Standing Strong through the Storm - Training of Trainers Seminar 2007

30 July – 01 August 2007 - “I learned quite a lot of things from this seminar. It is very useful for my ministry and I hope that I will be able to encourage the persecuted Church, especially the ministers who are currently facing persecution. I learned that persecution is a global issue and I also learned the correct way of responding to it.” 

22 Church leaders from different denominations and organisations participated in the Standing Strong Through the Storm (SSTS) – Training of Trainers (ToT) Seminar which was held in Bentota. The seminar addressed important issues such as the theology of persecution and its objectives, the challenges of the Christian faith, and the Bible and evangelism. 

“The lessons given at this seminar are crucial for the persecuted Church in Sri Lanka. The videos that were shown give a clearer picture of how various Churches in different locations around the world are functioning. The testimonies of Pastors who were persecuted are a source of strength to those who have undergone persecution.” 

The main objective of this seminar was to train the Church leadership in Sri Lanka on SSTS. They will then train the Pastors who in turn will educate their churches. The time of discussion allowed for ideas to be shared between different church and organisational leaders. It also allowed a time of fellowship between some of the leaders who have never met each other.

“Even though I have been involved in mission work for over ten years and have gone through suffering and persecution..., I did not realise that by sharing my experiences around the world I can help prepare the church to stand strong in the midst of hardship. The seminar encouraged me to start putting together a collection of episodes from my life. The material from the seminar will definitely help me to encourage Churches and others who are going through hardship. I did benefit from it myself. I was encouraged and motivated to continue with what I am doing.”