PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO

SRI LANKA METHODIST

 CONFERENCE 2005

Biblical Reflection

The Gospel of St Luke  17: 1-5

Jesus said to his disciples occasions for stumbling are sure to come but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.  Be on your guard! if another disciple sins you must rebuke the offender and if there is repentance, you must forgive.  And if some peerson sins against you seven times a day,  and turns back to you seven times a dayand syd 'I repent' you must forgive. The apostles said to the Lord, 'increase our f aith.

 The Christian community is a community of faith. We ae justified by faith by the grace of God. We  are reconciled unto our Master and Friend our Lord Jesus Christ by faith. Faith is the essence of a Christian life. The Church without faith is as good as a secular institution that depends totally on its human and financial resources.  The distinctive hallmark of the christian or the community of God's people is that they live and e nourished by faith

Faith by a biblical perspective cannot be confined to a doctrine or a set of beliefs. It is  neither an intellectual activity nor a feeling in the mind.  It is not forcing oneself to accept something that is irrational by force. Such an expression of faith is nothing but a mere philosophy which could be described as a blind man in a dark room  searching for a black cat which is not there. the New Testament's expression of faith is a concrete manifestation of a way of life in a concrete social situation. The doctrines beliefs the expositions etc. are which flows from this actual manifestation.

We are all familiar with the account of the healing of a paralytic by our Lord Jesus Christ. (St Mark 2: 1-9)  As the paralytic is brought down by  removing the roof of a stranger's house, faith was manifesting in concrete action.  Jesus sees the faith of not the paralytic but the faith of the people who brought   him to his feet.

 Chapter 2 verse 5 reads as follows  :"When Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic :"Son your sins are forgiven"

Here is faith manifested in a real life situation.  It was not a faith in relation to one's own selfbut the faith in relation to the"neighbour"/"the other"

One of the important thrust in the New Testament is the manifestation of the faith in the Christian in relation to the other and not in relation to one's won self. Therefore if the Church claims to have faith in Christ, it has to be involved in the concrete realities of our won time where our own  faith takes manifestation in biblical actions. This needs to be  in relation to the other our neighbour, our  friend, our society, our nation.  Neither  a Church nor a Christian cannot to claim to have faith and withdraw from the world or attempt to leave in a self created vacuums. The faith that does not find manifestation is nothing but the belief in doctrines or theories that God is not interest ed in.

Faith is neither    nourished nor blooms into fullness if the context we are placed in is a smooth one. We are all aware of the story when Jesus crossed the lake of Galilee to go to the country of Gerasenes with his disciples (Mark 4:353-41) There was an unexpected storm and the disciples were perishing. They woke up Jesus and he calmed the wind. Then comes the crucial Jesus asked them "Why are you afraid ?  Have you still no faith ?" (verse 40)  It seems that Jesus wants the manifestation of faith to take place when we are caught in stormy situations.  Faith here is not seen as an activity within the mind or an interaction of our intellect in our brains.  The way Jesus poses the question he challenges the disciples to act out their faith. The fact that Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith was asleep clearly tells us  faith is not a magical formula for stormy situations  Just because you have it, things don't resolve. Faith was not also seen in the cries of the disciples saying they are  perishing and asking God "Do you not care"  The crux of Christin faith is the manifestation in action in visible reality and not just groaning, complaining and giving up.

We in Sri Lanka in the present moment live  in a stormy situation. The ethnic conflict is a horrendous storm that continues to torment us. The cease fire agreement may have silenced the guns and the bombs that destroyed life; however, hatred, the fear, the suspicion and the mistrust among communities to grow. Violence always seems to have the final say. When the storm will subside is the question that haunts every mind. Amidst this storm we also witness increasing mistrust and tension between religious communities. This storm seems to continuously aggravate in its intensity and the potential power, capable of destruction. The storm of poverty continues to gather momentum. Too many  of our own brothers and sisters live in acute poverty. Amidst all  this as a country we had experience of the Tsunami another natural manifestation that adds to the stormy condition in which are placed.

