Cuban Churches Growing, Seek Stronger Ties with U.S. Churches

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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