Joy in Fellowship - Serving with the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka

An ordained Mission Partner with the Methodist Church, Sarah proudly traces her roots to Nottingham— ‘the true area of Robin Hood country.’ Her deep commitment to supporting those in need, a cornerstone of her faith, took her across the globe following the completion of an MPhil in International Peace Studies in Dublin. Over the past two and a half years, at the invitation of the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka, she has led valuable community mission programmes focusing on the rights of women and providing support for Christian young people. Now, she is embarking on a new chapter in Guyana, where, under the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas, she serves two small congregations and spearhead mental health initiatives.

Based in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, Sarah’s contribution to the work of the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka was transformative—tackling issues of domestic abuse and supporting youth camps, including a major national gathering.

Her work around domestic abuse evolved out of pastoral visits, and an increasing awareness of the issue of the worth of women in the community. While women in Sri Lanka have access to education and the right to vote, cultural norms still influence their social participation. Sarah says in some households, women primarily focus on domestic responsibilities—cooking and preparing for guests—without necessarily joining the meal or engaging socially. In others, women are fully included in the gathering. These variations reflect the diversity of cultural practices across communities.

Within the Methodist Church, Sri Lanka, ordination is open to women. However, the number of ordained women remains small at present.

Sarah says that in this culturally conservative environment both Church and society struggle with divorce, which she realised made it much harder for victims of domestic abuse to get help.  In line with concerns about the issue of domestic violence throughout the world, including in the UK, the majority of cases that were coming up through the pastoral life of the churches Sarah was working with involved violence against women within the domestic setting.

Women began sharing their stories with her and the Church team she worked alongside, revealing painful experiences of choosing to remain in abusive marriages rather than pursue divorce. It quickly became evident that support and guidance for these women were sorely lacking—prompting the formation of a dedicated group to offer help and solidarity.

‘We looked at how we gave information, being very mindful of the position of the Church with regards to issues around marriage vows and what that might mean. As a team, we were very much at the point of saying that actually the marriage vows had already been broken the moment domestic abuse took place. So, we were very mindful of both the culture and the circumstances, and we offered information seminars looking at what domestic abuse was, looking at Scripture around abuse in a domestic setting. We did not consider directly or unpack child abuse.’

Building on that work, Sarah and the team developed a workshop—initially delivered in English and open to all, regardless of religious background. They created a brochure listing resources and support contacts, which was translated into Tamil and later into Sinhala to ensure wider accessibility. While other denominations were discussing the issue, Sarah says the Methodists were the first to have reached out directly to the community and to local congregations, and the brochure was received very positively. The team continues to carry the initiative forward, working to deepen understanding of domestic abuse in all its forms: psychological, sexual, and physical.

Another key aspect of Sarah’s role involved peace making and advocacy work.  With the support of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Sarah was able to facilitate youth camps that brought together Sinhala and Tamil communities—groups that, even within the Christian Church, often remain divided by language and have few opportunities to connect, especially in the wake of COVID. These youth camps brought hundreds of young people together for fellowship, seminars, workshops and support in a country where Christianity is a minority religion and on occasion Christians can be subject to discrimination.

Sarah spoke warmly about the role of games at the camps, saying, “Sri Lanka is brilliant for that—we play games at everything, from the youngest to the eldest adult.” Alongside the fun and laughter, she highlighted the importance of praise and worship, and the joy of simply coming together in fellowship, united by “that sense of being a Christian.”

Sarah was deeply moved by her time in Sri Lanka—by her work and the remarkable people she met and the country’s breathtaking landscapes. “You go off for a drive and there’s an elephant happily ambling down the road, the peacocks are beautiful, and the shift in climate from coast to inland means the country can grow anything from coconuts to strawberries.” Sarah reflects, though, that climate change is beginning to have a significant impact on Sri Lanka, with the once-predictable rainy and dry seasons far more erratic. Previously, the East and West coasts had distinct seasonal patterns, but now rainfall occurs randomly across regions. This unpredictability is placing considerable strain on the country’s infrastructure.

Also, beneath the beauty, Sri Lanka still bears the scars of past internal conflict and the devastation of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which ravaged many coastal regions. That history has shaped a resilient population. The Christian Church, too, has had to adapt—major festivals are guarded by armed security, and Sarah observes that worshippers draw on that same resilience simply to attend.

Sarah is now serving in Guyana where, on the invitation of the Guyana District of the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and the Americas, she will lead two small churches. Her role will also focus on supporting and working alongside these congregations to help realise their vision of care and mental health awareness.

‘Mission Partner’ is the term given those sent by the Methodist Churches in Britain and Ireland to serve overseas. Mission Partners serve wherever God directs, usually for a period of between one and six years, accountable to the receiving church. Visit our website to learn more about current and former Mission Partners.

Visit Sarah’s page here.