Alliance News Issue 3 | 2018 by NCEASL

Equipping Communities to ALLIANCE Respond to Leprosy THE NEWSLETTER OF

FEATURE STORY

NEWS I S S U E

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IN-BRIEF MinorMatters Launch The Timothy Initiative Graduation FIC Launches Sinhala Study Material Increasing Awareness among Pastors

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Missions Strategic Meeting

The second stage of the programme was a doorto-door campaign led by the PHI and conducted with the aim of encouraging villagers with skin anomalies to attend a skin clinic.

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Light of the World: Kids Camp

Church Planters’ Conference

Camp for Volunteer Christian Teachers

Youth Camp

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Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

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Light of the World: Kids Camp A total of 110 children attended the annual Kids Camp organised by the Religious Liberty Commission which was held from 28 to 30 August, 2018 at Sanctuary House, Pamunugama. The campers, who are children of pastors and full-time ministry workers serving amidst persecution and poverty, learnt Christian values and life lessons through the sessions organised for them while engaging in fun activities, games and a talent night.

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.”

Church Planters’ Conference The Missions Commission held a 3 day conference for 23 church planters at Sanctuary House, Pamunugama in August. The participants trained on discipleship as they were challenged to form new groups of disciples, improve their prayer life and balance their ministry and family life. The pastors expressed their concerns over conflicts that arise due to their faith and beliefs as well as their low incomes which restrict their ministry work.

Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

FEATURE

STORY Equipping Communities to Respond to Leprosy Leprosy is curable. Sadly however, due to the societal stigma formed against the illness, leprosy often times goes unnoticed and those affected by the illness are reluctant to seek medication. Responding to this need, the Anti Leprosy Campaign (ALC) of the Ministry of Health together with the Alliance Development Trust (ADT) embarked on an innovative approach of nationwide leprosy awareness. Towards this end, the ALC and the ADT worked in collaboration with religious leaders of Buddhist, Hindu, Islam and Christian faiths. For more than a year, religious leaders have put aside their differences and joined together with the ADT and health workers in reaching the remotest parts of Sri Lanka with this message of hope and well-being. At the southernmost point of Sri Lanka lies the little village of Gandara which is home to a fishing community. As the Matara District has been identified as one of the leprosy pockets in Sri Lanka, the little fishing community of Gandara is at a risk of contracting the illness. Thanks to the support of the inter-faith movement initiated by the ADT in the Matara District, this remote village recently received awareness on leprosy and is now equipped to prevent its spread.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thanks to the successful

partnership between the ALC and the ADT and with support of religious leaders, remote communities such as Gandara are reached with this message of awareness.

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Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

The leprosy awareness campaign in Gandara was conducted in three stages. The first was in the form of an awareness seminar conducted for 45 villagers under the patronage of the Graama Niladhari official and community leaders. The Public Health Inspector (PHI) for leprosy of the Matara District created awareness on the illness, its spread and misconceptions associated with it while the religious leaders of the local places of worship called on the community to dispel the societal stigma formed against the illness and those affected by it. The second stage of the programme was a door-to-door campaign led by the PHI and conducted with the aim of encouraging villagers with skin anomalies to attend a skin clinic. In order to ensure that the entire community is made aware of the upcoming clinic, volunteers from the community together with religious leaders, the PHI and the Graama Niladhari officer, walked in groups throughout the village, reaching more than 250 households. Each household was given a pictogram to help them identify skin anomalies and a notice on the date, venue and time of the upcoming skin clinic.

was held in the village welfare hall at which three people were referred for treatment. Thanks to the successful partnership between the ALC and the ADT and the support of religious leaders, remote communities such as Gandara are reached with this message of awareness. Through this awareness and screening programme, the community of Gandara was made aware of the prevalence of leprosy and its symptoms and the villagers are now willing to help those share the message they received with the neighbouring town of Dondra so that they too can contribute towards minimising the impact of leprosy.

Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

NEWS IN

BRIEF

MinorMatters Launch On 26 July, the Religious Liberty Commission launched the MinorMatters website; a public platform dedicated towards advocating for the rights of religious minorities in Sri Lanka. Visit www.minormatters.org for more information on this initiative.

The Timothy Initiative Graduation

FIC Launches Sinhala Study Material

A total of 56 rural church planters who completed a discipleship making course – The Timothy Initiative (TTI) – graduated on 28 September. This is the third batch to complete the course conducted in partnership with the Missions Commission.

