How the church is affected by this economic crisis in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is going through one of the most turbulent times in its history there have been daily power cuts and a shortage of fuel, medicine, and other essentials. The people of Sri Lanka are crying out for a change. Amid this crisis, churches and the local field partners have been able to bring hope to people during these trying times.
Pastor Hasika
Pastor Hasika is a mother of two who serves at a church in the suburbs of Colombo. She has been faithfully serving in her local church for over a decade, and every week, she meets with over 20 believers, discipling them and encouraging their faith journey. She is passionate about helping new believers grow in their faith.
However, with the ongoing economic crisis, things have become very challenging for her. “It has become extremely difficult for me to visit the homes of new believers,” Pastor Hasika said, “With the ongoing fuel crisis and shortage of public transport, travelling has become a major issue. There were instances where I had to walk nearly 10 kilometres to visit certain families.”
Pastor Hasika shared that her husband has been so exhausted from just queuing up for petrol. “Sometimes he goes to the petrol queue at 6 am and returns late in the evening with an empty can because they ran out of fuel. There were instances where my husband would stay in the petrol queue on Saturday so that we could attend church on Sunday,” she said with a weary smile.
Despite the hardships, Pastor Hasika still managed to bring in some humour while describing her husband’s new form of transport. “My husband borrowed our daughter’s little bicycle. He can barely sit on it but somehow manages to ride it all the way to work.” With a wide grin, she said, “I am not so sure whether my daughter will be able to use that bicycle again.”
It is evident that Pastor Hasika is adamant about doing the Lord’s work. “It is hard to come to church amid this crisis, but I sense that the Lord is doing a new thing among us.
There is a sacrifice to make, and I am willing to pay the price.” Pastor Hasika continues to show up on Sunday despite the fuel shortage and other difficulties with a cheerful heart. She may have run out of fuel, but her heart is full of faith.
“It is a really tough time for all of the people. It’s one thing to watch it on the news but the true weight of the crisis sinks in only when start to stand in those lines for hours. It is a tough time, but I will continue this ministry”
Pastor Peter
Pastor Peter pastors a church on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. The church has been able to reach out to a lot of Hindus in this part of the country and many have accepted Christ through Pastor Peter’s church and ministry. The church now consists of close to four hundred believers with most of them being believers from a Hindu background.
Recently, the church purchased new land after they outgrew their previous location. This land that they had purchased is located between a predominantly Hindu village and a predominantly Buddhist village. “I was almost tricked into buying this property because I was not aware of the surrounding areas,” Pastor Peter said with a wistful smile. Nevertheless, the building of the church commenced, and the foundations were being laid.
Halfway through the construction, however, local authorities interfered and told pastor Peter to stop all construction as the neighbouring villagers had signed a petition against the building of a church. Various claims were made by the police forces and villagers citing why it was illegal to build a church on that land.
“Some even claimed that this land was previously farmland and that we did not have permission to build anything on this land.” Pastor Peter was asked by the local authorities to get the necessary approvals from the government authorities. After six long months of waiting for legal documents to arrive, the church was granted permission to resume its construction.
However, due to the present economic crisis and the prices increasing, the church was not able to fully finance the building of their church. Therefore, Pastor Peter decided to build a temporary tent inside their property until they were financially stable to resume construction.
When the time came to resume construction, two extremist groups filed a petition against the church, and they were again asked to stop the construction work.
Currently, Pastor Peter is conducting their weekly gatherings in a rented facility while also meeting in the believer’s homes. Despite the challenges from the community and the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, Pastor Peter is hopeful about the future of the church. He shared, “regardless of setbacks I am certain that God will build his church.”
How the churches are trying to “be salt and light”
- A local church in the district of Kegalle, located northeast of Colombo, decided to offer some refreshments to the residents in their village of which most were unbelievers. It was a simple gesture of kindness that many unbelievers in that area longed for. Kids were eagerly waiting for drinks to be served to them.
- In the past couple of weeks, our local field partners had the opportunity to provide relief support to many low-income earning households which included Pastors, believers, and widows. Relief supports were provided to believers in many areas.
- A few local churches in the suburbs of Colombo recently came forward to help the public workers in their city. They gave out dry rations and other essential groceries to a few community workers and policemen. The Police department expressed their gratitude toward the local church and was moved by this act of generosity amid the crisis.
- A local church in Nugegoda was able to distribute cooked meals to over fifty unbelievers. Most of the recipients of these meals were low-income earners and were mainly Buddhists. The local church was able to connect with many unbelievers in that city and vital relationships were formed. Some were touched by this act of kindness so greatly that they connected with the church.
Please Pray
Continue to pray for Pastor Hasika and the church that she serves. Pray that God will continue to use her to be salt and light in her community through this church. Pray for the other churches and believers of Sri Lanka. Pray that their provisions and resources will never run dry. Pray that they would continue to bless the people around them as well as their own families. Pray for the people of Sri Lanka. For a good, noble, and honest leader to step up and lead the country. And pray for the land, that it would continue to flourish.
