The Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Sri Lanka

PRESENT LEADERSHIP

President:	Rev. Dr. Leslie W. Keegel
Vice President / General Supervisor:	Rev.S.George Niranjan
Provincial Supervisors
Western:	Rev.D.Kumarawansa
North Western & North Central:	Rev.Sumith Pinto
Uva:	Rev.M.Rajalingam
Central:	Rev.D.G.W.Jayalath
Southern:	Rev.Harim Peiris
Sabaragamuwa:	Rev.G.Jesurasa

MISSIONARIES

1. Surekha & Chrishani Hulugalla - London ,United KIngdom
2. Theo & Manju Nayagam - New Zealand

3. Robin & Rebecca John - New Zealand

4. Lanil & Ingrid Gunasekara - Sydney Australia

5. Asanka & Shermi Hewawasam - Melbourn ,Australia

6. Segar & Premila Nathen - Madras, India

 
Indian Mission:There are more than 180,000 Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, South India. This mission began in June 2008 among the refugees when the Foursquare Church sent Rev.Segar & his wife as missionaries to this displaced Sri Lankans. . Currently Rev.Segar had started 11 meeting places in 6 districts out of 30 districts in Tamil Nadu state, with 250 people accepting the Lord, & training 7 for the ministry.

Erode District	Bawani Sagar, Arachaloor
Madurai District	Manamadurai
Madras District	Pandicheri, Valasarawakkam
Thirunellveli District	Kalliyakavalli, Maruthandam, Nagar Kovil, Thirunellveli
Kanniyakumari District	Kanniyakumari
Vellore District	Amboor
Coiyambatroe District	Thirumoorthimala

STATUS OF THE CHURCH

No. of churches & Meeting Places	15021
Memebrship	17200
No. of Workers	452
Bible Institute	1
Extention Institiutes	40
No of Missionaries Sent	6  (Australia 3, New Zealand 1 ,England 1, India 1)
Projects:- Orphananges - 4 ( Wattala, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Vavuniya) Transit Home for widows - 1 ( Valaichenai) School for Children with special Needs - 1 ( Vavuniya) Elders Home - 1 (Wattala) Foster Parenting - currently supporting 600 Tsunami & war affected Children

HISTORY OF THE FOURSQUARE CHURCH, SRI LANKA

Richard  and Betty Kiser came to Sri Lanka from a Foursquare Church in Indiana, USA, during the mid 1970’s. Their original plan was to live in India and oversee their bookshop in Orissa.  However, as they were refused visas to live in India they decided to live in Sri Lanka by securing a guest residence visa.  They made friends fairly quickly with Christians and churches as they moved around from church to church.  During this time, they met Leslie Keegel a young man who was pioneering a church in Kelaniya and training to be an accountant.  The Kisers developed a closer relationship with this young man, who was to have a great impact on the Foursquare Church in Sri Lanka.  Several weeks later, while having dinner with the Kisers at their home, Leslie was drawn to this couple’s bookshelf.  As he scanned through the titles one book particularly caught his attention because of its odd title,This is That. The woman on the cover – Aimee Semple McPherson – and the talk about a Foursquare Church intrigued the young pastor so he borrowed the book.  After reading it from cover to cover five times Leslie said to himself, “One day I must become a part of the Foursquare Church.”

After associating with the Kisers for 4 years 1974 – 1978, Leslie went to Bangalore for training in an Assembly of God Bible College.  Just as Leslie was leaving for Bible College Richard Kiser told him that if Leslie would decide to join a Foursquare Bible College someday, he would most gladly recommend him to a Bible College in the Philippines.  In September of 1978, God through a vision spoke to Leslie, that He is calling him to be trained in a Foursquare Bible College, and he eventually would establish Foursquare Churches in Sri Lanka.  He therefore immediately contacted Richard Kiser and requested him to send him the address of a Foursquare Bible College in the Philippines.  Upon receipt of this address Leslie wrote to Rev. Philip Starr who was the General Supervisor of the Foursquare churches in the Philippines.  On the recommendation of the Kisers, Foursquare Missions International accepted Leslie as a pastor in training and sent him to the Philippines in May 1979.  In the meantime the Kisers were asked to serve as Foursquare Missionaries in Sri Lanka. The Kisers returned to the United States to be ordained at the International Convention in April 1979. Then, after a brief exposure to the successful work in the Philippines, the Kisers returned to Sri Lanka in October 1979 and the Foursquare Ministry was officially started.  For the next three and a half years the Kisers led the work establishing three churches and gathering together nineteen workers.