The NCEASL partnered with Freedom in Christ (FIC) Ministries to launch the Sinhala study material in Colombo and Kandy. The FIC course helps God’s people realise their new identity and freedom in Christ whilst growing to be fruitful disciples.

Increasing Awareness among Pastors

Missions Strategic Meeting

An advocacy seminar was conducted among 27 pastors and ministry workers of the Nittambuwa Pastors’ Fellowship on 10 September, 2018 at which they were provided with necessary legal and practical advice on matters concerning their ministry.

Pastors from several denominations met on 26 July to discuss the issues faced by the National Church to reach Sri Lanka for the Lord. Different approaches and strategic initiatives were discussed to accomplish this task in the next decade.

Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

Camp for Volunteer Christian Teachers The RLC supports teachers who volunteer to teach Christianity in schools where there are no teachers for the subject. In September, the RLC conducted a camp for 32 teachers at Sanctuary House from 1-3 September with sessions on being a holistic teacher, how to value a child as a gift from God and the manner in which to structure a class for students in primary and senior grades.

Youth Camp The RLC organised a 3 day camp from 10-12 August at Sanctuary House, Pamunugama for youth leaders across the country. The topics were on peace-building and reconciliation, transitional justice, hate speech, responsible use of technology and social media and advocacy training. Interactive group activities were conducted by experts in these fields. The youth learned how to use puppetry as a medium to address social issues and change the way people think.

Alliance News Issue 3, 2018. For private circulation only.

PROJECTS AT A GLANCE ISSUE 3 2018

MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM • • • • • • • • • • •

Missions consultation with 53 heads of churches, pastors and Christian leaders A seminar on biblical teachings on sex for 85 youth in Kandy and 45 youth in Batticaloa A residential camp for 23 new church planters and their families MBB meeting with 55 persons Freedom in Christ launch of Sinhala study material in Colombo and Kandy attended by 170 Christians in ministry Meeting with the Ratnapura Pastors’ Fellowship Meeting of the Chairmen of the Pastors’ Fellowships attended by 28 chairmen Graduation of 56 church planters who completed The Timothy Initiative discipleship course Printing and distribution of 1,000 copies of Pezhaipura and 1,250 copies of Namaskara magazines Educational support for 81 pastors’ children Support for 35 church planters

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY COMMISSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kalutara, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Ampara, Batticaloa, Hambantota and Kegalle Educational support for 242 children and youth Distribution of 300 Sinhala and Tamil bibles in the Ratnapura District Legal aid for 7 pastors in Radawana, Polonnaruwa, Nittambuwa, Padukka, Katuneriya, Kandy and Negombo Emergency assistance for 6 pastors from Nittambuwa, Colombo, Ingiriya, Avissawella, Kandy and Ambalangoda Legal advice provided for a Pakistani asylum seeker Livelihood assistance for 15 families in the Southern and Eastern Provinces Kids Camp for 110 persecuted pastors’ children Volunteer teachers camp for 32 Christian volunteer teachers 2 advocacy seminars for 54 pastors and ministry workers from Colombo and Nittambuwa Written submission on religious freedom and transitional justice issues made to the 39th Session of the UN Human Rights Council Written submission made to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission on behalf of a Christian organisation in Madampe 7 legal letters sent out on behalf of pastors and Christians in Vavuniya, Ingiriya and Wattala Youth Camp for 30 interreligious youth on peacebuilding and reconciliation Soft launch of MinorMatters web platform

RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT • Training in careers for tourism for 170 youth from Trincomalee, Polonnaruwa, Batticaloa and Ampara at vocational training institutes and workplace training for 11 youth

• 2 business training programmes for 46 persons in Anuradhapura and Kotagala • A medical camp for 200 persons in Mullaitivu • 2 educational interventions for 75 children in Colombo and Batticaloa • • Formation of a village child development committee in Vavuniya • 3 child rights situation analysis workshops in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Hambantota with the participation of 66 children

• 13 art competitions for 360 children in Vavuniya and Trincomalee • Trincomalee, Anuradhapura, Kandy, Kelaniya, Monaragala, Matara and Hambantota

• 2 door-to-door leprosy screening programmes reaching 356 persons in Monaragala and Matara • A skin clinic to detect leprosy in Matara at which 3 persons were referred for further treatment