It is abundantly clear that are no magical formulas to solve them. If we claim the inheritance of belonging to the community of faith then we cannot cry like the disciples "We are sinking. Are you not bothered about us?"  But  it is a historical moment when the faith needs to manifest amidst these sad realities.

All these situations reflect he sad reality of broken human relationships.  The ethnic conflict, he religious tensions, the poverty and he long term consequences of Tsunami and the scandal of denominationalism, all point to one reality that relationships are strained and fractured in every sphere of life. People go in hurting each other which leads to mistrust and fear.  People go on dominating each other which leads to stress and strain. People continue to accumulate not only wealth but power and authority which results in a large majority of people being silenced and marginalized. This sad scenario of fragmentation and brokenness is seen in every sphere of human activity, the family, the community, the nation and even sadly the Church.

Restoring relationships seems to be the urgent need of the hour. Relationships within families  within and between ethnic communities, within and between religious communities and within and between various Christian communities. Restoring relationships has to be as an essential ingredient of Christ redemptive act, which needs to manifest the lives of everyone ho claims to  have been justified by faith through the grace of God (Eph 2:8)  The biblical passage read today is a passage that talks about the manifestation of faith in the sphere of of reconciliation.  The first few verses talk about what happens within , the challenge is very clear.  Jesus beckons his disciples not to be a stumbling block to another.  If we as the community of faith have greater loyalty to our own identities based on ethnicity, religion, denomination, cast, clan, class then to God, we are definitely a stumbling block in the process of reconciliation and restoring human relationships.

St Luke 17: 2 reads as follows :"It would be better fr you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you ere thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little one of these little ones to stumble.

Therefore you begin with a search within, and then the next challenge that Jesus puts to his disciples is to forgive.  Forgive not once or twice but even if the offender comes back you, seven times within a day. Jesus sets neither conditions nor limits to forgive. It is precisely because of this characteristic of God that we are forgiven and restored in relationship to God.  In forgiveness begins reconciliation. In forgiveness begins restoration. In forgiveness barrieers are broken dividing walls are pulled down and fragmentation healed.

It is interesting to read the response of the disciples to this challenge of Jesus (veers 3)  The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith", which obviously mean a person claiming to have faith is essentially a forgiving person, a reconciling person. It is pretty obvious that forgiveness i needed where there is hurt.  Reconciliation is needed where there is division. Forgiveness and reconciliation become the outward manifestation of our faith.

In stormy seas, faith needs to manifest. We are not called to complain that we are drowning: e re not called to be stumbling  blocks; we are not called to withdraw as sleeping partners. Active manifestation in the concrete Sri Lankan reality is the challenge for the Church today.  We need to act we are not called to wake up God and say "Why art thou sleeping, while we are sinking ?"  Martin Luther King once said   "We must lean that, to expect God to do everything while we do nothing is not Faith but superstition.

The Church needs to take this risk and immerse within the concrete reality. we need to trust God ad face the stormy weather. We could be misunderstood, e could be ridiculed, we could be laughed at but we have no option but to be visible witnesses of God' forgiveness and reconciliation. We need to recapture and redefine the core of our faith.  The only sign that the people called Methodists have faith ini God is when they are willing to pay the price to reconcile broken human relationships Faith is not jumping to conclusion. It os concluding to jump.

Introduction and Welcome

I wish to thank everyone of you for the confidence placed on me in conferring this noble responsibility of being the chief Shepherd of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka. I depend on the support of everyone gathered here and your continuous prayers for God's grace and wisdom to fulfill the responsibility entrust ed to me. I is not only me, but my wife Pathmini, my son Meshach and my little daughter Hadsa, too needs to be upheld in your thoughts and prayers

It is with a great sense of joy and pleasure hat I extend a warm welcome to every one of you assembled here, to this opening session of the Annual Methodist Conference 2005. A special word of welcome to Mrs Alison Judd who is representing the British Methodist Church and Rev Leslie Judd, Mrs Judd is the President of the "Network', the coordinating body of the Women's work of the British Church.

