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| Saturday, 22 May 2004 |
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The 160th anniversary celebration: History of the Methodist Society and Church of Wellawatte On Sunday May 16 at 8.30 a.m. the Wellawatte Methodist Church held somewhat belatedly this year, its anniversary the 160th anniversary, in the church on the corner of Galle Road and 1st Chapel Lane. The records show that in the year 1818 a school was established and weekly prayer meetings were held in the home of one family. This planted the seed from which the Wellawatte society would grow. To those not familiar with Methodist organisation, our founder John Wesley, an Anglican priest, troubled by the failure of the church to reach the poor, the illiterate and the neglected in society, went out into the countryside, the factories and the mines, and brought the message of God's love to people who had never felt or heard of it. In the course of this work he established little groups or 'Societies' in homes and halls, the workplace and anywhere else they could meet. And these, when they became larger, grew into churches. By the year 1843 the little prayer meeting in Wellawatte had grown to the size that they could request the Rev. C. B. Gogerly to establish a 'house chapel'. The word Chapel in those days was used to distinguish them from Church, which was the Anglican (Church of England) Church, which had expelled John wesley for his 'unorthodox behaviour'! On January the 21st 1844, a house chapel was opened near the Boy's Industrial Home, and the Rev. David de Silva was stationed at the Wellawatte 'House Chapel' with a congregation of 25, which soon grew to 44 adults and 28 children. By the end of 1844 it had 90 adult and 50 children. This was the birth of the Wellawatte Society of the Methodist Church. In January 1845 a dedicated and committed member of the Sinhala Society donated a block of land and a house chapel was built. In the same year a mixed school was established, to help in the education of the children in the area. In 1847 the Society faced a lot of opposition from a rich mudalali and thombo holders, but despite this outside opposition it made steady progress under the guidance of its minister, and by 1858 there were 5 house chapels in the Wellawatte area with a total of 400 families. The Buddhist controversy and the death of the Rev. Gogerly in 1859 caused some drop in membership, but a large nucleus remained faithful. In 1880 a piece of land by the Galle Road was purchased. On the 7th of January 1899 the foundation stone of a new chapel was laid on the site by the Rev. Marshal Hartley and a large number of laymen and women, which included Mudliyar Arthur de Silva, the minister's son, and other members of the Sinhala, Tamil and English congregations, clergy and members of the civil and military establishment. Addresses were given by clergy whose names are remembered by many even today; Hartley, Fonseka, Moscrop, Mendis. The collection that day was Rs. 1100.00; a lot of money a hundred odd years ago. And a large number of people attended to witness the ceremony. The building was completed and dedicated on the 12th of November that year. The interior was furnished with a pulpit of carved sandalwood and seating for 210 people and the church was surrounded by some beautiful villas. The total cost of the building was Rs. 8775.00 and the debt of Rs. 2000 was soon cleared by the generous giving of the congregation. There was sufficient land behind the church to subsequently build a school which was named St. Clare's College. In 1926 a Manse was build for the resident minister. After 39 years a decision was taken to replace the old church by the Galle Road and the final service was held in that building on the 12th of May, 1940 at which the Revs. D. J. Batholomeuz, H. de S. Wickramaratne and F. M. Kedward presided. The foundation stone for the present building was laid on the 14th of October, 1939 and completed and dedicated on the 1st of July, 1940 by the Rev. H. R. Cornish. It was of an ultra modern design for the time, and was said to resemble Judson College Chapel in Rangoon. The Rev. F. M. Kenward made a great contribution at that time, supervising the construction and monitoring the expenditure. Tamils, Burghers and Sinhala worshipped together in this church, contributing much to the society, and also to the surrounding secular society, right up to the 50s and 60s with large congregations led by dedicated ministers supported by a strong, vibrant and committed lay leadership. Families in those days came in half dozens, or even dozens, so the Sunday school, the Youth Fellowship, the Women's Fellowship and other church organisations were always full of activity. We remember with gratitude and joy all those, too numerous to mention in the space of an article such as this, whose sacrifice and dedication established and sustained the Wellawatte Society, and the wider Methodist denomination and Christian church at large, and gave so much to the whole society around them. And we pray that we may be found faithful in our generation, to revive and regenerate the work they began 160 years ago. - Richard Dwight |
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