“Accounts Pastor Jeyanesan accounts! Accounts of the last fifteen years! Go wherever you want to but settle the accounts with us immediately.” – Faithful of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South.” We must know what you have done with the millions raised during these years?” One report on his travels said: “Seeking to raise awareness and support for orphans and widows struggling to survive in 
the war-torn northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka, Rev S Jeyanesan of the Church of South India, Jaffna Diocese, is touring North America speaking to churches and other groups in California, Indiana, Ohio, Toronto and New York. He has two orphaned children with him.”
(October,11, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian)The Rev Selvadurai Jeyanesan has become an enigma on the Tamil Christian firmament. But those who know him do not consider him a puzzle or a riddle; an efficient organizer, excellent in public relations but behind that twin mask is a dark world of deception and deviousness in which he is a proven professional.
One elderly gentleman now an Australian citizen likened him to a designing politician, mendacious manipulator and a despicable liar. Another told our investigating team that behind his concerned expressions and laid back smiles is a dubious character who plays his trumps with a series of cool, calculated moves serving only his interests; even his followers he uses them only as pawns to achieve his ends as demonstrated in the Jeevasothi case.
He was well trained to be an efficient seeker of foreign funds by the late Bishop Jeyam Ambalavanar who used these sources to encroach into areas in north and east Sri Lanka where the Anglican and Methodist Churches have been active for decades. VeAhavta, a non-profit corporation in California in the US is one of many Jeyanesan has approached on his several fund-raising missions over the years as an employee of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI). Working for this church as its area minister and project director in the Eastern Province was his sole license of authority to engage in this activity and it was to the JDCSI he has to submit his accounts and reports.
One report on his travels said: “Seeking to raise awareness and support for orphans and widows struggling to survive in the war-torn northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka, Rev S Jeyanesan of the Church of South India, Jaffna Diocese, is touring North America speaking to churches and other groups in California, Indiana, Ohio, Toronto and New York. He has two orphaned children with him.”
Dollar speaks; dollars he has ample
This tour that lasted nearly a month was sponsored by VeAhavta. Taking two orphan children with him was typical of the showman that he is; very much like flying his supporters by a charter flight to Jaffna recently for a show of strength that flopped, and also holding a colourful mass ordination in Batticaloa with all pomp and glory and flown-in guests from India when just about everything around there is death and desolation. Dollar speaks; dollars, he has ample and they are certainly unaccounted as they should have been with his employers, the JDCSI to whom these funds morally, rightfully and legally belong. The JDCSI is a charitable organization and if Jeyanesan has not channeled the funds he has raised through it then this is a matter for the Inland Revenue authorities.
Propagating false impressions is second nature to Jeyanesan. Ceylon Christian Foundation, a Dutch charity organization dedicated to supporting the poor and needy in the Tamil areas claimed it works closely with “Rev Dr S Jeyanesan who is a minister with the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India” and also a major contact person for the Sinhalese government and the Tamil leaders. This is certainly a very dubious statement. In what way, may I pray information, that he is a major contact person between the “Sinhalese” government and the Tamil leaders? Evidently this is the impression he has obviously given to the Dutch principals of this foundation when he visited them early this year. During this time, a Dutch Primary School in Veenendaal collected Euro: 27.797,60 for the Sri Lankan venture.
Students in a US school that he visited made wrist bands themselves and raised funds to hand over personally to Jeyanesan as a gesture of their concern to their unfortunate counterparts in east Sri Lanka. One can imagine how desolate and depressed they would be if they come to know that this same man involves in showy events, high flying, globe-trotting and hardly, if ever submits his accounts and reports to his principals, the JDCSI.
During these campaign travels, Jeyanesan has never failed to give the impression that during the civil war, “most of our pastors left the island for Europe, Canada and other places” but he, however felt it was his calling to stay and help his people. Journalist A Muller writing in April 2001 in his feature “A calling filled with deadly danger,” referring to him as the 51-year old pastor who had the opportunity to escape to Canada just like his six brothers and sisters, quoted him thus: “But I stay in Sri Lanka in order to help the church and the poor. I am enormously privileged that I may execute this task.”