We are also happy to welcome Rev Wolfram Eichler representing the Dortmund Mitte Nordust Circuit in Germany and Mrs Eichleer. The partnership with the Dortmund circuit has grown over the years. Mutual learning and addressing many social issues from a common platform are distinctive marks of this wonderful relationship.   We are also happy to have Mrs Imtraut Webber who is a livewire  in the partnership we have with Dortmund.  She had always been with us in Sri Lanka both during happy times and sad  ones.

It is a privilege to haven the presence of Bishop So Hwa Choong from Korea. we appreciate his presence with us and cherish the partnership we have with the Korean Methodist Church in the outward manifestation of our faith and witness.

We recognize with happiness the presence of our Ecumenical partners here present with us specially Rev Dr Jayasiri Peiris, General Secretary of NCC, Mrs Kanthi Roopasinghe, National General Secretary of YWCA and Mr S Vijayakulasingham Deputy  National Geneeral Secretary of YMCA. The Methodist Church is  ever committed to be together in the important Ecumenical pilgrimage and your presence at this moment strengthens this our conviction

We also joyfully acknowledge Bro Freddy Joseph, a gifted singer and precher who is committed to minister specially in the rural areas of Sri Lanka every year in partnership with our Church.

We are indeed proud and happy to have the present of Rev Somasiri K Perera, Rev Duleeo R Fernando and the Rev  A Noel P Fernando three of our past Presidents and all our Vice Presidents who are here with us today. Your presence is an affirmation of the wonderful life and witness of the people called Methodists here in this island handed oveer from one genereation to another.

The Rev A Noel P Fernando

As we begin this annual  Conference we wish to extend our sincere appreciation to Rev A Noel P Fernando for the splendid leadership given to the Church during his tenure as the President. We recall with gratefulness to God the marvelous ways that he steered the Church, especially in the last year as he had to respond to many faceted challenges especially due to the Tsunami.  He shouldered he burden to make the witness of the Church a relvant an authentic one. He neveer withdrew in times of problems and challenges but always wanted to witness to the love of God to all people at all time.

Rev Noel, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to have worked with you so closely for the past twelve month. You were never carried away by praises nor shaken by criticism.  You gave your best to respond to the numerous challenges that came one after the other, especially in issues related to the ethnic conflict, legislation to prevent conversions the Tsunami and the difficult pilgrimage in the Ecumenical arena. we also appreciate the support extended by Asoka in fulfilling all her responsibilities in a quiet and amicable way. May God bless both ad your children and enrich your future ministry.

Some trends in the contemporary mission of our Church

The Methodist Church has continued to fulfill its obligations to the proclamation of the Gospel   in many parts of the island , fulfilling the mandate it had inherited since the time of its inception.  We are proud of the Ministers and specially the Evangelistic workers who have undertaken this challenge in spite of the opposition and obstacles they had encountered. We salute them for their courage and faith to proclaim the Gospel both in season and out of season.  The proclaimed word has obviously brought about the desired results.

The Church is equally committed to fulfill its mandate to draw people into a sphere of social holiness thereby fulfilling its responsibility  in the society. It has to take serious note of the contemporary social issues such as privatization not only of business ventures but also of education, protection nof our natural resources, combating the ever increasing crime and violence, alcohosim, gambling, drugs, etc.

In the tyical Methodst tradition the commitment to our evangelical faith and call for social holiness - tht is the quest for justice, peace and non-cviolence is mutually complementary and inter dependent.  We need to make sure that this complementary relationship is always upheld in spite of the dialectrical tensions that may arise.

