Blog - Greenville Presbyterian Church

Apr 04 2013

Slum Church in India; Arrived in Sri Lanka – Randy Taylor

Hi Folks,

I’d dash off a note to you and let you know how things went at the slum church, Hope Fellowship on Sunday, our last day in India. Church is held under a covered area outside the church planting pastor’s (named Ravi) home, who lives in the slum area as well. There were about 60-70 in attendance. Sunday being a regular work day, many have to work or they don’t eat. The larger service is actually on Tuesday, because the electricity in the area is off that day, providing an opportunity for everyone to attend..

They asked Rob to preach a simple message from John 20 on the resurrection. He did a great job preaching, weaving in the gospel clearly. About half in attendance were unbelievers. Several times a year, Logos gives the widows some food which will last them about 4 months. One of the pictures shows the contents of each gift bag, and another show them carrying the 50-lb bag away on their heads. Widows are not supported in the Hindu culture. Most of them that were there are still unbelievers, but many were incredibly touched by the love with no strings attached. Ravi says he is careful to not immediately share the gospel so as not to be perceived that he is trying to bribe them. He wants to be sure they see it as a no strings attached gift of love given in the love of Jesus.

It was a powerful and challenging time listening to Ravi share afterwards about his early struggles and his vision to have at least one believer in each family in the slum area. I am not sure how many families that entails, but I would guess a few thousand.

We arrived last night at Rev. Parthee’s home, the Sri Lankan pastor in Vavuniya (pronounced “Vav -oon-ya” with the accent on the middle “oon”) last night about 9 pm. Rob and I had been up since early Sunday morning, having had to leave the hotel just after midnight on Sunday night for the airport. Our flight arrived mid afternoon and then we had a 6 hour drive. The weather here is mid-90s, very humid, and no air conditioning, so our I get to experience it as though it were a hot July in St. Louis before the advent of a/c. Part of our coming here is also a pastoral visit for Parthee, who was trained at my denominational seminary, the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), and is sponsored by them as a mission work for church planting.

There will be two days of training, on Friday and Saturday. I will take Friday, which will be regarding men as leaders in their home. Today as is recuperation day, though Parthee is going to show us some historical stuff. Wednesday is TBD and Thursday we will have a prayer meeting, at which I’ll give a 45 minute talk on something. The three main rules in short-term missions are flex, flex, flex, so we appreciated continued prayers for being a blessing to Parthee and his wife, and the work here, as well as for our physical coping ability.

Thanks for your notes and prayers,
Randy

Apr 04 2013

A Tame Tiger

Two primary people groups comprise the nation of Sri Lanka: the Sinhalese and the Tamils, the latter occupying only 25% of the populace in the northern and eastern regions of the island. These two groups represent two conflicting cultures, with totally different languages and histories. As some of you will know from the international news circuit, the clash between these two groups erupted into a bloody civil war, which culminated in a crushing defeat of the Tamils in 2009. The wounds remain tender among the Tamils, as the unofficial war continues through the oppressive persecution and political subjugation of the Tamils, including such heinous crimes as rape and murder by the military. The Tamils still yearn for freedom from the Buddhist-run, Sinhalese-controlled seats of civil power.

The lead organization on the Tamil side of the conflict was the L.T.T.E. — Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (land), better known as the Tamil Tigers. All of the official literature describes them as terrorists, though Parthee considers them patriots, while also making clear that he rejects some of their tactics and philosophy. If you want to provoke Parthee into an animated frenzy, then probe him with questions about all of this. He was born and raised a Tamil, speaks and preaches in Tamil, and devotes most of his labors to the Tamil people, which he insists are the true Sri Lankans, in contrast to the Johnny-come-latelies who now exert dominion over them. He speaks some Sinhalese, however, and nurtures a sincere love for them, desiring the gospel to thrive among them.

But the pervasive military presence throughout the Tamil occupied territories stares them in the face on a daily basis. We passed through a military road block along a normal road on Tuesday, requiring me to vacate the vehicle, brandish my passport and sit at a desk where a soldier conducted an interview of me — basically playing a round of 20 questions. I’ll save those interesting details for another time. Since Parthee planned for us to see a couple sites related to the Tamil Tigers, I teasingly told him upon our return to the vehicle that I had explained to the soldiers that we were touring LTTE sites that promoted the overthrow of the Sinhalese government. Parthee blithely called my bluff, noting that if that was true, our dejected faces would be gazing out the back of a military truck on our way to some bleak new accommodations.

For Parthee, as for many thousands of Tamils, this conflict was brought close to home when his father was killed in a bomb explosion as a civilian. Parthee was fourteen at the time. Without a hint of bitterness, he quickly affirms that the death of his father served under God’s gracious Providence as the key event that ultimately led his family out of Hinduism and into the Christian faith. He rejoices that the Lord brought beauty out of ashes and joy where there was mourning.

I have consumed excessive space describing the political setting for two reasons. You cannot comprehend the needs without knowing something about these struggles, and secondly, Parthee wishes more people knew the true story behind the official story. Like many Christians throughout the world, Parthee’s loyalty to Christ removes an unqualified allegiance to any of the current political options available. The crave for Tamil independence must be accompanied by a commitment to Tamil dependence upon Christ.

