On our last day in Cuba, we drove about an hour southwest of Havana to visit the Presbyterian church in the town of San Antonio de los Baños. To say we were greeted with a warm welcome would be a massive understatement. The leadership team there had prepared a complete Holy Week service that we were delighted to join.
Read MoreIt was Palm Sunday, and Sunday school was in full swing when we entered the church at Caibarién. The sanctuary was decorated with purple and white, and with palm fronds. About 15 children, mostly in costume, were gathered around Pastor Edelberto Valdés. They were focused on the story he was telling of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt, on that first Palm Sunday. The grand conclusion was a reenactment of the story – complete with Jesus riding on a real pony and both children and adults welcoming him waving palm branches. It was a Sunday school lesson these children will not soon forget!
Read MoreTwo of the elders at the Sancti Spiritus Presbyterian Church try to wear brave smiles as they tell us about their young adult children who recently immigrated to the U.S. It’s a common theme we hear as we visit Cuban churches. Large numbers of young people are fleeing Cuba due to the desperate economic conditions here. Most leave behind aging parents, . . . and their churches.
Read MoreToday we traveled to the Presbyterian Church of Taguasco, a small town in central Cuba (about four hours east of Havana). When we met with their new Pastor, Fernando Lopez, and his leadership team and heard about the challenges this church faced, we assumed they would be internally focused, just trying to survive:
Read MorePastor Josue opened up the refrigerator to show us the empty shelves. He said, “In Cuba, we say that the North Pole is like Cuban refrigerators. They are both cold and empty.” Josue, who serves the Presbyterian Church in Sabanilla was one of the pastors we met on our Outreach Foundation trip to Cuba, but it could have been any of them. Food insecurity has only grown worse and prices even higher since our visit here in December 2022.
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