INDIAN MISSIONED

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 140, 15 May 1936, Page 2

INDIAN MISSIONED

REV. E. GUNASEKERA

GOSPEL ADDRESS.

There was a large attendance at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, on Wednesday, when Rev. E. Gunasekera, of the Indian Baptist Mission, gave his final address in Palmerston North. Mr Gunasekera, in forceful, impressive language, told his interested listeners or his inception of the Light, his reluctance to place aside his natural Buddhist beliefs, his growing need of Christ, his great sacrifices, and of the work to be performed in India — a story which left a vivid impression of the wonder and beauty of the Gospel. Rev. J. Hubbard, after introducing the speaker, said that they had amongst them a fellow Christian and one who was ever bent upon serving Jesus Christ. Mr Gunasekera, who came to Palmerston North under the auspices of the Palmerston North Missionary Association, first thanked the Presbyterian minister (Mr Hubbard), the Missionary Association, its president (Mr Kemp) and its secretary, also Messrs Woods and Steele, for helping lum to conduct his lectures in Palmerston Nortii. He had been in the United States, Canada and the British Isles, and in those countries it had taken him a. long time to really got to know the people, but in Australia and New Zealand, thanks to the Missionary Associations, lie was able to acquaint himself with the people readily; the associations were a great help to people like himself. When he and his son had landed in Melbourne, his son, not yet 14, had gone to a school, and had learnt English in the remarkably short time of five months. The boy had made a. great headway in Australia and New Zealand. The m'inister said he belonged to no particular denomination; all Christian peoples were one in his estimation. Mr Gunasekera went on to say that he was proud to be a member ot the British Empire, and he was thankful for the protection a.nd the high sense of justice with which the British regarded his people. The vast majority of the Indians were intensely loyal, and within three days of the announcement of Britain s declaration of war in 1914 the whole of India had been electrified and thousands upon thousands of natives had cast aside denominational disputes and clamoured to serve the British flag. Mi Gunasekera had himself been engagec as a recruiting officer, and his held covered the whole of India and Burma. A certain section of the Indian people were natural fighters, and these men had nobly distinguished themselves on all the battlefields. One day the speaker had questioned a recruit as to why he was so eager to join the colours and had been told that it «as wonderful to fight because the King of England was the King-Emperor of India, one who was appointed by luxl. The man really thought he was fighting for God. Mr Gunasekera ventured to sav that, on the whole, the Hindus were more loyal than New Zealanders If there was another conflict the hist people to offer themselves for service would be the Hindus. Even now there were two Sihk detachments restoring order in Abyssinia. In all the African Wars the Indian Infantry had played a part; they had helped to strengthen the Empire. STORY OF CONVERSION.

The speaker then told of his conversion to Christianity, it took place when ho was very young, when lie was attending school. He was horn a Buddhist and so denied the very existence of God; hut, going to a Church of England Missionary School, he began to think. He begun to read the Bible and to listen to lay preachers: the first .seed of the Christian iaith had been sown, but he still remained a Buddhist. He looked upon Christ as merely a iigure in history n India the Hindus, Brahmins, Buddhists, all offered sacrifice in their temples; and so he began to think of the great sacrifice Christ had made. The world was charged with life; the tiniest, most insignificant organisms offered to die so that some higher form of life might live. The beasts of the held lived tor no other purpose than to serve man; we ate their llesh ; they died that li e might live. Christ had died that all mankind might live—the supreme sacrifice. The glorious Gospel was simple —no deep philosophy there, only believe in Jesus and live.” If a person had no belief, then his life was useless. The speaker related that one day, when going to school, he saw a large crowd of Hindus gathered in a circle. He went over to see the cause In the centre of the group was an Englishman, dressed as a Hindu and with a gracious smile on his face. He told his listeners of his great love for them, and how he was going to make them a more decent people. He (the speaker) thought it was a strung thing lor this man to come to work tor the bettoiment of a strange people Next morning he went to the Englishman, who was leaving the district that day. He told him he was a Christian, and wanted to serve the Lord. 1 lie Englishman took him by the hand and ge-ntlj told him that the Lord was always calling, there was a great dearth of native missionaries in India. The Englishman pleaded with the Indian boy to become a native lay preacher; but the speake was then attending school, and would first have to obtain his parents pelmission. The man firmly told linn that spiritual relationship counted far above blood relationship, and fiom that moment, Mr Gunasekera said, lie resolved to follow the Lord follow Him ope ill v. Willingly lie turned his back on everything the world offered and he became filled with the spmt of G< The work of the Indian Mission had gone on for forty years, giving wornleiful service; but m Mysore (Mr Gunasekera’s own State). Ceylon, on the East Coast, and in the Himalayas, the Light had yet to 6i>read. . . Air Gunasekera, in conclusion said he hoped his message to the people hiul not Ik-ph in vain; God was with them even then, they could not escape Him Who had perfected their salvation. The speaker hoped his listeners would prav for the millions m India, who had been- denied the one thing that could save them—the Gospel.