By God’s Mighty Hand

The twenty-five drummers were wearing plaid last Friday as they led the congregation on a processional to the new sanctuary at Rawathwatte Methodist Church in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. The drums only served to reflect the enormous energy of the crowd gathered to celebrate what had been done in and through this congregation by the mighty hand of God.

The Rawathwatte Church is 148 years old and its previous sanctuary had served the congregation for over half that time. It was a beautiful structure, built in the British missionary style with thick walls of kapok (a local, rough sandstone). While the congregation grew stronger these last ten years, the structure became increasingly fragile until finally it became unsafe to use. The sandy soil beneath the foundation had been undermined by nearby construction and the vibrations of the tens of thousands of cars and trucks that pass by on the Galle Road within feet of the front door.

The church had to overcome enormous obstacles to build a new sanctuary. The government, dominated by Buddhists, frustrated the permit process with multiple layers of bureaucratic meetings and paperwork. Chinthaka, the architect, recounted God's intervention as two opposing government committees scheduled meetings independently with the church leaders on the same day at the same time in the same building. The committees were holding the project at bay, but when the church members came to the meetings, they got the two groups in the same room and the objections all fell away.

The budget for the project was over $240,000.00 (US). In a congregation of people whose average income is $3.00 a day, this is an enormous sum of money to raise. They could see no way to raise the needed money. They considered a thousand projects to raise money, but at one congregation meeting someone said: "We have homes with wooden roofs and tile floors. Surely we can build a church that is as good as our own homes." So they broke ground in late November 2005 with little money in the bank, a dream and confidence that God would provide.

The congregation of 250 very poor families contributed over $140,000.00 during the last eighteen months to build this new sanctuary. Several times during the year, they ran out of money to pay the contractors. But a gift would come in at just the right moment so they never ran out. Last summer, they thought the project was falling apart when they had no money to pay the overdue bills. Myers Park United Methodist Church sent $30,000.00 from the Jubilee Fund that arrived just as they were preparing to send the unpaid workers away.

The congregation held their first Sunday worship in the sanctuary on April 29 where Steve James was invited to preach. "God has done something amazing in your midst these last eighteen months. But God did not build this building for you alone. God has in mind the fisher-folk in their boats and the farmers in their fields, the bankers at their windows and the shopkeepers in their stalls. God prepared this building for the children here among us, but also for the thousands yet to be born whose faith will be built within these walls. So rejoice at what God has done here, but prepare yourself! For God has greater things still to be done here through this congregation."

Comments

[George Thompson]

Steve:

We in the Charlotte District are very proud of you, Charlie Rivens, and the team that is in Sri Lanka. It must have been a great emotional moment to preach in the new sancturay at Rawathwatte Methodist Church in Moratuwa! We shall await your return with anticipation and great appreciation for all you have done and are doing to bring the spirit of Christ to that region of the world.

Grace and peace,
George Thompson
Charlotte District Superintendent