wfn.org | Cuban Churches Growing, Seek Stronger Ties with U.S. Churches

[news@ELCA.ORG]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 2, 2000

CUBAN CHURCHES GROWING, SEEK STRONGER TIES WITH U.S. CHURCHES
00-261-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- There has been "enormous growth" of the church
in Cuba, said the president of the Cuban Council of Churches (Consejo
de Iglesias de Cuba), in remarks Oct. 20 here to the Division for
Global Mission board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).  Dr. Reinerio Arce Valentin also said representatives of
Cuban churches seek stronger working relationships with church
representatives in the United States.
     Arce and two other representatives of the Cuban council visited
Chicago as part of a return visit to the United States, in response
to a visit to Cuba In September by a delegation from the National
Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC), New York.  Arce is
with the Presbyterian Reformed Church.
     More than 1 million Bibles have been distributed recently by
the council to people in Cuba, and materials are needed for Sunday
church school programs, Arce said.  He attributed the church growth
in Cuba to a variety of factors, including spiritual, social and
economic needs.  In the past decade the government of Cuba has given
churches there "more space to work."
     "People feel freer to be religious," he said.  Pentecostal
churches in Latin America have grown considerably, and the 25 church
denominations represented by the council seek better relationships
with them.
     In the 1970s and 1980s, Arce said, the government permitted
religious activity only on church property.  That changed in the
1990s, when the church became much more active in society and more
opportunities were made available to people of faith.  Today, many
Cuban congregations serve senior citizens in their communities and
offer programs to fight alcoholism and AIDS, Arce said.
     "In Cuba we have not had religious persecution," he said.  "We
have had religious discrimination."
     The Cuban people have experienced a difficult economic
situation because of an embargo imposed by the U.S. government
against Cuba, Arce said.  The Cuban Council of Churches is pushing
for the two governments to resolve their differences and remove the
embargo.
     Arce, who said the Cuban council is being "restructured,"
expressed appreciation for the "deepening" relationship the council
has formed with the NCC.   He also expressed gratitude to the ELCA,
which has "supported the Cuban community and the Cuban Council of
Churches."  He also noted the role of the NCC's Church World Service
and Witness and Lutherans in supplying and transporting medicines to
Cuban communities.
     "During the years of difficult relations between our countries,
churches in Cuba and the U.S. have been the only bridges between us,"
Arce said. "We want to deepen our relationship with brothers and
sisters in the United States, so we can come together to be a witness
to the kingdom of God in our two nations."
     With Arce were the Cuban council's vice president, Ormara Noya,
a Baptist, and the Rev. Marcial Miguel Hernandez, executive
secretary.  Hernandez is president of the Evangelical Free Church in
Cuba.
      The Cuban religious leaders visited the New York City offices
of the NCC. They also met with representatives of the United Methodist 
Church, United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 
and The Episcopal Church.
            Their planned itinerary also included a visit to
Louisville, Ky., for meetings with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.);
to Indianapolis, Ind., to meet with the Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ); and to Elgin, Ill., for meetings with representatives of
the Church of the Brethren.

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