Sri Lanka lies about 20 miles off the southeast coast of India. A beautiful island
country, most of the country's farmers grow world-famous Ceylon tea. Much of the island is
plains, except for a mountainous area in the south-central part of the country. Average
temperatures range from 80 degrees in the coastal areas to 60 degrees in the mountains.
Average rainfall ranges from 50 inches in the northeast to 200 inches in the southwest.
The nation was called Ceylon until 1972. Its earliest inhabitants were tribal peoples.
Tamils from southern India invaded the island as early as the 100s BC. Struggles occurred
between the Tamil and Sinhalese kings from 400 to the arrival of the Portuguese in the
1500s. The Dutch took over the island in the mid-1600s, followed by the British in 1795.
During the 1900s the island gained self-government, and declared independence in 1948.
Clashes continue to break out periodically between the Tamils and Sinhalese. There are
over 13 million people who speak Sinhala in Sri
Lanka.
Many of the Sinhalese are Buddhists and
make up about 69 percent of the population.
Tamils make up 18 percent of the population, and
are generally Hindu. Most Moors speak Tamil and
are Muslim. The countryside is dotted with
Buddhist and Hindu temples, shrines, mosques,
and Christian churches. Christians and Muslims
each account for about 8 percent of the
population.
Anna Lewini, a Danish actress who had
accepted the Lord and been filled with the Holy Spirit
in the early 1920s, stopped in Ceylon (now Sri
Lanka) on her way to India where she was scheduled
to make a movie. She held meetings in Colombo's
theatrical center, and many were baptized in the Holy
Spirit. A Protestant lay minister, John Wickramaratne
became Spirit-filled and, with the help of his friend
Sam Paul, continued holding meetings after Miss
Lewini had gone to India. After fulfilling her contract
in India, she returned to work with the believers in
Colombo.
Walter and Viola Clifford were missionaries to India at this time, but they visited Ceylon
in 1923 and attended some of Anna Lewini's prayer meetings in Colombo. Greatly moved by
what they experienced, they returned again in 1924, and finally moved to Ceylon in 1925.
Assisted by Mr. Wickramaratne and other believers, they established a church called Glad
Tidings. In 1937 the congregation renamed the church Colombo Gospel Tabernacle. Soon, a
Bible Institute opened in Galle which later moved to Colombo.
The Assemblies of God in Ceylon
was organized as part of the South India
and Ceylon District Council in 1929.
Though Ceylon declared independence
from Britain in 1948 and changed its name
to Sri Lanka, the name "Assemblies of God
of Ceylon" was retained, though it now
became a separate council from South
India. Political strife and social tension
created a difficult atmosphere for the
churches. In 1959 Ceylon Bible Institute
was closed and missionary activity phased
out. The last missionary left the island in
1962, leaving a totally indigenous work
behind. Initially, the new responsibilities
were a struggle for the local leaders, but
eventually they revived the Bible Institute,
trained more workers, and planted new
churches.
Assemblies of God Bible College
in Sri Lanka
Churches in Sri Lanka function in the three major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, and
English. Correspondence courses have also been developed in each of these languages.
The Assemblies of God Bible College offers a 3-year course of study with many classes
taught by local pastors. Several churches have developed the Timothean Plan to train
believers for ministry through a discipleship course followed by an internship within the
church. Believers in Sri Lanka reach out to their communities through feeding programs, a
children's home, a home for the elderly, and numerous child-care stations. Since no
missionaries are allowed in the country, the local churches have taken complete
responsibility for the evangelization of their country, and they place a strong emphasis on
church planting.
The Assemblies of God in Sri Lanka reports the following statistics:
•
Churches and outstations-300
•
Members and adherents-77,000
•
Ministers-540
•
Bible schools (2) enrollment-100
•
Extension Bible schools (2) enrollment-20