In 1981 Leslie Keegel returned to Sri Lanka from the Philippines with a Bachelor's Degree from the Foursquare Bible College and a new bride, Belen. Although better opportunities were offered, the Keegels began to pioneer in the slums of Colombo.

For one week Leslie made prayer walks through this area teaming with Prostitutes, drug addicts and Pickpockets. During the second week he took some Gospel tracts and looked for people to give them to - people who wouldn't get angry at him for giving a tract.

At one point a man approached him and said, "Pastor, do you remember me?" Leslie replied that he didn't and so the man explained, "Remember that I came to your house five years ago with my Auntie? I was totally deaf and dumb but you prayed for me and when I went home I was instantly healed. " The man had never returned to Leslie because at the time of the healing he had no interest in becoming a Christian. Now, after hearing that Leslie was planting a church, the man eagerly asked, "Can I be your first member?" After this the two met together daily under a lamppost where Pas tor Leslie read the Bible to this illiterate man and they discussed the ways of the Lord. Instead of leaving for a job in the Middle East the man chose to stay, ex plaining. "It is more important for me to stay and learn the Bible and start the church with you."

God's hand was on the ministry and many miracles took place. On one occasion Leslie's friend woke him as the pastor slept on a Saturday morning. "Can you come to pray for a child who is dying?" After walking and riding the buses to where the child was, the two came to a house full of people. Not know ing what was happening, Pastor Leslie walked over to the child, picked it up and began to pray for it. The child then sneezed and started crying. Leslie was up set that he had made the child cry and started to apolo gize to the parents. The wide-eyed parents exclaimed, "What are you talking about? The Child was dead!”

When the Kisers returned to the U.S.A. in March 1981. Leslie Keegel was appointed as the Na tional President of the fledgling Foursquare Gospel Church in Sri Lanka.

DENOMINATIONAL ROOTS

The story of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Sri Lanka begins with the life of a woman born in Ontario, Canada in 1890 and the founding of the In ternational Church of the Foursquare Gospel. Aimee Semple McPherson was a woman anointed by God with a powerful ministry of healing and evangelism. Thousands would attend her crusade meetings at a time in history when women preachers were frowned upon. While preaching in 1922 Aimee came up with the term, "Foursquare Gospel" to describe the Gospel of Jesus the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and Soon Coming King.

As the ministry flourished, many pressed Aimee to start a denomination but she resisted this because her heart and passion were set on evange lism. However, in 1923 a huge dome-shaped church called Angelus Temple was built in Los Angeles for Aimee's meetings. LIFE Bible College was founded and those who had been trained began planting churches in southern California and up the coast of the United States. These churches wanted to unite together as a community of believers and so the In ternational Church of the Foursquare Gospel was es­tablished.  Today this church family reaches into ……… Nations worldwide and has over ….. million members and adherents.

ESTABLISHING HEADQUARTERS

Even though many people came to the Lord and were baptized during the Keegel's church planted in the Colombo slums, few remained in the church. As a result the average congregation was only about eight people and the pastors monthly salary from the church was only forty-five rupees. Although sometimes de pressed and tempted to return to secular employment, Leslie remained faithful to his calling. As his house lease was about to expire, the pastor prayed and be gan to sense that God was calling him to a ministry in Nugegoda. Shortly afterwards an old classmate invited him to come to his home and begin a Bible Study - in Nugegoda. Knowing that Leslie was becoming des perate for a place to move, the friend told of a house and piece of property that was available for lease.  So, on September I, 1985 they went to see the property in Nugegoda. Immediately Pastor Leslie liked the prop erty and felt that this was the place to be; the owner said, "Why don't you give us three hundred thousand rupees and we can have a long lease?" But Pastor Leslie replied that he wasn’t interested in leasing, he wanted to buy it ! The landlord offered a price of 2.5 million and Leslie countered with 1.2 million. No agreement was made but three days later the owner called for another meeting. This time the two agreed to a price of 1.7 million rupees and entered into a sale agree ment, which was to he paid by September 30.

