In Cuba, church equips communicators for community impact

April 17, 2014 – Camaguey, Cuba…Jose Aurelio Paz/IAD Staff

Adventist communicators in Santa Clara, Cuba, hold their certification cards after completing a training to impact the church and the community with hope, late last months.  Images by Jose Aurelio Paz/IAD

For years Seventh-day Adventist communicators in Cuba have been vital in conveying and transmitting information to church leaders and members on the island, which has limited phone access and virtually inaccessible internet.

During a recent communication training in the central part of the island, Adventist young people, professionals and non-professionals met to learn and sharpen the skills in news writing, radio broadcasting, and photojournalism.

Letting the constituency know about initiatives, programs and events is not seen so much as a challenge by church leaders as an opportunity to work within the available possibilities to communicate love and hope across the island, said Dayami Rodriguez, communication and cultural director for the church in Cuba.

Dayami Rodriguez, communication director for the church in Cuba, teaches a class in Camaguey during the two-region training workshops.

Rodriguez explained that even though the church does not operate a radio station on the island, each Sabbath trained communicators have a radio-format news segment from the pulpit with sound effects where congregations learn about church news, upcoming initiatives and activities.

“With the dream of one day having a radio program through the airways across the island or even a television spot, we are preparing for when that moment arrives,” said Rodriguez.

The church also prints small fliers and news bulletins on the world church, Inter-America, and Cuba and delivers these throughout the island.

The two-venue training workshops was also an opportunity to launch the new logo of Cuba’s Society of Adventist Social Communicators, a society which was organized recently to enlist dozens of communicators across the island so they can serve the church and their communities further.

Adventist communicators from Camaguey, Cuba, pose for a picture after completing a communication training workshop by church union leadership.

“We want to elevate the culture of our communicators to function better,” said Rodriguez.

The church has been doubling efforts in the last two years in communication training workshops in order to continue fulfilling the mission to build bridges of hope, said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez explained that each of the four church regions on the island are working on designing their websites, establishing their own recording studio.

Plans are underway to print a national newspaper for church members and hold an island-wide communication summit next year.

The church in Cuba operates three conferences and one mission, and has more than 33,000 members worshiping in 307 churches. The church also operates a Theological Seminary.