of marble memorial plaques on the walls, including a plaque in memory of the co-editor of The Ceylon Observer, Donald S. Ferguson, who died in Scotland in 1911. Another plaque is to James Curtis, the church's building supervisor, who died at sea in 1911. Adjoining the church is a two-storey manse built in 1907, where the church's pastor resides. In 1948, Sri Lanka received its independence from the British rule and in the following decades, most of the British and Scottish community in the country returned home to the United Kingdom, which drastically reduced the church's traditional European congregation. Realising the need for change, St Andrew’s moved from being predominantly European Presbyterian church to an international and interdenominational church. In the late 1960s, the Rev. Andrew Baillie, was instrumental in opening the doors of the church to the locals. The congregation is now a mixture of Sri Lankans, expatriates and international visitors, and maintains an English-speaking Protestant form of worship and a keen interest in Christian social service in the midst of a largely non-Christian society. It maintained the label "Presbyterian" during a long period of independence, the former Presbytery of Ceylon having dissolved decades ago, but it is now associated with the International Presbytery in the Church of Scotland. It is one of only three churches outside Europe administered by the International Presbytery. References Presbyterian organizations established in the 19th century Churches in Colombo Presbyterian churches in Sri Lanka 20th-century Presbyterian churches