Poor Christians in Sri Lanka: Don't give us charity, help us help ourselves

Godfrey is a man who has experienced persecution first-hand - but he remains undaunted in ministry. He has a lot on his mind and responds enthusiastically to my questions about the difference self-help makes for Christians in need.

Image right: A poor woman with goats that can be bred and sold to increase income.

Godfrey says: "Income-generating projects are sustainable and help Christians in need to become self-sufficient. Not only does it help them to support themselves, but through their increased income they can sustain the church as well as the community they are a part of.

It's a very valuable program that Christians in Denmark are involved in, and we can truly say that it has made a difference in the lives of poor pastors. In Sri Lanka, the church is both persecuted and still struggling with the aftermath of the horrors of civil war. Many people have been internally displaced, and these poor and vulnerable Christians cannot afford to give enough gifts for the pastor to be paid.

They can only give things like bananas, fruits or vegetables from their gardens as a collection. That's why we started the project, so the pastor can earn a salary that will also help the congregation and the community he serves in the village.

Does it change the villagers' view of the church doing something for the community?

In two ways, helping poor Christians help themselves is a blessing to the community. First, they see the pastor working with his hands. In an Asian context, if you send a professional pastor who goes there, who lives there and just preaches, they think: He's not part of the village, he's only there to convert us, and the village misunderstands many things because of their Buddhist and Hindu worldview.

But when they see the pastor through these programs working with his hands, getting his hands dirty and contributing to the prosperity of the village through his projects - they see him as one of their own, as a part of the village, and it gives a very praiseworthy image among the villagers. So these projects, I would say, have been a real blessing and have had a very positive impact on the community.

Can you talk about the need for Bibles? Do we still need to send Bibles?

Yes, Bibles have been a need. One of the reasons has been the 30 years of civil war we went through, and especially in the northeastern part of Sri Lanka, many lost all their belongings, including their Bibles. They need Bibles as all the Bibles in the region were lost, including the pastors' Bibles. We have tried to give Bibles first to pastors and then to the believers. Bibles have also become a very expensive thing in the South, as many Bibles are printed outside the country and brought in. So a normal poor believer does not have access to the Word of God.

Image to the right: Happy girls receiving a Bible

That they can grow in faith and read the Word is a great privilege. These Bibles are a great blessing, which I think in the West is taken for granted. In the West, a believer will have several translations rather than just one Bible. Just having the New Testament has enormous value, and I think foreigners don't always appreciate the Bibles they have because there are so many translations and options. But in Sinhalese and Tamil there is only one option and it makes a big difference in their lives.