
Trinco, and his two children. He is still very keen
to come and study at
BTC, but his church responsibilities make it
impossible at the present time.
He is endeavouring to train someone to take over
much of the church
responsibilities. Please pray that he will be able
to start in January.
BTC visits Mannar
Grace and Truth Fellowship, Pradhapan and Jeyamary's
church in Mannar town,
have invited Nepoleon and Charles to speak at their
Church Family camp in
August. It is good to see links and fellowship
growing with the Reformed
churches in other parts of the country. During the
visit, they will also
have an opportunity to speak to an inter-church
pastors' fellowship.
Extension Programme in Batticaloa
BTC had already identified Batticaloa as an
important base for extension
education. Having spoken to Rev. Thayaseelan, one of
our advisors and an
Area Supervisor of the Methodist church, he invited
BTC to hold a 3-day
seminar for Christian leaders in the Batticaloa and
Ampara districts, using
the extensive facilities of his church in Kalmunai.
We hope that this will
prepare the ground for further extension programmes
in Batticaloa and the
surrounding area.
The Reality of Life
One of our full-time students, Sivakumar, from the
hill country, did not
return after the April break. We were concerned
since all efforts to contact
him were met with silence. Thankfully, after 3 weeks
we had a phone call and
as we had suspected, he had been through a hard
time. Having taken his wife
away from Mutur, to get away from the LTTE, he found
himself accused of
supporting the LTTE by the Nuwara Eliya Police. As
is the custom for all
Tamils on arriving in a new place to stay or live,
he went with his wife and
child to the Nuwara Eliya Police Station to register
her presence in the
area. (She was going to stay there with his parents
while he made the final
arrangements for his house in Hatton) He was
immediately accused of being an
LTTE supporter and, in front of his wife, was
assaulted by the police and
then detained in jail. He has just been released
after two weeks inside.
This episode is an indication of what it is like to
be a Tamil, particularly
a plantation Tamil (from the tea and rubber estates)
in this country, life
is always precarious and insecure. Please pray for
him and his wife and
child as they recover from this ordeal and try to
rebuild their lives again
and continue the ministry God has given them in
Hatton.
Sritharan and Velu, different experiences
We were expecting two new full-time students this
term. Sritharan, from
Trinco, has joined us and settled in well, forming
good relationships with
the other students. His presence is already
enriching BTC community life,
reminding us of how much we can learn from each
other. However, Velu, from a
refugee camp, north of Vavuniya, has not yet
arrived.
Thank you for your prayers,
Charles
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