And unlike the Tamil Tigers, Parthee has been tamed by the power of the gospel, enabling him to boldly assert that without a spiritual change no political change will suffice. The reign of King Jesus is paramount, and therefore, he intends to give his strength to proclaiming the only gospel which makes men free indeed. Pray that this roar will resound throughout the length and breadth of this land.

Warm Regards,
Pastor Rob McCurley

P.S. For your peace of mind, Parthee gave his stamp of approval to everything written above, knowing that this would be posted on the Internet. He insisted, typical of Parthee, that we should not fear telling the truth and that I could send even more details, if I wished. I will have to explain some of the pictures after I return home.

Apr 04 2013

The Plan

Please find below a brief update on the schedule.

Due to some unforeseen events, Parthee has been forced to alter plans for this week. Life here requires maximum flexibility. To better inform your prayers, the teaching schedule includes Thursday evening, Friday evening (3 hours), Saturday morning (4 hours), Saturday afternoon and sermons for the two Sabbath services. On Tuesday he showed us a portion of the surrounding area while filling us in on the present needs and future goals of the work here. At our request, we stayed at the house yesterday to study, prepare teaching material and rest. Both Randy and I took much needed naps, and I am glad to report that the combined effect of the day brought an increase of strength and energy.

He also adjusted the teaching topics to accommodate the changes. The primary focus of the instruction will be on biblical family life (husbands, wives, parents, children, etc.). They face a dearth of material on this subject in the Tamil tongue. So please pray for Randy and I as we strive to fill that gap with biblical teaching.

Another indispensable part of our labor includes ministering to Parthee himself. As you can imagine, his situation is fairly isolated. So we have discussed a wide array of topics, covering the gamut of both the practical and the theological. We delight in serving and strengthening a faithful minister of the Word. I am especially keen to lend support and counsel to him on the specific pastoral problems he finds most challenging. I still cherish the benefits I received as a young pastor from those further along in the ministry. So please pray that the Lord will make profitable these edifying conversations.

Thank you for your persevering prayers of Pastor Parthee and his ministry in Sri Lanka.

“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” (Col. 4:2-4)

“Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you” (2 Thess. 3:1)

Apr 03 2013

Pursuing Reformation

You should liken knowing Rev. Shanmugam Nixon Vigaya Partheepan to knowing a dark skinned, Sri Lankan version of John Knox, with a broad, bright smile. His burden for his people and love for the gospel unites with a tenacious commitment to full-orbed, biblical Christianity.

Someone needs to compile his aphoristic sayings and publish them in a book with a catchy title. For example, Parthee gathered with a small group of Presbyterian ministers in Sri Lanka who criticized him for being too narrow. In his quick and apt reply he thanked them for acknowledging that he had chosen the narrow way, since it leads to life, while pointing out that the only alternative was the broad road that leads to destruction. The arrow met its mark.

Here is another one that swept us off our feet. During his one and only visit to America (the same trip he came to a prayer meeting at GPC), he worshipped at a PCA congregation in Atlanta where some past missionaries to Sri Lanka were members. The worship service included several types of musical instruments accompanying the uninspired praise. He especially noted the wide variety of instrumentation. You have to know a little about the New Testament theology of worship to fully appreciate what follows. The couple eagerly approached him afterward to inquire about what he thought of the service. All he said, as he looked them in the eye was, “After all of that, I just thank the Lord that there were no animal sacrifices offered!” They were speechless. Knowing his warm hearted love for souls, you can be certain that he affectionately helped them to recover from the blow while explaining his deep love for the biblical principles of worship.

Another English-speaking foreigner came to lecture at a small congregation in the capital, Colombo, and the church requested Parthee to serve as interpreter for the event. In the course of the addresses the man began propounding a long day theory of creation and a geographically limited flood. But in Parthee’s translation of the address he asserted a literal six day view and a global flood, unbeknownst to the lecturer. After the address he explained his moral responsibility as a minister to protect his people from errant doctrine.

In two days I can already bury you with copious amounts of other “Piths from Parthee.” As you can readily see, he does not shy from an unyielding, no-holds-barred defense of the Reformed faith.

But please do not equate his resolute devotion to biblical truth with a somber disposition. Far from it. Unless you can picture a big cheesy grin accompanied by a belly laugh, your picture would be incomplete. He loves the Son of God while loving the sons of men. As one who knows the pains of childhood hunger, his compassion takes tangible shape in sacrificial generosity to those in need. His tenderness shines brightly through his gifted interaction with children, who all seem to flock to him. He cares for souls, and the recipients of that care know it.

You would be spell-bound to hear his life story. He grew up as a Hindu in the poorest family in his already poverty stricken village, and now he labors as an ordained minister in the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), under the auspices of our Home and Foreign Missions Committee. You can read more about that story in his own words in the June 2010 issue of the Free Church Witness under the article, “Trusting in His Grace”, found here:

http://www.freechurchcontinuing.com/publications/magazines/witness/item/witness-jun-10

I will attempt to flesh out more about his life later this week.