The church he has referred to here is the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India which he is now determined to destroy because he was not elected the bishop of it. As for his six siblings who fled, it is indeed ironic Muller should make such a contention. By being in Sri Lanka and with his globetrotting fund raising campaigns, Jeyanesan is placed in an enviable position to have them settled well in the regions of the euro-dollar through his own efforts despite him living in the rupee world. The rupee is invaluable to his image and Jeyanesan thrives on it. It is a promising means to make it immensely euro-dollar consequential, thanks to the identity he exploited to the hilt; that of the JDCSI. Writer Muller was not sharp enough to detect the undercurrents in Jeyanesan’s life and how he exploits them.
Jeyanesan’s claim that most of the pastors left the island giving an impression of fleeing the violence in the country is not founded on truth. Some of the pastors found it hard to work under his first boss man, Bishop Ambalavanar and sought overseas opportunities whereas others were invited by expatriate Christians to serve their communities in their new homelands. None of the priestly expatriates had it easy in their new homes. They had to work hard to survive in their surroundings whereas Jeyanesan was living in comfortable circumstances, traveling widely and had no problem raising funds. His way of life was absolutely palatial.
Those who are familiar with his lifestyle whether in the east in Sri Lanka or north or wherever he goes will know that his claim about “A calling filled with danger” is utterly false and this represents his trait and nature a great deal to make impressions on others, no doubt to achieve his ill-conceived objectives.
Those who are familiar with his lifestyle whether in the east in Sri Lanka or north or wherever he goes will know that his claim about “A calling filled with danger” is utterly false and this represents his trait and nature a great deal to make impressions on others, no doubt to achieve his ill-conceived objectives.
Finally, Jeyanesan learns about Jesus in Israel
Muller further refers to his visit to Israel to speak to the “Good News for the Poor” conference that was organized by the Dutchman Joseph Vos. While there, he never missed the opportunity to say that it was a good opportunity to make new friends and chose the occasion to pamper the Jews. He said: “I also travelled the Holy Land, learned about the Jewish people and the rabbinical literature, and also about Lord Jesus himself.”
Anyone would have presumed, as a pastor, he would have learnt about Lord Jesus already; years earlier! What was he attempting to tell the Jews? Was he trying to make them feel good that he would rather learn about the Jewish views of Jesus? No wonder, the new church he founded has no canon, creed or doctrine, and was it any wonder when he said that he was thinking about sending pastors under his supervision to Israel in order to study Hebrew and to learn about the Jewish backgrounds of the Christian faith? One cannot but observe Jeyanesan as smart enough to acknowledge his interests in Jewish connections, an excellent source for a major JFE - Jeyanesan Funding Enterprise! He is quite clever in this kind of activity.
He trades his tragic stories and episodes with vulnerable seniors and church people in the US, Canada, Europe and Israel with the greatest of ease and charm. But below that pretense he has an Al Capone mentality that would not even hesitate to use hirelings to cause violence against his presumed opponents.
Some of his frontline hirelings also come adorned in priestly garbs of cassocks and stoles. Those like Milton Solomons, Theva Nesan and Enoch Punitharajah have been involved in violent and nasty demonstrations especially using Uduvil Girls College, the Cathedral churchyard at Vaddukoddai and the Colombo Church of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. In Colombo, there are also some from the laity though retired and elderly, still keen to show off their muscle power; they have hardly anything else to amuse themselves and a peace-loving Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah and his resident priest of the Colombo Church are being subjected to a great deal of harassment and humiliation. One Saturday night an old commode was placed at the main door of the church to confront the Sunday 7 00 AM worshippers!
Making an aside remark about Jeyanesan, a Colombo Church member said he is a crook without a crook, referring to the symbol of the bishop, an office he craved for and aspired even with offers of bribes and failed. In one instance, he sought the depraved level of offering bottles of choice spirit and crisp American dollar notes to a senior official of the Church of South India but promptly had the door shown to him.
Once he failed to achieve his life’s dream he has proceeded to set up his church in Eastern Sri Lanka assured of millions from the US apart from what he has already accumulated. He is believed to have his godmothers in the US who believe he is doing a great job in Sri Lanka. It is a well known belief that a lot of Americans can be taken for a ride; no wonder many are victims of telemarketing scams. Jeyanesan has been operating a similar tactic using pulpits of churches in the US.
