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You have reached the Home Page of Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church (CGBC). This is the largest Baptist Church in Sri Lanka, situated in the hub of Colombo city - De Soysa Circus - where 6 roads meet. CGBC caters to a multi-cultural, international congregation, where all who love the Lord Jesus Christ are welcome.
Every Sunday 8.00 a.m. Kithu Mithu Maga (Sunday School) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: SUNDAY 7TH JUNE 2009
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CONFEDERATION OF CHRISTIAN CHURCHES
The inaugural service of the newly formed Confederation of Christian Churches was held on Sunday, 30th November 2008 at the Cathedral of the Living Saviour, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo. The churches that have come together in this loose confederation are:
This confederation is an association of the current member Churches of the National Christian Council to do together what we earlier did apart, in response to our Lord's prayer for unity and mission: "That they all may be one as we are one... that the world may believe.. ."(John 17: 21) coming together in faith, hope, love, humility and courage, To work together, To understand each other, To share our resources better, To witness unity in Christ in a divided nation. The CCC will not be a legal body but a moral force promoting a spiritual Ecumenism in rich diversity, surrendered in humility to God, in courageous obedience to the Lord Jesus, leaving the ways and times to the directions of the Holy Spirit. A new lifestyle is envisaged both at the centre and locally.
What are its aims? The member Churches of the CCC commit themselves to make a special effort to promote united activities in pastoral care, Evangelism, worship, prophetic witness etc and other common interests, both centrally and regionally. How will the CCC function? Heads of denominations with a clergy person and a lay person (or their alternates) from each Church will meet once a month for prayer and for planning joint activities consistent with the above aims, as "The Council". It will be summoned by the Co-ordinator, presided over by the NCC Chairperson and attended by the NCC General Secretary. In this way overlap or duplication of activities between the CCC and NCC can be avoided. Similarly, clergy persons and lay person representatives (or alternates) in local areas / Districts will meet regularly for prayer and coordination of activities. At any level, there can be no binding decisions but agreements by consensus on practical matters. Any serious decisions will have to be ratified by each member Church - which will continue to function independently as at present. How is it different to the NCC? The Confederation intends to give a new approach and impetus to NCC activities in a more committed way both centrally and regionally. The regions will function independently from the central Council (except when directions come through each Head of Denomination) and the relationship between the Council and regions will heed to evolve with time. Proposed new steps A service of mutual recognition of ministries is proposed be held in each Province for the Holy Spirit to deal in a unique way in this unique situation for each minister to function in the wider reconciled ministry of the CCC, like the way Paul and Barnabas were set apart for a new missionary enterprise (Acts 13: 2-3) This will enable ecumenical team ministries automatic sharing of pulpits and sacrament and lead to full communion between the Churches.
Basis For Christ Jesus is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is the hostility between us that he might create in himself one new humanity, in place of the two, thus making peace and reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross Eph 2: 14-16) TSUNAMI PROJECT COMPLETED The Tsunami housing project of the Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church was completed on 7 April 2007. The keys to the newly built houses were handed over to the families of the beneficiaries in a simple ceremony in which Rev. W. Warshamanage (Pastor, CGBC), Rev. Heshan de Silva (Former Pastor, CGBC), Pastor Freddie de Alwis (RASDA Project Manager), Pastor Sarath Wickremasinghe (Asst. Project Manager) and the local Buddhist Priest participated. Several members of CGBC, including 2 Deacons, members of the Disaster Relief Committee, other members of the CGBC congregation, and the families of the villagers receiving the houses participated. We wish to take this opportunity to thank Rev. Freddie de Alwis and his RASDA team for the hard work put in by them to complete the four houses for the Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church. We are well aware of the tremendous difficulties and discouragements they faced in carrying out this task, but know that God will reward them for their effort. We also wish to thank the generous people around the world, who contributed to this effort by sending in their contributions which made it possible to alleviate the suffering of at least a few families affected by disastrous tsunami of 26 December 2004. Below are some pictures of the completed houses and their handing over to the people of Kahawa who lost their houses and in some cases their family members in the tsunami.