When he describes the spiritual battlefield in Sri Lanka, he identifies two primary fronts: the Buddhists outside and the Charismatic Arminians inside, both of whom hold the vast majority in their respective places. So Parthee plans to pursue biblical reformation in humility and prayerful dependence upon the Lord of the harvest with a heart throbbing for Christ to have all the pre-eminence.

The metrical words of Psalm 80:14-19 immediately come to mind. May the Lord grant that heart cry for Sri Lanka.

And may this lush land overflow with spiritual fruitfulness to the glory of God.

Warm Regards,
Pastor Rob McCurley

P.S. The pictures capture Parthee preparing fresh coconut milk and flesh for us, which they consume in the middle of the hot afternoon. You see him picking the fruit from off the roof of the house.

Apr 02 2013

Worship & Widows

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

I am writing from Sri Lanka, while most of you are reading in America, but please turn your thoughts back to India for one more report on my final day there.

Hinduism propagates a principle of vindictive retribution, wherein they interpret every affliction as a punishment from the gods for some evil deed they committed. The outworking of this wretched doctrine crushes the most vulnerable in society, especially that class so precious to the Lord — the widows. If a husband dies before his wife, the wife is deemed culpable, and consequently, she inherits a curse that few can bear. Believers in India provide a Christian burial for their deceased, but the Hindus burn their dead. In the recent past, when a husband died, his living wife would be thrown onto the top of the wood pile and engulfed in the flames along with the body of her dead husband. Thanks to the diligence of Christian missionaries we have largely eradicated that practice, but the mentality behind it remains pervasive. These bereft women, already devastated by the loss of their husbands, now face alienation and neglect from their children and immediate family. They shoulder the hardships of deprivation, toiling for their own bread, even into old age when least capable.

In addition, Hinduism promotes male domination throughout society, where women cannot even go to “heaven” unless their husbands choose to bring them along as a slave. The girls are raised to view their husbands as gods and to spend their strength attempting to please him at all costs. It takes little effort to see the depraved incentives behind concocting this religious idolatry. Lost mankind always strives to supplant the place belonging exclusively to the only true Sovereign.

Now turn your attention to a slum on the east side of Ahmedabad where the gospel of Christ ignites an explosion against the background of pagan superstition. It was March 31, and we were gathered with a growing assembly of Christians for Sabbath worship. Randy and I were seated as guests at the front of the auditorium facing the congregation. I could not comprehend an ounce of the minister’s lengthy prayers, but his ardency was keenly felt. Likewise, though we were unfamiliar with their Gujarati praise, the joy beaming from this dark corner surely spoke volumes to those who heard it. Nish served as interpreter when I was called upon to preach Christ to the people, and I noted several onlookers from the community who stood outside the assembly peering through the many large openings around two sides of the hall. To be honest, I struggled more than I had hoped, but I had to trust the Lord to demonstrate his power in my weakness. Nonetheless, the sight and thought of these precious people moved my soul. We were told afterward that about 50% of those in attendance were unconverted.

The Lord granted the privilege of ministering to these outcasts, and the events following the benediction intensified our appreciation for their witness. The church had prepared 20 sacks weighing about 50 pounds each, filled with enough staple food to feed a woman for four or five months. The minister held a list of the names of 20 legitimate widows. We offered prayer for God’s blessing upon these precious women, and then Randy and I helped to distribute the food to each of them. Friends, we cannot grasp in the U.S. the impact on these women or the bewilderment of the Hindu community. The light of Christ shines in word and deed throughout this slum.

The minister, Ravi, and his wife and daughter chose to live in the slums among the people, unlike the few other Christian missionaries serving this area, a fact noticed by the inhabitants around them. They face many obstacles, but his countenance brightens as he describes the vision for the work and the Lord’s blessing on his labors. For the first four years they abode in a slum house, but now they enjoy better housing, consisting of one small bedroom/living quarter, a kitchen, a separate bathroom (containing only a toilet, which I could not figure out how to use) and running water and some other modern conveniences.

Ravi conversed (via Nish) about all that the Lord was doing. He also asked some good theological questions about the nature of Christ’s resurrected body in heaven. The flow of spiritual conversation demonstrated his obvious devotion to the Lord Jesus, and left us greatly edified by his fellowship. I assured him that I would convey his story to many back in America and that we would seek the Lord’s blessing for him in prayer.

In this post I have discharged my commitment to inform you of the need. Now it falls to your families to join me in offering prayers for the advance of Christ’s kingdom here.

“Because the Lord a father is
unto the fatherless;
God is the widow’s judge, within
his place of holiness.

God doth the solitary set
in fam’lies: and from bands
The chain’d doth free; but rebels do
inhabit parched lands.”

(Ps. 68:5-6, metrical)

In Christ’s bonds,
Pastor Rob McCurley

P.S. The pictures include:
Ravi and his wife and daughter
Pictures of the slums from the roof.
The contents of the 50 lb. sacks.