Once at home Pastor Leslie realized what he had done -- that he had only one thousand rupees in his account -- and he began to think that he was an absolute fool.  Under pressure from the deadline at the end of the month he began to fast and pray, "God, you have told me not to ask for money but to rely on you. I feel that you want this for us and so I'm trusting you to provide for us." Four days later Pastor Leslie was exhausted after a late night deliverance session and feeling terribly hungry from his fast, so he had some dinner and went to bed. The next morning during break fast a knock came at the door and the pastor became annoyed.  "'These people, even on my day off they don't want to let me be." He told Latha - the woman staying with them - to answer the door and to send the person away. But when Latha answered the door a tall for eigner stood there. She shut the door and hurried back to pastor Leslie, "Pastor, Pastor, a very tall white man has come. He says he knows you and wants to talk with you." When Leslie came to the door he was shocked to see Paul Kisser, a Foursquare Pastor who is now the President of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

  

INCORPORATION

Many had suggested that the Foursquare work in Sri Lanka should go on for at least ten years before trying to be incorporated as a denomination in Sri Lanka. However, the National President, Leslie Keegel, had strong conviction that the church should be incorporated as soon as possible.  This was considered impossible by some who had declared that without a great deal of money and influence that incorporation would never happen. The first lawyer who looked at the papers saw the name of the church and laughed, "Foursquare! You are making a monkey out of the Gospel. This will never work here. Parliament will have a good laugh and throw the application away."

In spite of this opposition Leslie pressed on. Gathering copies of incorporation papers from the other churches he managed to collect enough information to come up with something that would be both Sri Lankan and Foursquare. He took his work to a lawyer who looked over the papers and said, "This is perfect, you have the legal terms and you have all of the information. I don't have to do anything." Then he charged Leslie, six hundred rupees and sent him on his way.

Next a government minister was needed to process the incorporation papers. The first minister who was approached said that he would have to consult his bishop before he would do this. 

Pastor Leslie countered that he didn't consult the bishop before voting for this minister.  Still the man wouldn't budge and Leslie knew that the bishop would never approve -- so he walked off. At a Bible study this matter was brought up by Pastor Leslie as a prayer need. A lady at the study told him to come with her the next day and she would take him to a minister. The minister turned out to be a Muslim man, who looked at the papers and exclaimed, "So, you think we are heathen!" Leslie didn't know what to say so he began to explain that this term wasn't meant to put anyone down, that it was just terminology used by the Americans. The minister laughed and said, "Don't worry Reverend, I was just joking. Don't call me to remind me about this matter. Give me your number and I'll call you when it is done. "Within a few months this man had completed the work and only charged the church three hundred rupees - and this money went towards the state fee for printing the papers. The minister said that he didn't want any gifts, any favours or any money. Pastor Leslie was so happy that God had led him to an honest man. The Holy Spirit moved in his heart prompted Leslie to prophesy that the minister would get a promotion. Although the minister felt that he was too young to get a promotion, four months later he was made the Deputy Minister of Finance. As a result of God opening these doors, the Foursquare Gospel Church in Sri Lanka was incorporated in 1986.  

DISTRICT EXPANSION

Nuwara Eliya: In 1989,the original worker who was to be sent to Nuwara Eliya died before he was able to go.  The need was desperate and so Leslie Keegel challenged for someone who would volunteer to go, at the Thanksgiving Service of the worker who died.  Brother Jasonraj came forward. He went and started a ministry and brought Ganeshalingam, later the ministry grew under Ganeshalingam’s Leadership.

Kalutara: In 1988 a sister from Kalutara who was present at a meeting held at Torrington opened her house at "Lomand Estate" and the first Foursquare church in this area was planted. This work was built up by the students from our Bible School. In 1991 Rev. Kumarawansa was appointed Supervisor. Now Pastor Anjelo Pinto oversees the area.

Matale: The work started at Wattagoda Estate in 1984 by Bro. Rajamony and was later passed on to Chandranathan, who also served as Supervisor. There are 2 workers and 6 ministries now.

