Havana, Cuba….[Israel Leito/IAD]
Inter-American Division administrators recently convened in Cuba for a special audit to ascertain the health of the church there, March 23-25.
As one of the fastest growing unions per capita in the IAD, the Cuban Union has a total membership of 23,325 with an average of 3,000 baptisms in 2003.
The union is divided into three local fields and oversees a seminary. No student may enter the seminary unless he/she has served two years as a church officer and has been an Adventist for at least six years. During their course of study, all students are assigned a local congregation where, under the leadership of a pastor, they actively perform pastoral work. Many of the married students even reside in the “house church” where they serve.
It is so inspiring to discover the unique ways the union has of reaching the people. One is called photocopy evangelism. The union office is one of the few places in its neighborhood that has a photocopier. Therefore, people come there to make copies at a very reasonable price, even less expensive than any other place in town. The purpose is not to make money, but to get people to visit the union office. Whenever someone comes to make copies, he/she is given a pamphlet printed by the union to introduce them to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At times, the cue to the copier is quite long.
Recently the union published a book filled with recipes that promote healthful living. Hospitals, government ministries, and other churches, have received supplies of the book for free, for the benefit of their employees. This is another way for the union and the churches in Cuba to introduce themselves to the community.
The Cuban Union is also conducting a program called “New Dawning” (Nuevo Amanecer), which operates in fifteen jails. As part of this ministry, inmates are brought baskets of food, the book Steps to Christ and other literature, and are even visited by church members.
The faithfulness of the members is very high. Church members in Cuba use over 16,000 Sabbath School quarterlies every quarter, and on average this is the highest per capita consumption of this material in the Division as far as has been verified.
Workers’ remuneration in Cuba is very low, not because of lack of funding, but because of the environment in which they operate. An average ofUS$20.00 per month is a workerТs salary. The union is very busy building a new printing facility and is also expanding the women’s dormitory at the Seminary. For this, the Union requires approximately $20,000 and is actively raising funds to achieve this goal. Any help in this direction is welcomed.
One of the Union’s highlights this year will take place in June, when the church in Cuba will celebrate its 100 anniversary of the Adventist message. Representatives and leaders from throughout the world are expected to attend the celebration.
Church members are very active in the arts, as well. It is amazing to find small congregations with a good number of musicians, both who can sing and play instruments. All are willing to give glory to the Lord through their performances, for in Cuba it is not a matter of glorifying oneself through the performing arts, but to glorify God.