Dr Cally Rogers-Witte fell hook, line and sinker
Since his loss in the bishopric episode, he has been faced with the serious problem of a credible identity, that of a minister of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. It was here, he appears to have come out with the idea to claim that the JDCSI does not live anymore and the church has reverted back to its original identity, the American Ceylon Mission. In this Dr Cally Rogers-Witte fell hook, line and sinker to Jeyanesan’s expertise in the sly and the sneak. This was all meant to hoodwink individuals and organizations that have been funding the JDCSI through Jeyanesan’s travels and interactions; a very smart move indeed but one that can never be sustained for long.
Surely, one cannot fool all the people all the time but if the Americans are “some people” they can be fooled all the time! In this, Dr Cally Rogers-Witte, the Executive Minister of the WCC-UCC has become a useful contact for Jeyanesan with the support of the murmuring presence of his friend, the Rev James Wijeyekumar from India in her office. There is also his public relations outfitter Grace Bunker from the Global Ministries to sing hosannas on his behalf among her American contacts. Grace Bunker is also a member of the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds that surprised or even shocked many a Jaffna College alumnus. If she could be a trustee, then any Jill, Jane or Jenny could be too. Rev Wijeyekumar who is not a Jaffna College alumnus is a Jaffna College funds trustee as well.
Jeyanesan’s hallmark is that he is never transparent with his financial affairs and how he manages them. He is often on fund collecting campaign tours as one headline said: “Rev Jeyanesan tours North America to raise awareness and support for victims of war.” One US family believes he is a kind of liaison between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE trying to bring about a solution in the country. There are organizations that demand reports on management of the funds they have bestowed but as long as the real beneficiary which is the JDCSI as in this case, a clever individual can bamboozle most people.
However, in the case of Kinde Not Hilfe (KNH) of Germany this had evidently not worked. When the KNH suspected a rat or a whole host of these vermin, it sought the help of the police. May be this was why Jeyanesan packed off his poor manager Jeevasothi to India and blamed him for certain irregularities. This case needs to be pursued further in the light of recent events.
Jeyanesan has, for a decade and a half been involved in this activity under the auspices of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India, his employer. He was one of the enterprising young men chosen by the late Bishop D J Ambalavanar who on succession as the head of the JDCSI embarked on a mission to expand his Jaffna-based church into Wanni and then to the East helped by his ability to raise funds from various international sources. He was clever at writing project reports.
This expertise enabled Jeyanesan to learn this craft in no time and even improve on it. When Bishop Ambalavanar retired, the new bishop, the Rt Rev Subramaniam Jebanesan, a gentle, godly man was virtually controlled by his predecessor. He would not honourably give up his power; once tasted he became addicted to it. But once Bishop Ambalavanar died, Bishop Jebanesan was unable to rein in the likes of Rev Jeyanesan for considerable damage had already been done and they were far beyond his compass and control.
Jeyanesan badly wanted to be the successor to Bishop Jebanesan. It was also necessary for him to get this posting to tide over his failure to keep accounts for a decade and a half and that must involve millions; sheer millions. Fortunately for the church and unfortunately for Jeyanesan, this position eluded him and now he has turned bitter and vicious against his employer and is even trying to take over the material assets of the JDCSI in the mistaken belief that they are still owned by the American missionaries.
Jeyanesan’s Fairy Godmother
In this he has the support of the Executive Minister of the Wider Church Ministries of the United Church of Christ (WCM-UCC), Dr Cally Rogers-Witte, dubbed as Jeyanesan’s fairy godmother, but a lady who has hardly any understanding of the real position. Jeyanesan has quite a few supporters and well-wishers in the US, Holland and Israel who believe he is a genuine man doing a wonderful job but that he is being subjected to a great deal of indignities and harassment. Jeyanesan has had maximum use of the various problems of Sri Lanka from the racial and the civil war to the tsunami horror to stake his place as a man of trust and integrity.
Over and above, he has attempted with vile vindictive vehemence to character assassinate the Rev Dr Daniel Thiagarajah, now the Executive Bishop of the JDCSI. How he has behaved towards Bishop Thiagarajah is unbelievable. Like a puppeteer, he has his team of stooges performing his commands like the simian kind dancing for bananas; that much for the power of the dollar!
