The town was very pleased to host the conference and the council had erected banners at major junctions to welcome the delegates.
Photo taken on last day of Conference Monday August 25th 2008
Methodist Conference in Batticoloa: August 20th - 25th 2008.
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| This year the Methodist Conference took place in the large eastern town of Batticoloa. There is a strong Methodist tradition in the town due to Methodism's roots being planted in the early nineteenth century by a young missionary, William Ault (1814). He only lived eight months in Sri Lanka but in that time made a great impact. This picture shows William Ault's newly painted statue overlooking the Kandyan drummers and dancers who led the procession from the Ault Memorial Hall, Puliyantivu to the nearby Koddaimunai Methodist Church. |
Batticoloa is considered to be a newly cleared area, that is, one that is no
longer controlled by the LTTE (Tamil Tigers). However, the security
situation cannot be very good because there is a heavy army presence
manifested by frequent checkpoints, street patrols and camps in the rural
areas. It all seems oppressive rather than liberative. The local
people seem remarkably patient and stoical. Here a policeman wearing
body armour watches the procession pass by. The town was very pleased to host the conference and the council had erected banners at major junctions to welcome the delegates. |
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| Rosemary took part in the procession while James drove the van to the destination church. The picture shows her with the Reverends Anusha Balasuriya and Wasana Fernando, Rosemary's nangis (younger sisters). Friday August 22nd 2008 | The procession ended at a big public event in the compound of Koddaimunai Methodist Church. There were some speeches, songs and dances. |
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| Half way through the public event the recently elected Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, Mr. Palliyan arrived together with his security protection. This meant that the church compound, in which some police were already positioned, suddenly became the home of a dozen gun-toting soldiers who spent their time casting their beady eyes over the crowd. One swaggered up and down the central aisle for the rest of the afternoon. So, a gentle dance for peace by young girls carefully carrying candles and wearing beautiful white saris seemed like a perfect counterpoint. | The conference didn't only
comprise a procession and dances; much business was also done. This
was made much less tedious by the wonder of brand new air conditioning in
the William Ault Memorial Hall. The photograph shows all the
conference delegates in the playing field opposite the hall.
Mr. Weber was an American Jesuit Missionary who encouraged sports in
Batticoloa over a fifty year period.
Photo taken on last day of Conference Monday August 25th 2008 |
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