See more pictures in the Photo Gallery by clicking here 8 Christian Council appeals to MR to reconsider PTA The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) expressed fear that the recently introduced emergency regulations on the Prevention of Terrorism may lead to the suppression of legitimate activities and democratic dissent. A statement issued by the council further said Churches were required to fulfill the mandate given by God to serve all people and eliminate suffering, poverty, need, destitution regardless of race caste and creed. They appeal to the President to take urgent steps to prevent the operation of these emergency regulations in the present form. “We have carefully considered the Emergency (Prevention of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities) Regulations Na 07 of 2006 published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 1474/5 of December 6, 2006 and are gravely concerned about its potential for adverse interpretation and application. “The definition given to ‘terrorism’ in the Regulations is very broad and vague and consequently could lead to the suppression of legitimate activities and even democratic dissent. We are particularly conscious of our recent history, wherein such wide and sweeping powers gave rise to serious and widespread abuse, political victimization and the suppression of fundamental freedoms. “We are particularly alarmed by the offences prescribed in Sections 8 and 9 of the Regulations, which carry severe penal sanctions and blanket immunity afforded to persons taking action(s) on the strength of the Regulations. Section 8 makes any transaction whatsoever with even an associate of a person who acts in contravention of Sections 6 and 7 an offence and Section 9 prohibits dissemination of any information which could, in the opinion of a Government functionary, be considered prejudicial to national security, have serious reservations about the necessity to obtain the written approval of the Competent Authority to exercise our social and humanitarian responsibilities. “As Churches with a religious foundation and vision we are required to fulfil the mandate given by God to serve all people and eliminate suffering, poverty, need, destitution, exploitation, deprivation and affliction regardless of race, caste or creed. We appeal to the President to take urgent steps to prevent the operation of these Regulations in the present form”, an NCCSL statement said. Daily Mirror 09/01/07
PREVENTION OF FORCIBLE RELIGIOUS CONVERSTIONS BILL
SCHEDULE ( Section 3) 1. Persons classified as Samurdi beneficiaries. 2. Prison inmates. 3. Inmates of rehabilitation centres. 4. Inmates of detention centres. 5. Physically or mentally disabled persons. 6. Employees of an organization. 7. Members of the armed forces or police force. 8. Students. 9. Inmates of hospitals and or places of healing. 10. Inmates of refugee camps. L.D.O.''INC/7/2004 AN ACT TO P'ROVIDE MEASURES TO PREVENT THE CONVERSION OF PERSONS BELONGING TO ONE AND TO PROVIDE FOR MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH OR INCIDENTAL THERETO. Preamble WHEREAS Buddhism is the religion professed and practiced by the majority of people of Sri Lanka. Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka by the great Tathagatha, the Sambuddha during his visit to Mahiyangana, Sri Lanka, in the Eight Month after he had attained Buddhahood and it came to complete realisation after the arrival of Arahat Mahinda Thero in the 3"1 Century B.C: AND WHEREAS the State has a duty to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana whilst assuring to all other religions the rights guaranteed by Article 10 and 14(1) (e) of the Constitution of the Republic of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka:
AND WHEREAS both Buddhists and other religious are now faced with a serious threat from forcible conversions and proselytizing by force, allurement or by fraudulent means:
AND WHEREAS the Maha Sanga and other religious leaders have realized the need to protect, promote and foster the religious harmony historically enjoyed by the people of all religions in Sri Lanka:
Short title
NOW THEREFORE, BE it enacted by the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka as follows: -
1. This Act may be cited as the Prohibition of Forcible Religious Conversions Act, No of2004.
2. (1) No person shall, either directly or otherwise, convert or attempt to convert any person professing one religion to another religion by the use of force, by allurement or by any fraudulent means. (2) No person shall aid or abet the commission of any act prohibited by subsection (1).
3. Whoever contravenes the provisions of-section 2 shall, be guilty of an offence and on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate be liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and also be liable to a fine not exceeding rupees one hundred and fifty thousand: Provided that whoever commits any of the acts specified in section 2 in relation to a minor, a woman or a person referred to in the
Schedule hereto, shall on conviction after summary trial before a seven years and also be liable to a fine not exceeding rupees five hundred thousand.
4. Proceedings for the prosecution of an offence under this Act shall be instituted in terms of section i 36 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, No. 15 of 1979, upon a complaint made. to the Police. The prior written sanction of the Attorney General should be obtained for the institution of proceedings under the Act.
