Children's Bible Ministry in Guanabacoa, Cuba — December 2022 Update
A Joyful Return
After a four-year absence from Cuba, largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was a delight to return with an Outreach Foundation team and reconnect with our beloved Presbyterian family there. We arrived at the Presbyterian Church in Guanabacoa in time to share in the Wednesday morning prayer service, led by Rev. Yoelkis Sierra and one of the elders, who brought a message on Acts 3:2 — the lame man carried to the temple each day to beg. This question followed: do we see the needs of our neighbors? The congregation has answered that question by providing “meals on wheels” to the poor and elderly in their community and by joining with the local municipality to renovate a run-down playground for local children.
This vital congregation on the outskirts of Havana, which just celebrated its 122nd anniversary, is very much a seven-day-a-week congregation, especially as it pertains to children. In addition to Sunday School, they offer a Saturday program called “Learning with Jesus” that may bring in up to 70 kids from the community.
Their “flagship” ministry, however, is a vibrant Monday-Friday preschool program, lovingly and professionally overseen by Yoelkis’s wife, Odilaisy. A program unique to Cuba, it unites a Bible-based curriculum with the government-provided syllabus for 40 two-to-four-year-olds. With its low teacher/student ratio of 1:8 and its reasonable cost of about $10/month, there is a waiting list from this low-income community, most of whom have no Christian background, so the church is eager to welcome them in to share its Good News.
Marilyn Borst, Associate Director for Partnership Development
Read more about the Children’s Bible Ministry in Guanabacoa HERE.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts to support the mission and ministry of the Children’s Bible Ministry. All gifts of any size are welcomed to help provide the programs serving these children. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.