23 July 2009b

New President tells vision for church in Sri Lanka

Making the church in Sri Lanka a body through which the Holy Spirit can work through the members freely has become the vision of the new leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sri Lanka (SLM).

“Connecting and being united and led by the Spirit is the way forward for building the work in this country”, said Larry Brown, new SLM President, when he met the church family upon the couple’s arrival in Sri Lanka.

Speaking further on his vision for the church, he said that he plans to use the biblical model of Ephesians (Chapter 4) to identify and harness the talents of the Sri Lankan church, in uniting the diverse and multifaceted gifts within the church community; to make that vital connection so that the Holy Spirit could work without restraint in His own way to complete the work.

Pastor Brown and his wife, Rhonda, arrived in early June to lead the church in Sri Lanka as its 17th president.

Dr. Brown hails from Oregon in the United States, where he spent his formative years with his parents and three older sisters.

He holds a doctor of ministry degree from the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, Maryland; “Congregation – short term mission” being his main area of concentration.

Dr. Brown served for sometime in the United States Navy, but gave up the Navy to join the ministry. He counts 13 years of service to the church—his first as pastor in the Oregon conference and later in two-district churches on the Pacific Coast. While serving as pastor he undertook and led out in three successful field education mission trips, one to India and two to Poland.

Speaking about his wife, Dr. Brown observed: “Rhonda credits the education system of the Seventh-day Adventist church in changing her perception of God.” She graduated from Walla Walla College in College Place, Washington, and holds degrees in Dietetic and Physical Therapy. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She has several years of work experience as an associate dietician and physical therapy assistant. Her work interest lies mainly in the area of Public Health.

Pastor Brown’s adult son, Philip lives and works as a computer technician in the USA. [Nedra Perera]