| The Tellipallai Church of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India has a unique history being the first church founded by the American Congregaional Mission in 1816. |
| Most of the mission activities including a printing press, a mission bungalow and a bilingual school were centred around this church. Next to the church is a small memorial monument wherein lie the first few of the missionaries who breathed their last while in servce far, far from their families in the US. |
| Later Union College came into being as a mission founded school. It was headed by I P Thurairatnam, the first Sri Lankan to head the American Ceylon Mission, an office he held many years. |
| In recent years the church felt the full brunt of the civil war and worse, became entrapped in the military zone and was virtually closed. There was considerable damage done to the church. Thanks to the Rt Rev Daniel Thiagarajah, the church has now been recovered and worship services have commenced. A most welcome aspect of this development is that even personnel from the armed services stationed in this region have begun to worship in this church. |
| The church, as could be expected, is in a parlous state and considerable work has to be done beginning with a good clean up of the interior and the outside as well. Commenting on this Bishop Thiagarajah said that with God's mercy and kindness that is abundantly flowing now, we are more than equal to the task. |
| Bishop Thiagarajah's e-mail bishopthiagarajah@gmail.com |
