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Beginnings

Richard and Betty Kiser came to Sri Lanka from a Foursquare Church in Indiana, USA, during the mid 1970’s. Their original plan was to live in India and oversee their bookshop in Orissa.  However, as they were refused visas to live in India they decided to live in Sri Lanka by securing a guest residence visa.  They made friends fairly quickly with Christians and churches as they moved around from church to church.  During this time, they met Leslie Keegel a young man who was pioneering a church in Kelaniya and training to be an accountant.  The Kisers developed a closer relationship with this young man, who was to have a great impact on the Foursquare Church in Sri Lanka.  Several weeks later, while having dinner with the Kisers at their home, Leslie was drawn to this couple’s bookshelf.  As he scanned through the titles one book particularly caught his attention because of its odd title,This is That. The woman on the cover – Aimee Semple McPherson – and the talk about a Foursquare Church intrigued the young pastor so he borrowed the book.  After reading it from cover to cover five times Leslie said to himself, “One day I must become a part of the Foursquare Church.”