Appeals for St Michael Smarden and All Saints Biddenden

Appeal for 2008

The appeal for 2008 for All Saints Biddenden and St Michael Smarden aims to support the work of a Sri Lankan ecumenical theological college, the Theological College of Lanka (TCL). In particular, the college have asked us to help with their two outreach projects for underprivileged children in their troubled locality.

The college, set in the country's mainly Buddhist south, trains Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists for ordained and lay ministry. It operates against a backdrop of worsening ethnic conflict resulting from three decades of civil war. The current Sinhalese government is regarded by commentators as having squandered the fragile cross-party solidarity that followed the Boxing-day tsunami of 2004. Its distrust of the minority Tamils has led it in recent years to suppress entire areas by cutting off supplies and preventing travel.

Now there are also reports of intimidation of the media, regarded as the last bastion of democracy in an increasingly authoritarian country. One Anglican bishop has expressed disquiet about the risks that clergy and their families face, on top of the indiscriminate killings and bombings suffered by the general population. A long-time observer of Sri Lanka, the Rev Bob Campbell-Smith, wrote after a trip to TCL last month: "In the setting of the national situation, this was the grimmest visit that I can remember.

TCL has developed a unique style of field ministry training, in which students from both sides of the ethnic conflict study together and learn each other's language as well as English. Field programmes that take students into each other's communities have resulted in a vast network of contacts for the college.

Its two children's projects to which we are donating form part of this field training in which the students are expected to be involved. The Children's Club supports school-age children in the neighbourhood with home visits and homework help, and our offerings would buy much-needed materials. The Nandana Preschool provides education for those who cannot afford the privately-run pre-schools, a vital service in a country where pre-school attendance is a prerequisite for school admission.

Together, we can make a contribution towards equipping young children for their future as well as TCL's students for the challenges we know they will face.

Find out more on the college on TCL's website , click on “Theology in context”.

Stephanie Boucher, November 2008

STOP PRESS: As of December 2008, a total of £2,300 has been collected for this appeal, including £675 from Smarden's Lent Appeal alone.