Alliance News July-September 2017 by NCEASL

THE NEWSLETTER OF

YOUTH ALLIANCE TO THE FORE

FEATURE STORY

NEWS J u l

S e p

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IN-BRIEF Advocacy Seminar Equips Pastors on Their Rights A Cry Against Dengue World Literacy Day at SH

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Relief for Flood Victims

We were challenged with a calling; to carry a burden to win our nation.

Training Programme on Child Protection

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Support for Volunteer Christianity Teachers

Getting Ready for the Harvest

Building a Sustainable City Gospel Movement

Seminar on Early Marriage

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Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

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Support for Volunteer Christianity Teachers “I consider it a great honour to teach what I know about Jesus to others. Teaching children about Jesus is a service to God” said Christina Mary, a young volunteer Christian teacher from Pinnawala Maha Vidyalaya in Balangoda. The NCEASL held its annual residential camp for 33 volunteer teachers who are supported to teach Christianity in schools where there are no teachers for the subject.

The Alliance Development Trust reconstructed the school hall of the Meegahagoda School in Galle. The renovated hall which was declared open on 1 July 2016, was in a dilapidated state and would leak in the rainy season. “We are happy that we have received your assistance” says Chamath, a student of the school, who with his friends, helped in the construction work. “We were in much discomfort and you have done us a great service.”

Getting Ready for the Harvest Christian leaders and others involved in ministry affiliated to Pastors’ Fellowships across the island, attended a 3 day conference titled ‘2020 Harvest’ held in Anuradhapura. The conference addressed the need to step up discipling and sharing the Good News with those who have not yet been reached. The facilitators, Rev. Asiri Perera, Rev. Vernon Perera and Rev. Michael Dissanayake, addressed over 200 participants on faithful discipleship, the multiplication factor of discipling and on church planting.

Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

FEATURE

STORY YOUTH TO THE FORE The need for a national Christian youth movement among the pastors’ children was long felt. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) recognised that the ideal platform to launch this movement was by using an existing network - the all island pastors’ networks. Thus on 8 July, the NCEASL launched the National Pastors’ Children’s Fellowship (NPCF) with pastors’ children aged 16-30 years who represented the 25 districts and the 9 provinces. The 168 participants who attended the event came from the far corners of Jaffna, Kataragama, Trincomalee and Monaragala to name a few. From the early hours of the day the registration desk at Sanctuary House, the retreat centre of the NCEASL, was open to welcome the youth with refreshments before commencing the day’s proceedings. The objective of the youth movement is to encourage the pastors’ children to be involved in their ministries whilst also being the salt and light in this dark world in order to reach out and win our nation for Christ. As pastors’ children they were reminded that they are highly anointed to carry a mantle of ministry in their lives. The meeting enabled them to find their calling in God’s kingdom. “The decision to go forth and win souls now lies in the hands of your generation” said one speaker. Several pastors who were guest speakers shared their personal testimonies and challenged the participants to be obedient to God’s calling in their lives and make a fresh commitment to serve God.

“We were very happy with the outcome of this inaugural

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If we could unite as pastors’ children, we can be a formidable force to win our nation for Christ

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Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

meeting. The participants understood the need to stand together with their fathers (who are pastors) and be involved and help them in their ministry” said Joel, a committee member of the NPCF. Gayan and his friends from Kataragama were extremely grateful to the NCEASL for organising an event especially for pastors’ children. “We were challenged with a calling; to carry a burden to win our nation” said Gayan and added, “if we could unite as pastors’ children, we can be a formidable force to win our nation for Christ.”

“I have not been too serious with my service for God in the past. I am involved in Sunday school and worship in church, but that is because I am expected to do it as my father is a pastor” confessed Thuthunika. “But today I realised that I had a unique calling as I am a child of a servant of God. Today I made a decision to serve God not because of my parents but because God is sovereign” she said.

Aniston was among the 40 youth that travelled from Jaffna for the youth movement. “We are all pastors’ children. When we came here today we were a bit confused about God’s calling in our lives. After listening to the teachings and the testimonies today it has really helped us to understand God’s will for our lives. We are going back with a lot more understanding and clarity of mind” said Aniston. The youth took part in several indoor and outdoor games which enabled them to get to know each other and make new friends as well as to sharpen their skills of leadership and team building.

Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

NEWS IN

BRIEF

Advocacy Seminar Equips Pastors on Their Rights An Advocacy Seminar was conducted with the participation of 43 pastors from the Batticaloa Pastorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Fellowship. The sessions addressed issues faced by Christians in the East and equipped the pastors with knowledge on their rights when faced with legal issues.