Trincomalee : In November 1979 Richard Kiser went to this district with the help of pastor Freeman they planted a church at Anpuvalipuram. Later Rev. D.G. Somasundram -- who was led to the Lord through the ministry of Bro. Bertram Carinader -- founded a church at Sampur area. In 1981 this work continued through Rev. T. I. Inpanathan. In 1983 Rev. Leslie held crusades and through that ministry the Palathoppur church came into being. From Palathoppur a family went over to live in Kantalai and we were able to start the Kantalai church. In Trincomalee churches were established in Trincomalee Town, Aubuidipruran, Sangamaim and China Bay. Rev. D.G. Somasundram is now serving as Regional Supervisor of the Eastern Region while Rev. T. I. Inpanathran has established himself as a full time.worker at the LIFE Bible Institute. Workers from this Province who graduated from Bible School are working in various parts of the Island.

Badulla District : In 1983 Rev. G. Jesurasa opened a ministry here. Several who were lame and a maniac received divine healing. Currently there are 44 meetings places with 16 workers and 3 volunteers with Rev. Rajalingam serving as the Regional Supervisor. From this area 5 workers have been sent to other districts.

PHENOMENAL GROWTH 

During a church history research in 1989, Ranjith De Silva (former principal of Lanka Bible College) stated that the Foursquare Gospel Church was the fastest growing church in Sri Lanka. In fact, in the history of Sri Lanka no church has ever experienced the rapid rate of growth that this church has. Within twenty-five years it has grown to include: 205 pastors and workers; 432 meeting places; 8.861 members; and churches within 24 of the 25 districts of the nation.

By the time Leslie Keegel took over as the National President of the church there were 3 Foursquare Gospel Churches in Sri Lanka. In 1983, in the midst of a tense political atmosphere and rioting, Foursquare grew from 3 to 10 churches. Each year from 1983 to 1990 the number of churches doubled. This growth then stabilized for a few years as attention was focused on expanding the leadership base and solving some internal problems. In 1996, following a time of self-evaluation, fasting and prayer the growth picked up again.

One of the keys to the growth of the church has been the strategy of planting house churches. This strategy enables churches to be planted quickly because they are not dependent on finding or funding a traditional church building.

The churches are also able to meet in communities that may be resistant to a church building in their midst. Another key to growth has been God's grace in confirming the word with signs following. Each district and many of the churches have been opened as the result of someone being healed or delivered of a demon. In fact, sixty percent of the churches planted have been initiated by lay people who have often witnessed or experienced a miracle themselves. It is only later that a pastor is called to develop the work.

Because the Foursquare Gospel Church is only twenty-five years old and has grown so fast, most of the pastors and workers are quite young. Of the 205 pastors and workers, only about 15 are over forty years of age. The vast majority are in their twenties and thirties. Some may think that Foursquare must have taken many workers from other churches in order to provide leadership for so many new churches. However, about 97% of the pastors and workers are first generation Christians who have been saved and trained within the Foursquare denomination.

Although the majority of Foursquare Gospel churches in Sri Lanka serve people living in rural areas and tea plantations, ministry to a new section of society began to develop in 1989. During a flight the previous year Pastor Leslie Keegel had a dream in which three men came to talk to him. The men were well-dressed businessmen who asked, "Why haven't you come to us? Why have you only gone to the poor? We need the Gospel as well." Then in November 1989 Pastor Jack Hayford came to Sri Lanka and blessed many at a teaching seminar. One effect of this time was that the recently established Foursquare work gained credibility by being associated with such a prominent Foursquare leader. As Pastor Jack was about to leave Sri Lanka he prophesied over Leslie Keegel saying. "What does the number twelve mean to you?" Leslie replied that it was exactly 12 years since he had been called by God into ministry. Pastor Jack continued, "After twelve years you will pass a milestone in your ministry and from this point on you will see a continual rise in fruitfulness and blessing. The Foursquare movement is going to take a turn and things are going to explode in growth." The next Sunday the English congregation of eight in Nugegoda grew to forty. This congregation has now grown to become the Living Way Church -- a church which ministers to many in the business community. Because of the growth of this church and the generosity of its members, the bulk of the Foursquare work in Sri Lanka is now being raised within the nation. 

Source: The Official Website of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Sri Lanka

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