At the present time World
Missions has no staff in Cuba but continues to play a support role
with regular visits and prayer.
Mission History
In 1958, the Synod of the Christian Reformed
Church appointed two missionaries to work in Cuba with the indigenous
Cuban Interior Gospel Mission. The missionaries had a vision of
adopting Cuba as a World Missions field, with theological education
as the focus of the work.
Synod of 1958 wondered about adopting the
Interior Gospel Mission, so sent the Clarence Nyenhuis family and
Rev. J. Jerry Pott to look into the matter. Rev. Pott returned with
a positive report in December. His recommendations were approved
by the Foreign board in February 1959 and that same year, Synod
adopted Cuba as an above-quota field.
The revolution led by Fidel Castro changed
these plans, however. Forced to leave, World Missions has had no
missionaries in residence in Cuba since 1960.
Culture
Cuba was the last major Spanish colony to
become independent. The island colony gained its independence in
a struggle known as the Ten Years War, which broke out on October
10, 1868. Today, the people of Cuba are mainly of Spanish and African
origin.
The Castro regime has monitored religious
activity since 1959. However, the breakdown of the Soviet Union
caused change in Cuba as well, and since 1990 there has been greater
tolerance of the church. More significantly, a 1992 constitutional
amendment made it illegal to discriminate against Christians.
In 1994 there were particularly difficult
social and economic conditions. Less than five percent of the population
attended church. The church used this condition as a context in
which to witness.
Mission Vision
The 12 Christian Reformed churches in Cuba
have some freedom. But the five ordained pastors and 20 others in
outreach work are still limited by the government in their evangelistic
activities.
However, even as the economic, political
and social fabric of the country weakens, the churches are growing.
The fact that children, young people, the middle-aged, and elderly
Cubans are coming to the churches evidences a growing interest in
Christianity.
World Missions is assisting the Cuban Christian
Reformed Church with periodic visits for leadership training and
youth programs. In addition, financial grants have been provided
for literature and church reconstruction.
Results
World Missions staff made four visits to
Cuba in the past year to assess needs and encourage leaders. Two
of these visits coincided with the summer camps for children and
young people.
In addition, pastors Obed Martinez and
David Lee were able to attend the Synod held in Ontario and visit
some churches in Canada to further develop the bond between these
churches.
Support
The most important gift you can give missionaries
is a daily prayer for their lives and work. At any given time Christian
Reformed World Missions supports about 300 long-term and short-term
missionaries and about 200 missionary children located in over 30
countries around the world. These people have been called, commissioned,
and sent by Christian Reformed churches to represent our devotion
to Jesus Christ, and to urge others to accept His offer of salvation.
Here’s a partial list of items to pray
for on behalf of missionaries:
- emotional needs
- physical needs
- relationships with other missionaries
- relationships with nationals
- relationship with God
- effective ministry
- family life
Financial support is also crucial for the
ongoing work of bringing the Good News around the world. Support
can be given for specific missionaries, or specific projects can
be found in the “Project Giving Guide” at your church
or available from the World Missions offices in either the United
States or Canada.
The Christian Reformed World Missions Team
in Cuba:
There are still no missionaries residing
in Cuba. However, World Missions staff have been able to make visits
to encourage and train church leaders. These include pastors, evangelists,
elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers and other church leaders.
More Resources:
Videos
Video-2003 -Cuba: The Island of Incongruities (15 min./4 min.)
Proclaim: August-September 2003
• Download the Word
Document (16pg, 180k)
• Download the PDF
(15pg, 544k)
CRC Source: Spring 2003
•Download the PDF