5. In the event of any inconsistency between the Sinhala and Tamil texts of the Act, the Sinhala text shall prevail.
6. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -
"allurement" means the offer of any temptation for the purpose of converting a person professing one religion to another religion, in the form of-
(i) any gift or gratification whether in cash or kind; (ii) a grant of any material benefit, whether monetary or otherwise ; (iii) the grant of employment or grant of promotion in any employment presently engaged in;
"convert'' means to make one person to renounce one religion and profess another religion ;
"force" means a show of force and includes a threat of harm or injury of any kind, or threat of religious disgrace or condemnation of any religion or religious faith for the purpose of converting a person from one religion to another religion;
"fraudulent" means any willful misinterpretation or any other fraudulent contrivance used for the purpose of converting a person from one religion to another religion;
''minor'' means a person under eighteen years of age. CONTRIBUTIONS TO CGBC DISASTER RELIEF FUND
In order to receive and process your contributions to the relief work of CGBC we have set up a special account "Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church Disaster Relief Fund". You could send money in your own currency from your own bank by wire transfer. The details of the destination account you will need to supply to your bank are as follows:
Name of Account: Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church Disaster Relief Fund Account Number: 0760171727 Name and address of Bank: Hatton National Bank, Cinnamon Gardens Branch, 251 Dharmapala Mw., Colombo 7, Sri Lanka Swift Code of Bank: HBLILKLX
An alternative (but much slower) method would be to send a cheque made out to the same fund and account number by courier or by registered post to the address given below.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS
We request all contributors to the CGBC Relief Fund to send us an e-mail (cgbc@sltnet.lk) with details (name, address, e-mail address, etc.) of yourself and/or your institution so that we might acknowledge your contribution both directly by letter and on the web. Our bank has received several contributions (see Accounts in Disaster Relief Fund page) for which they have difficulty in tracing to the donor's name. We would like to acknowledge ALL contributions from those who have been moved by the Lord to come to aid of their brothers and sisters in distress. Besides, this helps us in our effort to be absolutely transparent in using God's money. Thank you and God bless you all. |
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COMMENT:
We reproduce elsewhere on this page the text of the proposed Anti-Conversion Bill that has been tabled in Parliament and will be voted on soon. Christians are in two minds about how they should react to this bill. Some feel that we should oppose the bill, or at least the more oppressive sections of it by protesting, lobbying, carrying out our campaign against it to the international arena and, above all, praying about it. Others feel that we should pray about it and rely on the Lord to deal with it.
Should the bill be passed in Parliament and thus become law, one group of Christians feels that we could challenge its implementation in the courts as actual prosecutions under it come up. Another group feels that we should pray that the Lord's will should be done and that this kind of persecution will get us just the kind of attention we need and would result in strengthening of the Church and provide an opportunity for growth of the church in Sri Lanka.
With regard to the impact of the legislation on the services provided by Christian organizations to the poor in the fields of disaster relief, education, social services and poverty alleviation, some Christians are of the view that we should continue these activities as best as we could under the new laws. Others think that we have enough poor and disadvantaged Christians and we should confine our charity to them.
Please let us know what you think. E-mail your views to kingsleydealwis@yahoo.com and we will publish them on this website.
We will be opening this web site to new Christians who would like to describe how and why they accepted Jesus Christ as their personal saviour. Later, we hope to publish a collection of these testimonies as a book that would encourage others in Sri Lanka who are desperately searching for hope in what appears to be a hopeless situation.
Why I became a Christian Are you a convert from another religion to Christianity? Would you like to tell the story of your conversion and what made you decide to follow Jesus?. If so, send it in by e-mail to: kingsleydealwis@yahoo.com .The following guidelines should be observed in writing your testimony, remembering that you will be addressing it mainly to non-Christians of your former religion.
