Gamini Mendis

I remained in the hospital for two weeks in great pain, but slowly began to recover. Many pastors came to visit me. Some said that God struck me down because I had visited the Adventist church. The Adventist pastor visited me several times and brought me a book titled The Great Controversy.

Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com

I had lots of time to read, and by the time I was discharged, I had finished the book. When the Adventist pastor came to visit me at home, I had many questions.

When I had recovered enough to preach at my church again, I went back to visiting the Adventist church to borrow the pastor’s sermon notes. Of course, I didn’t tell him what I was doing, nor did I tell my own congregation where I was getting my sermon material.

One Sabbath the Adventist pastor preached a sermon on the Sabbath. I borrowed that sermon, too. After I preached, members of my church asked me why we worship on Sunday if Saturday is God’s holy Sabbath.

Suddenly I realized that I was trapped by my own cunning. I needed more information so I could answer my congregation’s questions. I visited the Adventist pastor and asked him to study the Bible with me, beginning with the Sabbath. After we studied, I asked him all the questions I thought my congregation would ask. Then I called my church members together to give them the same Bible study on the Sabbath. Not all were interested in this new truth, but many wanted to learn more.

Word reached the church leaders in my denomination that I was teaching Adventist doctrines. They told me that if I insisted on preaching like an Adventist pastor I couldn’t continue as pastor in my church. By this time I believed in the Sabbath and other Bible truths I had learned through borrowing the pastor’s sermons.

I decided to become an Adventist, turn my church into an Adventist church, and bring as many members of my congregation with me as would listen. Sundays became Bible study days in my church, and several Adventist pastors came to help me teach the people. For three or four months we studied the Bible intensely and tried to understand God’s will for our lives and our church. Then we held a baptism in which 20 members of my church joined the Adventist family. Later 13 more people were baptized. More than half the members of my little congregation have joined the Adventist church.

Gamini Mendis continues to work as a pastor in the same area of Sri Lanka where he once pastored a charismatic church. He now has three Adventist churches.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more mission stories at www.adventistmission.org

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