In recognition of the yeoman service she has rendered to the Methodist Church, Savitri de Silva was voted in as the Vice President for the year 2023, which is the highest position a Lay person can hold, in the Methodist Church. Born into a Christian home Savitri is the daughter of Bonnie Fernando, a well-known journalist at Lake House in the 1960s and Carmen Mendis, a much- loved teacher.

Savitri says her mother was an exceptional lady who imbibed Christian values of faith, honesty, integrity, simplicity, friendship, inclusivity, sharing, fairness and justice. She taught Savitri to thrive in difficult situations and be courageous when standing up for justice. Her mother was blessed with the spirit of joy, fun and laughter, which were the hallmarks of her life. Savitri’s paternal grandfather was Rev. Bastian Fernando of the Anglican Church while her maternal grandfather was Rev. Samuel George Mendis, the first All Island Chairman of the Methodist Church, Ceylon.

Her grandfather and Savitri shared a deep love for each other and she says, to her grandfather, loving God and adhering to God’s commands was imperative. Her maternal great grandfather, Rev.B.Anthony Mendis was the architect and builder of the Dehiwela Church. There are interesting stories of how he encouraged the Methodist ladies to carry sand in their sarees from the Dehiwela beach to build the present church. As founder of the Wesley Guild Movement in Sri Lanka, he established the first Guild and Juvenile Missionary Society in 1897 in Moratumulla.

Her grandmother’s father was Rev.D.P.G. Ferdinando, known as the ‘Methodist Architect’, was the first Ceylonese to be appointed to the Provincial Synod in 1912. He was involved in the construction of the Moratumulla church, and church hall; the Kurana, Kalahe, Divulapitiya and Pethiyagoda churches and drew up plans for the church in Minuwangoda.

This is Savitri’s Methodist heritage. During her school career at Methodist College (MC), she was President of the Junior, Intermediate and Senior English, Literary and Dramatic Societies. She was an actor in College plays which were open to the public and was a script writer for the end of term class plays. She was a 1st Class Girl Guide and a chorister.

She ended her time at MC as the Captain of Shire House. It was during a Mission of Rev. Dr.Abdul Haq that she first experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. She remembers being almost carried forward by an external force, tears streaming down her face. Her time of deep learning and sharing continued with the late Rev. George E.Good in her preparation for Full Membership and later at CTS. In her home church, she is a Class Leader, Chorister, Vice President of the MWF and Prayer Coordinator and former Secretary of the Leaders Meeting.

She is the Lay Secretary of the Central District Synod and a member of the CD Standing Committee. Savitri’s passion is undoubtedly the Boy’s Industrial Home [BIH] and this is where her heart lies. A Committee Member since 2000 at the invitation of the then Warden, Mrs. Deepthi de Silva, she is currently, Secretary of the Management Committee. Her priority is to introduce the boys to Jesus Christ and for them to live exemplary lives. Savitri, her husband Vasantha (a former Vice President) without whose support she would not be where she is today, and their children Ramila and Amandhi, share a love for these boys and continue to assist in many ways.

Their involvement extends beyond BIH and into their future. She was trained in Indexing, Classification, etc in the CISIR Library by Ms.Clodagh Nethsingha and ended as Personal Assistant to the late Dr.George Ponnamperuma, where she gained experience in organising international conferences etc. During her many years in the Corporate Sector she navigated through diverse areas by working for late Architect Geoffrey Bawa, Acres International Team (Canada) of the Maduru Oya Project, late Mr.Merril Fernando (Dilmah), Mr.Hemaka Amarasuriya(Singer) and at Ceylon Tobacco Company. When she began working at MCSL on a voluntary basis as Personal Assistant to two past Presidents, Revd. Duleep Fernando and Rev.Noel Fernando, Savitri became more service oriented.

Currently she is a Church Representative on the Methodist College Governing Board, Church Representative on the National Christian Council, Member of the Standing Committee, Joint Secretary of the Overseas Mission Partnership Committee, Member of the Christian Education Committee, Member of the Evangelism Training Colleges Board, Member of the Evangelism Department Committee, Member of the Nominations Committee, and is commissioned and recognised as a Local Preacher.

text Anusha David