Sinhalese and Tamil Christians have united with the Evangelical Alliance to call on UK Christians to pray for Sri Lanka and donate to agencies working on the ground.

The military campaign may be over, but there are now more than 250,000 civilians displaced in government camps across Sri Lanka. They are already traumatised and their needs are overwhelming. The conflict has now killed well in excess of 70,000 people, more than twice the number of those who died in the last humanitarian disaster in Sri Lanka, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which killed nearly 31,000 people.

Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance commented: “The British church gave very generously to relieve suffering in Sri Lanka after the tsunami. I cannot doubt that similar generosity will be shown to all those suffering and displaced by the recent conflict.”

He added: “After 25 years of civil war, feelings are intense on all sides and there are deep and complex issues to be addressed in the search for lasting peace. I would urge churches and individuals to pray for the situation, particularly on the Global Day of Prayer on 31st May 2009.”

Ram Gidoomal, Chair of South Asian Concern and a member of the Evangelical Alliance’s Council said: “The current situation is desperate. The only encouragement is that God’s people in Sri Lanka and here in the UK are working together to respond, across all the ethnic and religious barriers.”

Some of the Evangelical Alliance UK’s member bodies are already working with their partners in Sri Lanka, who are providing practical help in the local situation. These include Tearfund, World Vision and The Barnabus Fund, the latter of whom works directly with the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka.

Pastor Antonypillai Caesar, co-ordinator of Churches Together, a network of Tamil and Sinhalese pastors based in Croydon, Surrey, said: “The people in the camps have immediate practical needs, which we are trying to meet. We are also praying for peace. People have suffered so much on both sides.”

Pastor Caesar is one of several UK based church leaders who are going to Sri Lanka in the coming weeks to be with people in the camps, praying, comforting, cooking meals and doing whatever they can to help. One Christian group has been supplying 8,000 meals a day to one of the camps for the last few weeks.

Pastor Surekha Hulugalle, Senior Pastor of Living Waters Foursquare Church in London, said it is the Church’s responsibility to initiate reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

“It is the hour for the Church to demonstrate the true love, unity and oneness in Christ across every possible barrier," said Pastor Hulugalle. "The whole country has suffered and the Church has the responsibility to demonstrate the way towards a lasting peace.

"Working and supporting each other through collective prayer and immediate practical support for those affected in the Wanni area would be the immediate priority.”



How to donate:
The Evangelical Alliance UK therefore requests those who wish to contribute to the appeal to send their earmarked donations directly to www.tearfund.org; www.worldvision.org.uk or www.barnabusfund.org