As we meet at this Conference and analyse the various reports and statistics, it is important we do not get carried away with numbers - the number of houses we build, the number of children under our care, the number of boats we rebuild the number of relief packets to be distributed, the number of baptisms we have had, the number of converts etc. We need to move beyond quantity and focus our attention on the quality of what we have done.  Our God des not depend on the quantity but on the quality. This can be done only if we are self-conscious of rhe fact that we are only mere instruments used by the Grace of God in His mission.  T M Dearborn wrote, "The church of God does not have a mission in he work. The God Mission has a Church in the World" We need at all times to remember this underlying spirit of mission.

Peace Making and Reconciliation

The peace process in the country is at cross roads. A Show war seems to be in full swing. Violence seems to be having the final say. Hopelessness seem to be engulfing everyone. Since the signing of the ceasefire agreement was signed, we have lift too many important functions in the hand of the politicians alone. We as a people called Methodists, strengthened by our evangelical faith and committed to social holiness, need to identify the eradication of violence of all forms every sphere of our life, as the urgent need f the hour. The Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation is not a matter of choice for us. It is mandatory and obligatory on everyone who calls himself a Christian We need to work among the ordinary people of our country, creating communication of peace and facilitating the process of reconciliation.  We need to move beyond making statements and immerse ourselves with the ordinary masses of the country in order to make peace a possibiility.

The ministry of Peace and Reconciliation is not an easy one. It is costly and it entails  absolute commitment and the willingness to pay the price. After all, we believe in a God of justice who for the same of our peace sent His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to reconcile to God and our fellow brothers and sisters and endured the sufferings on the cross and died. It is in that conscious sacrifice hat we experience resurrection he nee and fullness of life

The Ministry among Women and Children

I was privileged to be ordained in 1983 with the first to women who ere ordained for the first in the island.  However, the Church has not made any significant moves to enhance the distinctive contribution of women to the life and witness of our Churches. It is abundantly clear that ordination alone does not facilitate this.   In a move to enhance the distinctive contribution of women to the life and witness of our Churches. It is absolutely clear that ordination alone does not facilitate this.  In a move to enhance their contribution, we need to move beyond the traditional Women's Fellowships. As a small step in this direction, it is envisaged to establish centers for empowering women in  area such as Kilinochchi, Tampola (Seeduwa), Galle, Thoteweatte (Colombo North) and Batticaloa. There are also proposals to re-establish the order of deaconesses in order to cater to the specific needs of the women.

Due to the given social conditions in Sri Lanka, children are increasingly becoming vulnerable to the forces of evil. The Methodist Church is appreciated by many for the care and concern extended to them through the Children's Homes, Day Care Cenrres, Nurseries and Sunday Schools. However it is time that we realize that care to children is not merely to ensure regular supply of food and clothing, extend love to a lonely child or impart knowledge. Food and clothing can be provided by any NGO, extending love a=to a lonely child t times ends up in abuse, and in the modern world even computers can impart knowledge. There is an urgent need for the Churchto understand what comprehensive care is and the specific and unique role it is called to play in relation to children. We need to ensure that our children do not become dependent on our services and thereafter feel obliged to us. We need to seriously reorient our ministry to the children so that they are enabled to have an authentic meaning and purpose in their life and ensure that they live with dignity and security. This entails not only working with children, but trying to change the social circumstances around them/  The conversation on the work of God will be focused on this  issue and there are two important resolutions before the Conference today that try to address this important challenge.

Inter-Religious relations

The Church needs to seriously take note of the deteriorating relationship with people of other faiths. Rightly or wrongly the accusing finger is often directed against the Christian community. We need to primarily remind ourselves that we are called to proclaim the Gospel of Love - the good news of God's Love manifested in Jesus Christ. It is therefore imperative that we share the good nes in such a way that it is seen and heard as an expression of our love which is the basis of of the Gospel. Proclaiming the Gospel is a mandate we cannot compromise at any cost for any reason. But it needs to be recognized that this mandate is based on unconditional love and understanding . Therefore the proclamation we make cannot have any aggressive and triumphalistic tendencies nor be judgmental of others. It is sharing the love that we have experienced.  It stems out from the love to your neighbour because God's love has primarily saved wretched sinners like us.

