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.

Children's Bible Ministry - May 2022 Update

For 121 years, the Presbyterian Church in this working-class suburb of Havana has given faithful witness to the Good News. Like many churches in Cuba, it developed ministries unique to its context, such as one that served those diagnosed with AIDS who were often shunned by their families and communities.

When its current pastor, Rev. Yoelkis Sierra, began to explore the surrounding neighborhood, he quickly discerned that there were many young children whose families had no connection to the church. He and his leaders began to pray about how this might present the congregation with new opportunities to make Christ known.

Children's Bible Ministry in Guanabacoa, Cuba - March 2021 Update

The Children’s Bible Ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba, began as a pastor’s dream shared with a group of visiting American missionaries from Thomasville, Georgia. Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, is a poor but proud and bustling community teeming with young families with children. Pastor Yoelkis Sierra Gonzalez knows this neighborhood well, and he saw firsthand the great need for a safe place for young children while their parents are at work. Pastor Yoelkis imagined the day when his church would welcome those children, feed and care for them, and teach them about Jesus.

Now, nearly three years later, Pastor Yoelkis’ dream is becoming a reality. Soon after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, construction began on the building that will house this ministry, and fall 2020 was set as the projected launch date. Unfortunately, the plan and timetable did not factor in the effect of a worldwide pandemic.

Cuba Partnership - February 2021 Update

Below, you will read excerpts from an important letter recently received from the General Council of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba. With an economy already on the verge of collapse, the pandemic has brought enormous challenges to daily living. The Outreach Foundation has provided multiple gifts to support these fragile congregations over the past year, thanks to your gifts.

---Marilyn Borst, Associate Director for Partnership Development

Letter to Our Partners in Mission

The General Council of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, in the confidence that the bonds in the love of Christ give us, wishes to share with you, sisters and brothers on the journey, a brief look at the current Cuban situation, even when the complexity of the times in which the world lives do not allow it to be isolated or considered unique. Our intention is fundamentally to shed light on many questions that naturally arise in these times and that we have received from some of you.

The national situation

In the midst of the global crisis as a result of COVID-19, the Cuban State has launched a process called "economic reordering" that consists mainly of monetary exchange and wage reform. This process presents great challenges…

Reformed Presbyterian Children’s Day School Ministry - July 2020 Update

The Children’s Bible Ministry of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Guanabacoa, Cuba, began as a pastor’s dream shared with a group of visiting Americans from Thomasville, Georgia. Guanabacoa, a suburb of Havana, is a poor but proud and bustling community teeming with young families with children. Pastor Yoelkis Sierra Gonzalez knows this neighborhood well, and he saw firsthand the great need for a safe place for young children while their parents are at work. Pastor Yoelkis imagined the day when his church would welcome those children, feed and care for them, and teach them about Jesus.

Now, two years later, Pastor Yoelkis’ dream is becoming a reality. Soon after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, construction of the building that will house this ministry began early this year with a target completion date of fall 2020.

Partner Updates