Jesus in Cuba

The trendiest holiday destination in the Caribbean has become the latest receiving country for Step Teams. Through a new partnership with Cuba for Christ, Latin Link is sending another team this summer to support churches on the island. Are there things about communist Cuba we don't know?

When you think of Cuba, churches are probably the last thing you'd imagine. Instead, a whole kaleidoscope of other images spring to mind: cigars, rum, salsa, music, sugar - Cuba's famous exports - and perhaps most famous of all, the image of Ché Guevara, the revolutionary, killed over thirty years ago. A dead hero, an icon, his face is so well-known that, controversially, the Church of England even used a Ché-like image of Jesus in an advertising campaign. Ché is everywhere in Cuba - on billboards, in books, on postcards, t-shirts and coins. Can there be room for Jesus in Cuba, too?

Lifting the lid

'Contrary to what you might expect, there are many evangelical churches in Cuba,' says Carl Chambers, who started the UK charity, Cuba for Christ. 'In the face of great hardship and opposition, God is clearly working! And although the church is not entirely "free", it is the only non-governmental group allowed to hold meetings.

'For the first thirty years after the revolution, the country was effectively closed to the West. Since the fall of the USSR, Cuba has been opening up. Along with this there has been a slight relaxation of pressure on churches. For the first time, Christians in Cuba are meeting their brothers and sisters from outside the country. This is a remarkable encouragement for them after years of solitude.'

Stepping in

A Baptist church in a country village in the province of Havana, like so many, manages without a pastor, and is made up mainly of young people, from 16 to early 20s. The church extends through a trail of little villages where believers meet in homes, known as casas de culto.

'The very day we arrived, everyone from the church came to meet us,' recalls Catherine Darke, who went with the first Step Team to Cuba last summer. 'They welcomed us with flowers and were so excited we were there.'

While the boys worked on a building project, the girls held English classes in the church, and ran children's Bible clubs. On the last afternoon, after the daily football match, they announced an evangelistic farewell service and openly invited everyone they'd met. 'The church was so full there was nowhere to sit. There were people crowding onto the porch and leaning in the windows,' says Catherine.

They even put a notice on the church door to advertise the event - something considered unusual.

Continuing revolution

The culture shock is striking to westerners when revolutionary slogans, rather than advertising, call out from roadside hoardings. Into the new millennium with Fidel and 42 years of battles and victories for socialism were the government's millennium rallying cries. No mention of Jesus here. But then, are messages like these really any more disquieting than some of those we take in every day - the temporary, sugary promises of Coca Cola, or the temptation to brand ourselves with the Nike tick of approval?

The Cuban Revolution of 1959 was just the start of a long process of change that the Cuban people, under President Fidel Castro, are still positively engaged in today. And it is bringing some positive results. Cuba has none of the problems often associated with Latin America and the Caribbean. There are no shantytowns, no street children; there's no drugs trade, no racial discrimination. It's safe for tourists. People seem happy, and although they may not have the latest trainers, most kids have shoes, healthy teeth, and an education. Wages are low, it's poor, but it's certainly more equal.

But through the collapse of the Soviet bloc and the continuing US embargo, Cuba is isolated. Ordinary Cubans are starved of even basic commodities, like soap. There are no luxuries. It's far from being a socialist utopia, but nonetheless, there is something appealing about a simpler way of life and unity in a common cause.

A pastor's view

Vicente Calvo, a Baptist pastor in a suburb west of Havana, has lived through the revolution. 'We've been active Christians all through communist rule,' he says. 'Our fundamental interests are in the kingdom of God and the preaching of the gospel.'

But if the state supplies all the answers, how does the church get its message across? Vicente recognises that communicating the gospel in Cuba is different from in the West. Barriers may be political rather than cultural, but they can work to their advantage.

'The government is the only source of information, ' he explains, 'People get fed up with hearing the same things, so when something new comes along, it seems fresher, better. When Soviet communism fell, it created an ideological vacuum. People felt their kingdom of heaven had fallen in on them. Now they're looking for something outside the party.

'When you talk about religion people say, "Oh, that's a good thing, the church is a good thing." There's a reverence. Even government officials are willing to listen. They're receptive and respect it because they recognise the need in their lives.'

For people who, 30 years ago, were prevented from going to church, Jesus really is good news. And in a country with no free press, nor foreign newspapers, even a tract would be kept and read.

Carl Chambers adds, 'Life is simple, there's not much to do. Transport is difficult, so people make their own entertainment. If there's a team over from England, or a Bible study in your home, it's only natural to ask in your neighbours and friends.'

More open

These days many more Cubans are reading the Bible. In the early days of the revolution Bibles were destroyed, but in the 1980s and 90s there was greater freedom to bring them in, with the result that there are now millions of Bibles and portions of scripture in Cuba.

Other Christian literature is harder to come by. 'They were still talking about the books my dad (publisher Ian Darke, a Latin Link member) took over in 1998,' says Catherine. 'They'd been passed around and were really valued. And the children loved the activity materials our team brought - they'd never done any painting in their lives.'

Catherine is leading another team to Cuba this summer: 'They so wanted us to come back, they told us, "Just get your flights, we'll feed you!"'

Yes, it's great to hear that Jesus is alive and living in Cuba, and his church is vibrant and growing. Let's pray many more will hear the news.

Cuba for Christ and Latin Link are supporting the church in Cuba through:
· practical support
· Christian literature
· medical supplies
· training pastors and church leaders

© Latin Link 2001