The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
As of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) reported 1,228 members in 1 district and 4 branches in Sri Lanka
.
and Benjamin F. Dewey, arrived in Ceylon in May 1853. They briefly labored in Galle
and Colombo
but could find neither a hall in which to preach nor a person to listen to their message, thanks largely to the influence of anti-Mormon tracts and newspaper articles. They remained in the country only a short time before returning to India
.
The LDS Church’s next official contact with Sri Lanka was in August 1975, when two missionaries en route home from the church's Singapore
Mission
were assigned to stop in Sri Lanka to explore the prospects for initiating missionary work. They reported favorably.
In 1976, Clarence Long, a Latter-day Saint from Texas
, visited Colombo on business and became acquainted with Reginald and Easvary Rasiah and presented them with a copy of the Book of Mormon
. Their son, Rosignald Rasiah traveled to the United States to work for Long and was baptized in Texas in June 1977. Reginald and Easvary Rasiah were baptized in August 1977, and a few of their family members and others were baptized in ensuing months.
The Sri Lanka Branch of the church was organized in March 1978 with Reginald Rasiah as president
. The church was officially registered in March 1979.
In 1979, the church's Genealogical Society of Utah
started microfilming Sri Lanka’s vital records. The LDS Church and the Rotary Club in Columbo worked together to start a program to teach English as a second language in February 1982.
Several senior couples served in Sri Lanka beginning in the late 1970s. They did not actively proselytize, but taught those who requested more information about the church. Missionaries were removed from the country at different times due to civil war. Sri Lanka had one branch and 135 members in 1990. Limited numbers of young foreign missionaries were allowed to serve there beginning about the late 1990s. This led to accelerated church growth.
The first chapel in Sri Lanka was dedicated in December 2001. In 2003, membership reached 783.
, the LDS Church brought aid and other assistance to the tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka. Relief supplies, including food, hygiene, and educational kits, were given to those affected by the tsunami. The church assisted in building villages. Among other aids and services, the church built more than 650 boats and gave micro-credit loans to hundreds of women to support each other in various livelihood efforts.
Thousands of hygiene kits were distributed.
In addition to giving humanitarian aid, youth in Long Beach California wrote letters of comfort, friendship and encouragement which wer hand-delivered to children in Sri Lanka.
Members of the Geneva Switzerland Stake made and provided hygiene kits and collected several tons clothing and bedding for tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka.
Some Latter-day Saints in Virginia traveled to Sri Lanka at their own expense and formed a group called "Sri Lankan Help". When they arrived in Sri Lanka this group saw people were receiving basic needs like food and water, but many psychological needs were not being addressed. They addressed this need by performing various acts of kindness.
Merrill Osmond, a member of the LDS Church, performed at a Tsunami Relief Fund-raiser hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
History
Two Mormon missionaries, Chauncey W. WestChauncey W. West
Chauncey Walker West was a Mormon pioneer and was a leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory. He was among the first Mormon missionaries to preach in Sri Lanka....
and Benjamin F. Dewey, arrived in Ceylon in May 1853. They briefly labored in Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
and Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
but could find neither a hall in which to preach nor a person to listen to their message, thanks largely to the influence of anti-Mormon tracts and newspaper articles. They remained in the country only a short time before returning to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The LDS Church’s next official contact with Sri Lanka was in August 1975, when two missionaries en route home from the church's Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
were assigned to stop in Sri Lanka to explore the prospects for initiating missionary work. They reported favorably.
In 1976, Clarence Long, a Latter-day Saint from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, visited Colombo on business and became acquainted with Reginald and Easvary Rasiah and presented them with a copy of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. Their son, Rosignald Rasiah traveled to the United States to work for Long and was baptized in Texas in June 1977. Reginald and Easvary Rasiah were baptized in August 1977, and a few of their family members and others were baptized in ensuing months.
The Sri Lanka Branch of the church was organized in March 1978 with Reginald Rasiah as president
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
. The church was officially registered in March 1979.
In 1979, the church's Genealogical Society of Utah
Genealogical Society of Utah
The Genealogical Society of Utah , established in 1894, does business as FamilySearch International, which is the genealogical arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
started microfilming Sri Lanka’s vital records. The LDS Church and the Rotary Club in Columbo worked together to start a program to teach English as a second language in February 1982.
Several senior couples served in Sri Lanka beginning in the late 1970s. They did not actively proselytize, but taught those who requested more information about the church. Missionaries were removed from the country at different times due to civil war. Sri Lanka had one branch and 135 members in 1990. Limited numbers of young foreign missionaries were allowed to serve there beginning about the late 1990s. This led to accelerated church growth.
The first chapel in Sri Lanka was dedicated in December 2001. In 2003, membership reached 783.
Tsunami relief
After the 2004 asian tsunami2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, the LDS Church brought aid and other assistance to the tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka. Relief supplies, including food, hygiene, and educational kits, were given to those affected by the tsunami. The church assisted in building villages. Among other aids and services, the church built more than 650 boats and gave micro-credit loans to hundreds of women to support each other in various livelihood efforts.
Thousands of hygiene kits were distributed.
In addition to giving humanitarian aid, youth in Long Beach California wrote letters of comfort, friendship and encouragement which wer hand-delivered to children in Sri Lanka.
Members of the Geneva Switzerland Stake made and provided hygiene kits and collected several tons clothing and bedding for tsunami devastated countries, including Sri Lanka.
Some Latter-day Saints in Virginia traveled to Sri Lanka at their own expense and formed a group called "Sri Lankan Help". When they arrived in Sri Lanka this group saw people were receiving basic needs like food and water, but many psychological needs were not being addressed. They addressed this need by performing various acts of kindness.
Merrill Osmond, a member of the LDS Church, performed at a Tsunami Relief Fund-raiser hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
Membership History
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 135 |
| 2001 | 319 |
| 2003 | 783 |
| 2005 | 963 |
| 2007 | 1,228 |