The attempts to pass legislation to restrict conversions has been challenged by the Methodist Church together with the Churches in the National Christian Council, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka in the supreme court and other relevant forums. This was necessary and is to b e commended. However, we need to move beyond the temptation of merely affirming our rights and privileges. We need to formulae a ministry that is void of power, authority and triumphalism. This alone would enable our neighbours to hear and see the gospel we proclaim as an expression of our love and not aggression.

The Tsunami

We are all aware of the magnitude of the disaster that our precious island experienced due to the Tsunami that struck our shores on the fateful day 26 December 2004

The magnitude of he disaster needs no explanation. The country as a hole has still not come to terms with it. The Methodist Church Sri Lanka was swift in its response to extend immediate relif. At least in six geographical locations our relief was the first to arrive. We wish to appreciate the excellent work done by all our ministers and Church workers in the affected area in meeting the unexpected challenges. Their courage and commitment is commendable.

The damages to Methodist properties, such as Churches and Manses are estimated at approximately 30 million rupees.  Approximately 900 Methodist families have lost their houses. At least six Methodist congregations were totally displaced and 166 Methodists lost their lives.

To meet the  increasing demands in the field of rehabilitation and development the Methodist Church has established a separate unit called the "Methodist Rehabilitation and Development Services" This will gradually be responsible for the implementation of all programs identified at the community level through the participation of our local Churches.

We are grateful to our numerous partner agencies who have enabled us to respond to the needs of the Tsunami affected people in a meaningful a=way through their financial and human and spiritual resources.  We wish to place on record our heartfelt thanks to The Methodist Churches in Britain and Ireland, the Dortmund Church and the United Evangelical Mission in Germany, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the Diakonie from Germany, the Singapore Methodist Church, the Malaysian Methodist Church, the Methodist Relief and Development Fund and the United Methodist Church IOWA Conference in USA. We remain grateful to the numerous individuals and Church congregations  both in Sri Lanka and abroad who have contributed generously and have undertaken specific programs in partnership with us. We are grateful to the numerous volunteers who have contributed  their time and skills in many ways to enhance the witness of our Church at this critical juncture.

If the crack in the sea bed caused Tsunami, it is regrettable to note that the Tsunami has caused cracks in many areas of Church's life.  The huge demand the meager resources available have caused many frictions in local Churches especially in the areas of selecting beneficiaries. The conditions imposed by donor  agencies have at time strained the relationships with our partners. The diverse needs on local areas and the demands made on our Church have led to misunderstandings with Ecumenical partners. The Tsunami that brought out the goondness in human beings in the form of generosity and sharing has also exposed the human selfishness and greed in the crudest forms We need to depend on God's wisdom and guidance to heal such frictions and fund authentic ways of manifesting our ecumenical commitment.'

I wish to appeal to all Methodists to refrain from luxurious celebrations throughout the year, especially during Christmas and contribute all that is possible to eliminate the sufferings of the  Tsunami affected children. It would b good if all Churches visit the Tsunami affected areas and  live with the people to share with the agony and pain they experience at this time. This I believe would be a meaningful way to celebrate the Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ who was born in a lowly stable and who himself was turned into a refugee while he was yet an infant.

Conclusion

In conclusion we thank all the staff at the Methodist Headquarters for their commitment in fulfilling their day  to day duties. We thank Mr Amarasiri Abeyewardene the Hony. Secretary for Finance, tfor the splendid services he renders, Mr Trevor Fernando, the Secretary for Property for his concern and care over our properties, Mr Christopher Fonseka, our Librarin for his committed ork. We also thank Mr Ransiri Fernando, our Vice President, Rev Shirhan Fernando, the Assistant Ministerial Secretary, Mr Percy  Fernando, the Assistant Lay Secretary for the cooperation extended in many ways.

Finally I pray for God's continued guidance and wisdom so that all deliberations of this Conference may bring only glory and honour to His name

Rev W P Ebenezer Joseph

20 August 2005