His real face behind the pretentious mask is fast emerging and people, even those who are supposed to be part of his new church, the Church of the American Ceylon Mission, are asking the question as to why he cannot submit his accounts; worse, why he has not done so for fifteen years. Those who hang around him have been aptly labeled as the wasps that buzz around honeycombs. But how long will they be able to maintain this farce? Dollar’s pathetic limitations have been demonstrated in many theatres of American engagements because those who steer away from the truth learn terrible lessons; often ends up too late for any redemption.
During the tsunami time, the expensive rents he charged from overseas volunteers housed in his private properties is common knowledge. In the case of a particular medical team, he had charged Rs.40,000 and this was from a team from California and housed in Uppuveli. One of the doctors, a Hindu of Sri Lankan origin said the facilities they had to reckon with were atrocious. One night this medical team, to its horror found many of its extremely expensive equipment had disappeared. They were, however, recovered because the team decided to call the police; ironically Jeyanesan co-operated without a murmur. The doctor from the US found the whole incident utterly disgusting.
In contrast to this actuality, Jeyanesan’s report in the Global Ministries column of Grace Bunker (April 1, 2005) stated as follows: “We are happy to report that six doctors have arrived from USA this morning in Colombo. They will be driven to Trinco today and they will be based at Grace Care Center at Uppuveli. They will join the team of our mobile unit and start their clinics from tomorrow onwards.”
It is wondered how many of his benefactors who have acknowledged his credibility only as a pastor of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India globally acclaimed as a role model in church unity, are now aware except of course the Wider Churches Ministries of the United Church of Christ (WCC-UCC) that he has been the primary cause of a schism in the church that has served his community for nearly 200 years all because he failed to become the bishop. He has even insulted his own family that has for generations been members of the JDCSI and its predecessor, the South India United Church (SIUC).
There are enough reasons to believe that the WCC-UCC was cleverly maneuvered and manipulated by Rev Jeyanesan through a series of false and vile propaganda against Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah and in this, using to good effect his friend, the Rev James Wijeyekumar who serves in the office of the Executive Minister of the WCC-UCC, Dr Cally Rogers-Wiite.
It was rather tragic to note that Dr Cally Rogers-Witte refused to accept the word of Bishop Thiagarajah and she had absolutely no grounds to take such a position too. In fact, it was her letter of July 3, 2007 to Bishop Thiagarajah and copied to Jeyanesan’s dissidents that was the immediate cause of the schism and some violent demonstrations against the Bishop. Even here, Dr Cally Rogers-Witte took a highly flawed and untenable position in respect of the American Ceylon Mission unable to come to grips that this body has been effectively succeeded by the JDCSI. If that cannot be true then WCC-UCC cannot be a legal person; it must be ABCFM, American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions!
Among many features of the way he carries on his deceit and deception, Jeyanesan gives the impression that he owes no loyalty to any, not even to the JDCSI. But as he acknowledged to Muller (April 13, 2001), it was his church (JDCSI) that has been empowered by Christians from abroad to “put up a big work” and have built four homes for children. Now he acts with such sham and pretense, those who are not aware of the truth believe that he is the solitary Messiah who has come to save the downtrodden in the east and the JDCSI has nothing to with it.
If George Bush told the Americans there were weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, Dr Cally Rogers-Witte firmly believes there were instances of massive harassment (IMH) against Jeyanesan. Against WMD and IMH truth is the victim leading to an enormous folly of disastrous consequences. In both cases dollars flow into wrong coffers!
Open Sesame!
There is a view among Jeyanesan’s supporters that his sources are endless and that he has an Alibaba’s Cave at his disposal for after all when American dollars flow, they have the nature and character of a Tsunami wave. They come enormously but they end up with enormous disaster. Analyzing the circumstances that have developed in the area of activity of the JDCSI which has been under the Rev Jeyanesan as its area minister and project director and since he has not thought it proper to submit his accounts and reports and more particularly the funds he has raised in the name of a charitable organization, there is no option available now but to call in the authorities of the Inland Revenue Department to investigate without any delay.
In conclusion, it is necessary to ask the question as to how this man could have aspired to become a bishop. In the most dependable authority we have, the answer is precise.
In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 we read as follows: “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well having his children in submission with reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the Church of God?), not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
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