Although there is only one Seventh-day Adventist church member for every 6,000 people in this island nation, the Seventh-day Adventist Church made a national impact during its recent centennial.

News coverage of the event was positive, a church leader said, and that has led to inquiries about Adventist beliefs as well as requests for Bible studies.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sri Lanka celebrated its centennial with three days of meetings, Oct. 22 to 24, including visits from Pastor Jan Paulsen, world church president, and Pastor Alberto Gulfan Jr., who heads the Southern Asia-Pacific region of the church.

Before those events, a news conference introduced the church to local media, and through them to the public at large. Pastor W.D. Anthony, local church president, and Pastor Rick McEdward, Global Mission and Evangelism director for the church in Sri Lanka, joined pastors Paulsen and Gulfan in speaking with reporters.

“Dr. Paulsen spoke regarding quality of life issues and freedom of conscience,” McEdward told ANN in a telephone interview. “Currently, there is a bill pending in the Sri Lanka parliament that would restrict [religious] conversions. Paulsen spoke our belief in freedom of choice, and our involvement in improving people’s quality of life, using education as the key example.”

Speaking to ANN after his return, Paulsen commented on a growing Adventist community operating where it is a minority faith. Only seven percent of Sri Lankans are Christian, and only one-half of one percent are Protestant, church officials note.

“One of the striking features of the church in Sri Lanka is that it exists in a region where another religion is dominant; a religion that is embraced by two-thirds of the people and is embedded in the culture of the nation,” Paulsen told ANN. “Yet even in this environment, our church—just a tiny minority—is able to give an appealing witness for Christ, last year showing a net growth of some 200 new believers.”

He added, “The church in Sri Lanka has not presented itself in an aggressive manner, speaking negatively about other religions. Sri Lankan Adventists have demonstrated that their purpose is not to discredit others, but rather to do good within the communities where they live—through their education and health care systems and their commitment to being a productive part of society.”

The positive press coverage reflected the unity of the nearly 3,600 Adventist church members in Sri Lanka, McEdward said: “I think it was a very festive and celebratory mood during the events. There was a genuine unity of the church, and everybody worked closely together.”

Following countrywide Sabbath services celebrating the centennial, Oct. 24 saw a march of 1,500 Adventists in Colombo to both honor the event and promote awareness of the church. Marching bands from Lakpahana Adventist College, Kandana Adventist High School and the Adventist International School in Negombo participated in the event, where young people handed out literature about the church. Floats from Lakeside Adventist Hospital and the church’s educational institutions and health department were also featured.

The first Adventist to visit Sri Lanka was Abraham La Rue, who visited Colombo in 1893 and distributed literature. Then in 1904, Harry Armstrong came to Sri Lanka, settled there and laid the groundwork for the Adventist Church, along with a fellow pioneer.

The two shared their faith with people from Colombo to Jaffna.  It took 16 years to establish the first Adventist church in Kollupitiya, along with others in Moratuwa and Kandy. With only a few churches established, the Seventh-day Adventist Church began building a fledgling school in Kottawa in 1924.  Lakpahana, as the school was called, was established by some of the early pioneers to educate children and youth and give them a better life.

Lakeside Adventist Hospital, operated by the church, opened in Kandy in 1964.  Lakeside has, in recent years, opened a dialysis unit, a diabetes education center and a new X-ray room.  The hospital has just completed construction of a new administration building with cafeteria, and is remodeling a chapel.

Adventist education has also made an impact in Sri Lanka. Today, there’s an education system with five schools offering instruction available in all three languages, Sinhala, Tamil and English.  In all, more than 4,000 students are enrolled in Adventist schools, the majority of whom are either Roman Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim.

According to McEdward, the centennial was designed to note not only these accomplishments, but also that the God whom Adventists believe is behind them. “We feel that God has used this as a chance to open a few eyes and draw some people to God’s kingdom,” he said.