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Cuba Connect

Since 2005, Plymouth members and members of the Fraternity of Baptist Churches in Cuba have forged friendships spanning cultural, political and economic barriers.

A license from the Department of the Treasury has allowed members of Plymouth to visit Cuba periodically for the purpose of continuing this friendship.

A group meets regularly to discuss developments and current events that pertain to U.S./Cuban relations. They ’ve also sponsored Spanish classes to aid travelers in building friendships.

E-mail Jay Lyons or Jeff Sartain for more information.

By Jeff Sartain on the most recent visit to Cuba

On Jan. 4, I returned from my third trip to Cuba with a group from Plymouth. This time, 13 travelers made the journey. Our mission there is one of building friendships with members of two congregations that are associated with the Fraternity of Baptist Churches. There are many kinds of Baptists in the world, and these particular congregations share a similar mission to Plymouth’s. Their theology is one of openness, they have a deep appreciation of the arts, they work to alleviate the suffering of those in need and they value deeply the richness of truth and beauty found in other traditions.

The churches are located in a province in the middle of Cuba, Ciego de Avila. Enmanuel Baptist is located in the major city of that region. The other church, Canaan Baptist, is located in a smaller city, Bolivia, which has a more rural feel and faces particular challenges because the major industry, a sugar mill, has closed. It stands literally as a skeleton in the middle of town.

During our time in Cuba, the pastors there organize creative ways for us to grow in friendship. We worshipped together (I preached in English with a translator). We shared a pig roast (the pig was butchered in the morning, roasted in midday and consumed in the evening!). We shared poems, songs and stories and gathered in prayer around a bon fire. We brought in the New Year together at a neighborhood party with traditional burning of muñecos (life-sized dolls) in the streets to say good bye to the “old man” and throwing of water from basins into the streets to represent casting out all the tears from the old year.

We were welcomed as dinner guests in the homes of members of the churches, and we also shared a meal with a group of people who practice Santeria – an afro-Cuban religion – after watching a choreographed ritual from their tradition. While waiting for our meal to be prepared, one woman from the Santeria group turned to me and asked, “Would you sing me a song from your religion?” I sang “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” and then as a group we sang “Amazing Grace.” “Lindo, lindo,” she said, “lovely, lovely.”

Our host pastors, Eduardo Gonzoles and Noel Fernandez, refer to all their members as brothers and sisters, and they send their greetings to all of you, the brothers and sisters of Plymouth. The Plymouth Cuba Connect group meets almost monthly to remember our friends, to learn more about the differences in our countries, including current political events, and also to plan for the future of our friendship. All are welcome to attend these meetings. The passage from scripture that comes to mind is this: “How good and lovely it is when people dwell in unity.” (Psalm 133) Amen!

 

Planting trees to symbolize our growing friendship with the people of the churches in Ciego de Avila and Bolivia, Cuba.