Subsequent corroborated reports from Veeramanagar
Instigating the police against Mennonite vistors
Instigating the police against Mennonite vistors
Some senior supporters of Jeyakanth have claimed that 'the local authorities in Veeramanagar have instructed LEFC to halt all activities (by any group!) which may lead to comunity protest.' They also asked if the German Mennonite brethren coordinated their visit with LEFC, as though the episcopal denomination tightly controlled by their 'bishop' (another supporter's term) was the regulatory authority!
Careful enquiry reveals these pretexts are fabricated to obfuscate the situation.
There is no such local ban, according to local testimony either on worship or on evangelism. There is encouragment to pool giving to prevent scavenging from one source then another, but this too is not mandated.
Another prominent oriental supporter claims that the pastor Mahendran signed a waiver on assuming ministry with LEFC that he would cede the land should he depart the 'denomination'. He also claims the matter is under court jurisdiction.
He claims to have seen government registration certificates for LEFC, as a body, which CSL hitherto has not.
He also charges us and brother Muralee with distorting the situation.
To this brother, we offer a meeting with a mutually respected third party and witnesses to establish the facts calmly and properly.
He knows how to contact us and has previously refused to respond to further correspondence.
He claims to have seen government registration certificates for LEFC, as a body, which CSL hitherto has not.
He also charges us and brother Muralee with distorting the situation.
To this brother, we offer a meeting with a mutually respected third party and witnesses to establish the facts calmly and properly.
He knows how to contact us and has previously refused to respond to further correspondence.
This is reminiscent of the Baptist Union land disputes of the 70s and 80s for separated churches, but with a twist.
We have found even the Baptist Union respects a congregational vote to secede, provided the church holds confessionally to its Trust deed. Jeyakanth however does not.
LEFC still appears to have no more legal basis than a licence to hold marriages at Thambapalagam Grace Church (which is the registration no on the id cards LEFC uses below). It has, as far as we can determine, no registration in the UK or Sri Lanka as an official body with 'legal personality'. Repeated enquiries to CSL and LEF-UK have failed to produce any documentation.
Again the reality is only one side instigated the court case, only one side lost the ruling, the judge deciding in the defendants' favour and only one side invoked police action against the German visitors and were reproved by the police. The legal details are complex, not suitable for here and perhaps the matter is not concluded, but these facts are very plain.
These kinds of responses are a common scenario to find when bringing a report about LEFC to the church authorities supporting it. In fact, it is the rule not the exception.
The modus operandi is to rehearse the report to Jeyakanth for a tailored reply. He has proven remarkably imaginative, adept and agile at dreaming up reasons why an outrage actually took place.
This has included situations in which, it is strongly and multiply alleged, that he has bribed police officers, local politicians, tampered with official documents, or directly interfered with eye witnesses, either by inducing them to lie with bribes or to silence with threats of violence. We retain hard evidence of these activities, they have been alleged in writing by eminent witnesses, in court and in the Sri Lankan syndicated press, and there is much eye witness testimony waiting to be taken to evidence it.
For our part, these are tactics we completely eschew and would have no part with*, and if a partner resorted to them we would immediately disown and regard their testimony with considerable suspicion, if it was regarded at all. We are saddened to see Jeyakanth's supporters turn a blind eye to them, despite being repeatedly alerted to them.
By astonishing grace, Christians will judge even angels soon (1 Cor.6.3), it is very difficult to see how, when they are so dull and opaque at judging situations of such great iniquity on Earth.
Error correction welcome.
*Do we need to point out the banner above is satire?
A short archive of selection of documents pertaining to corruption in reformed mission in Sri Lanka.
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