A Cry Against Dengue

World Literacy Day at SH

The ADT conducted a dengue prevention programme at the Muwodora Uyana housing scheme in Thotalanga on 13 August, 2017 with the participation of more than 80 children, youth and adults.

The Sanctuary House hosted 320 children aged 6 to 16 years for World Literacy Day in partnership with the Non-Formal and Special Education Branch of the Ministry of Education, on 7 and 8 September, 2017.

Relief for Flood Victims

Training Programme on Child Protection

In July 2017, the Missions Commission and the Alliance Development Trust reached out to 1,991 families and 612 students who were affected by the floods and landslides in Kegalle, Gampaha, Colombo, Ratnapura, Galle and Matara.

The ADT conducted a training programme in Seeduwa on 26 August for 18 youth and 11 mothers who were instructed on how they could protect children in their neighbourhood from all forms of abuse.

Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

Building a Sustainable City Gospel Movement Tom White and Arthur Thangaiah addressed 40 Christian leaders from different denominations on ‘Building a Sustainable City Gospel Movement’. A city gospel movement impacts the city through the members of the body of Christ, bringing the presence of God’s kingdom into all spheres of societal activity. Participants were encouraged to build prayer teams to seek God’s guidance and intercede in prayer for the overall growth of the body of Christ in their city.

Seminar on Early Marriage A seminar on the negative physical, psychological and social effects of early marriage was conducted on 11 August 2017 in Jaffna. The seminar which was held for 62 government officials and community leaders, included sessions by Criminal Defence Lawyer Mr. Stanislaus Celestine and Dr. Thirumagal Sivashankar of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jaffna. The seminar aimed at empowering government officials to minimise the current dilemma of child marriages and marital rape in Jaffna.

Alliance News July - September 2017. For private circulation only.

PROJECTS AT A GLANCE July-September 2017

MISSIONS AND EVANGLISM • Flood relief distributed to 1,869 families in Seethawaka, Ratnapura, Galle and Matara • National Pastors’ Children’s Fellowship launch attended by 168 youth • Sustainable City Gospel Movement seminar for 40 Christian leaders • ’2020 Harvest’ conference for over 200 Christian leaders • SSTS seminars held in Jaffna, Kalmunai and Peradeniya attended by 440 pastors and youth • ‘10/40 window’ prayer event attended by 96 intercessors • Livelihood support for 4 pastors • Emergency relief support for 2 pastors • Task Force meeting with 28 pastors • School of Church Planting seminar for 30 pastors

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION • Emergency assistance for 6 pastors from Kandy, Minuwangoda, Medirigiriya, Devinuwara and Ingiriya • Support for 5 students from Gampaha, Kandy and Batticaloa through the Kids Ed programme • Support for 230 students through the Evangel Care Scholarship programme • Distribution of 60 Sinhala and Tamil Bibles in the Southern Province • Legal aid for 5 pastors in Weeraketiya, Radawana, Galle and Mannar • Financial assistance and legal advice for 3 Pakistani asylum seeker families • Training camp for 33 Christianity teachers in the Volunteer Teachers Sponsorship scheme from Kandy, Matale, Vavuniya, Hambantota, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee, Jaffna and Ratnapura

• Advocacy seminar for 43 pastors from the Batticaloa Pastors’ Fellowship • 4 legal letters sent out on behalf of 2 pastors and a Christian organisation • 2 letters sent to the Department of Christian Affairs and the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, under the Right to Information Act. Positive responses received from both regarding the 2008 Circular

RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT • Distribution of relief packs among 122 flood affected families and educational material among 612 students • Capacity building training for 28 rural development and development officers in Batticaloa • Leadership and team building workshop for 81 youth in Batticaloa • Continued support for a community poultry farm in Mullaitivu • Dengue awareness programme with the participation of 80 children, youth and adults benefiting 2,000 persons in Thotalanga

• Awareness programme on child protection and understanding children for 29 youth and mothers in Seeduwa • Child protection programme for 22 children in Wellawatte • Nutrition programme for 100 children in Kilinochchi • Leprosy awareness programmes for 1,682 persons from Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Kandy, Gampaha, Colombo, Badulla, Monaragala and Galle

• Leprosy door-to-door survey which was able to identify 16 suspected cases from 264 households in Galle • Anti-leprosy campaign meetings conducted islandwide with 390 steering committee members, faith leaders, Public Health Inspectors and volunteers

• Distribution of 6 wheelchairs in Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna • Awareness seminar on effects of early marriage for 62 government officials and community leaders in Jaffna