Ajith Fernando
by Jamie GentnerUrbana attendees met Ajith Fernando when he spoke from Ephesians about God’s calling. And while he has spoken in about thirty-nine countries, he will tell you his calling is to his native Sri Lanka. “I have never been attracted to any other place,” he said.
Fernando was a shy boy when he became a Christian at the age of fourteen. He immediately sensed a call to preach, but because of his shyness, he didn’t tell anyone about it.
Instead, he wrote sermons that he mailed to a friend living in an area with no churches and preached on rocks at a nearby beach at night. But his gift wouldn’t stay a secret for long.
Friends discovered his preaching gift about forty years ago, when he was eighteen, and he has been preaching ever since.
After receiving a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 1974, a Master of Theology in New Testament from Fuller Theological Seminary, and three honorary doctorates from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Asbury Theological Seminary, he joined the staff of Sri Lanka’s Youth For Christ (YFC) ministry, where he now serves as national director.
Fernando’s favorite thing about that job is the people. “I enjoy being at camps with the youth. They usually call me uncle,” he said. “Spending time with staff chatting about the things of the Lord is one of the things I like most about my job.”
As part of his position at YFC, Fernando also speaks around the world and writes books. He spends almost 25 percent of the year traveling, and he has completed eleven books so far, including several Bible expositions and works on the theology of mission.
Soon, another book will be on his list—a new Bible in the Sinhala translation. He has spent about three hours a week for the past twenty-five years checking drafts for accuracy, and he expects a finished product next year. This will provide much-needed new Bibles for the Sri Lankan Sinhalese people in their own language.
And the same way, he wishes the same for Urbana attendees. “I am thrilled at the privilege of being able to open the Scriptures to so many young people,” Fernando said in an interview in St. Louis. “My hope is that many of them will leave Urbana excited about the Bible.”
Fernando has stirred up that excitement at three other Urbana events: 1987, 1990, and 1993. Greg Jao, this year’s Urbana emcee and the regional director for New York and New Jersey, even recalled Fernando’s exposition on Jonah from 1987.
“There’s so much clarity and passion when Ajith teaches because he is absolutely convinced that the Word shapes the way ministry is lived out,” Jao said. “In the end, you certainly remember Ajith, but you also remember the Scripture. I can say I know Jonah better because of that Urbana.”
Now, after the convention, Fernando hopes attendees remember a few things.
“I hope they will realize that the Bible is a very practical book,” he said. “I also hope that they will remember and apply at least some of the practical lessons that will be gleaned from the passages.”
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register