First Baptist Church In Sri Lanka

Opened on 1st Sunday, 5th October 1817 At Grandpass, in Colombo

The first Baptist Missionary family landed in Colombo on 16th April 1812.
Rev James Chater and Brother Hendrick Siers came across the Grandpass area in 1813 which was densely populated with the Sinhalese people as a strategic centre.

Rev. Chater bought a piece of land in Grandpass in Colomboand started to build the first Baptist Church which was opened on 1st Sunday, 5th October 1817 amidst a large gathering.[but its not the present church building]
He built the Manse adjoining the Church.

Hendrick Siers one of the two baptised by Rev. Chater was later ordained, started to serve the Lord visiting the Suburbs with Rev. Chater.

In 1817 a Buddhist Priest accepted Jesus Christ. He was the first person to accept Jesus as his saviour, who was later named Theophilus, but to the sorrow of every one he died of a painful illness on 31st October 1817.

He witnessed saying “ I am not afraid to die as I trust in the Grace of God but I am afraid of pain”.

In 1824 Rev. Chater Baptised 8 converts and one was Issack Whyttu Nadan a school Master of the Mattakkuliya Baptist School. In 1826 Sunday Schools were started in all three languages and Sunday service in Sinhala and Portuguese. The membership had been 26.

(Note :- Text extracted from ' History of Baptist Churches & The Auxiliaries Book')