Church of the American Ceylon Mission (CACM) and Christian Theological Seminary of Sri Lanka (CTS) in the North maintain a historic relationship with Wider Church Ministries (WCM), the successor of American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) of 1810. Dr Sarosh Koshy, Global Relations Minister, Southern Asia, in his capacity after taking his responsibilities, visited Jaffna on the 6, 7, 8,9 of May 2024, and held negotiations with the partner church CACM, and the 40-year-old seminary at Maruthanamadam, Chunnakam.
Dr Koshy spent time at CTS premises meeting its Principal, Rev A Kamalakumaran, and two members of the CTS Governing Council, Dr Prince Jeyadevan, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Jaffna, and Secretary of the Council, and Mr A C Thavaranjit, Associate Professor of Botany in the same university, listening to the progress made and its challenges. He commended that CTS has grown over the years in theological education and pastoral training of candidates called to ministry in the CACM (few of the JDCSI) churches, noting that 90% of the current clergy in active ministry in the island nation were trained at CTS. Majority of them served the churches and communities in the North and East of the country during the 26 years of armed conflict (1983-2009). The graduates lived among the people, moved with them in multiple displacements and led worship in the open and damaged church buildings, shepherding not only the flock but also the Tamil community at large, providing them emergency relief and pastoral care. Their services are registered in the hearts and minds of people, and in the annals of church’s continued history.
He commended the recent Graduation Ceremony held at CTS conference room in which 43 students who successfully completed courses in Diploma in Christian Studies (Dip. C. S.), Bachelor of Christian Studies (B. C. S.), and Bachelor of Theology (B.Th.) of the Senate of Serampore (University) and received medal and degree certificates in a well-organised function on the 20th of April at 3.00 pm. Among them, ten candidates who completed Lay training in theology of ten modules over two years received Certificates of Recognition. This was the first of its kind held at CTS, and most of them are professionals in different fields, drawn from the denominations of Anglican, Methodist, JDCSI, CACM, and Baptist. The ecumenical spirit with which CTS is working in all of its programs has been noted by Dr. Koshy, who encouraged that CTS may continue to spread its wings in different dimensions to reach out with its engagement in the church and community. The chief guest at this function was none other than the Rev Sujithar Sivanayagam, General Secretary of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCC-SL). Rev Sujithar was very pleased of the progress made by CTS and commended its ecumenical spirit.
Dr Sarosh Koshy, while leaving Jaffna after three full days of meeting diverse groups of leaders in the Church and community, assured the Principal and members of the Council that WCM will invest in two areas. The first is to support the purchase of necessary theological books in Tamil published in India. The second is the CTS’ intention in branching out more with its ministry among women, both in theological education and ministry skills training. This is indeed an encouragement for the Seminary that is already receiving the necessary funds from the WCM since its inception in 1983, for which the seminary community is deeply grateful. This is truly a great testimony to the work undertaken in partnership between WCM and CTS-SL. God’s empowerment of the work of CTS and its partners, we hope, will produce a new generation of leadership in the post-war context of Sri Lanka.