Guidelines for telling your conversion story: · Write for non-Christians (Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems, Atheists or whatever you were before). Write as if you were writing or telling the story to one of your friends. · Do not call it a testimony. The title will be your name and brief title, e.g. Ananda Pathirana, Teacher, under the general rubric “Why I became a Christian” · Empathize with (show your understanding of) the view of life held by those of your former religion . Do not show contempt for, or ridicule, their beliefs. See what you are writing, from their point of view. · Share things about your life, both before and after conversion that they would be interested in. · Give sufficient information about yourself, so that readers can feel they really know you. This should include your name, your family background, where you studied, what you do for a living and how you came to have your former beliefs. · Include factual descriptive details so that readers can really picture how the events happened that led to your becoming a Christian. · No evangelical jargon, ever · Don't sound churchy, preachy or pious and don’t use Christian jargon which is meaningless to non-Christians. Quote scripture only in respect of what led to the change in your beliefs or that you live by after your conversion. In any case, don’t quote book, chapter and verse. · Assume that non-Christian reader will have zero-knowledge of the Christian faith. · Be honest: don't exaggerate, or portray yourself as living a perfect life with no problems after your conversion. · Try to correct common misunderstandings about Christianity that your friends might have (and which you probably had before). · Use a lively magazine-feature style of writing. If you like, imagine that your are being interviewed and write your testimony as answers to questions posed by an imaginary interviewer. · Incorporate direct speech if possible: he said to me “……….,” then I said “......" etc. · Show that being a Christian is a day-to-day relationship. Mention where you worship now and how anyone can do as you have done and become a Christian. · Aim at an easy English level accessible to the typical Sri Lankan reader. · Revise, check, edit, rewrite, and revise again and again. Have it reviewed by somebody you trust. · Use a photo if at all possible and let the reader know how to contact you (postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, etc.). Anonymous testimonies are worthless. If you are worried about announcing who you are because of possible repercussions, don’t send in a testimony. Instead, keep praying to God to lead you into giving your testimony when the time is right for you. · The total length of your true story should be about 3 to 4 pages in single spaced 12 font script.
Halt escalating violence against Christian churches The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) is perturbed about the violent culture that is emerging against the minority Christian population in this country. On July 6, 2008, the Calvary Church in Thalahena was attacked and the priest, Rev. Roshan Andriezen was brutally beaten up along with his father, brother and three other lay leaders of the Church. The mob completely destroyed everything within the Church including furniture, musical instruments and other valuable equipment. They also caused extensive damage to the Church roof leaving only the outer walls of the Church standing. The Police who gave protection was over powered by the mob. The NCEASL notes that this is not an isolated incident but an emerging trend in the last few years against the Christian minority population. In the last few months, we have seen a series of blatant acts of persecution against Christian clergymen and the church. The gunning down of Rev. Neil Edirisinghe in Ampara in February, the brutal assault of the Methodist Church clergyman in Ampara in June and the arson attack on the Assembly of God Church at Middeniya in Hambantota in July are some notable incidents. In both Rev. Neil’s killing and the assault on the Methodist clergyman, we appreciate that the suspects were taken in by the law. In the circumstances, prompt action must be taken to arrest the worsening situation and ensure that individual religious freedom is not only nominally assured in the Constitution but also actually enjoyed by all citizens of the country, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Therefore, we strongly appeal to the authorities to safeguard religious freedom and human rights of the minority groups. We also strongly condemn the actions of certain groups who are seeking to create religious discord and a rift between religious groups who have co-existed peacefully in the past. Therefore, we appeal to the government to protect religious rights of the minority faith. Rev.
Michael Dissanayake Courtesy of the Daily Mirror 18 July 2008
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What
about Your Testimony ?
Our Mission
CGBC is part of the Universal Church in Heaven and on Earth, which was
founded by Jesus Christ. Our mission is to carry out the great commission he
gave to his disciples: Go out and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. We are committed to carry out this mission in the City of
Colombo as well as in other parts of Sri Lanka.
CGBC Profile
The Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church (CGBC) is a Bible-based Christian church which serves a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural congregation. The CGBC belongs to the national organization of Baptist churches known as the Sri Lanka Baptist Sangamaya (SLBS) and, through it, is affiliated to the international community of Baptist churches. The congregation of CGBC consists of people of all communities and classes drawn from all parts of Colombo and its suburbs. Those who worship at this church also include Christians of other denominations, interested non-Christians and visitors from all parts of the world.
Contact Us
| Address: Cinnamon Gardens Baptist Church 120 Dharmapala Mawatha Colombo 7 Sri Lanka Phone:(9411) 472-2057 Fax: (9411) 472-2057 Email: cgbc@sltnet.lk |
Secretary:
Mrs.
Ruby Weerasinhge
96/18 Kottanuwatta Road
Nugegoda Tel: (94 - 11) 485 - 2779 Treasurer: Mrs. Shalini Jayasooriya 79/4 Kuruppu Road Colombo 8 (9411) 268-2825 Mobile: 077 731-1549 |
Pastor: Wijedasa Warsamanage The Manse 120 Dharmapala Mawatha Colombo 7, Sri Lanka Tel: (9411)269-5133 Email: cgbc@sltnet.lk Pastor: Gary Dean Tel: (9411)250-0357 Mobile: 077 302-0546 |
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