Cuba Trip Lends Training, Support to Christian Leaders

By Mark Ellis
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News ServiceLAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA (ANS) – A large white banner—some 200 feet in length—greeted them upon arrival in Cuba, reading “Socialism or Death!” The stark message was a reminder of a faded revolution and its leader now in their twilight years. Yet a small team of American ministry leaders came equipped with the best hope for Cuba’s future—the promise of new life in Jesus Christ.

A large white banner—some 200 feet in length—greeted them upon arrival in Cuba, reading “Socialism or Death!” The stark message was a reminder of a faded revolution and its leader now in their twilight years. Yet a small team of American ministry leaders came equipped with the best hope for Cuba’s future—the promise of new life in Jesus Christ. “The church in Cuba is vibrant, growing, and badly in need of resources and training,” says Dr. Harold Sala, founder of Guidelines International Ministries. Dr. Sala was part of a team that visited Cuba recently, including Doug Nichols and Brian Stewart of Action Ministries, Pastor John Nagle from Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo, California, and Will Chevalier, president of Lifebranch Ministries. More than 250 pastors and Christian leaders attended a three-day conference held in Bayamo, Cuba, organized by Action Ministries. “They came from all over Cuba, many riding on planks in the back of open trucks,” notes Dr. Sala. Most of the attendees slept on the floor of the church in Bayamo, with men sleeping on one side and women on the other.“A visit to Cuba is like going back 50 years in time,” says Dr. Sala. “The stores were barren, like the Soviet Union in the ’70s and ’80s,” he notes. One Cuban explained to Dr. Sala, “We tried to combine the best of two systems and it hasn’t worked.”

The unemployment rate is as high as 40 percent, and many whittle away their time loitering in the plazas. “They were playing chess under the street lights at night, like they were waiting for something to happen,” Dr. Sala observes.

While the average Cuban earns only $100 per month, pastors typically make one-fifth of that amount. Most pastors need to supplement their income through side-businesses such as barbering or auto repair. Few own their own automobiles, although vintage American cars from the’50s still lumber along beside Russian Ladas and newer imports.

Dr. Sala taught five conference sessions on biblical counseling, along with sessions on parenting teens and balancing ministry with family needs. Between sessions, there were many opportunities for one-on-one counseling and prayer appointments. The team prayed over one mother and her 16-year-old daughter traumatized by a rape—so much so the young girl stopped speaking. After praying and counseling with the girl, she began talking again.A teacher in a Bible college proudly showed Dr. Sala his hand-drawn, tabletop-sized maps of the Bible, which took three days to create. “In the U.S.A. do they have books on Bible geography containing maps?” he wanted to know. Dr. Sala promised to get some books to him.

“Young people in particular are eager to hear the Word and to learn that God does have a plan and purpose for their lives,” Dr. Sala notes. Sala met two men in their 30s eager to start a Christian magazine that will provide encouragement for families, with articles on parenting, strengthening marriage, and Christian growth. Dr. Sala left his digital camera with them, and will help raise start-up costs for their first year of operations.

There is no Christian radio or TV, no Christian bookstores, and no access to the worldwide internet, although Cubans can receive email through a system called Intranet. “Bibles are available through the Council of Churches but seemingly there are never enough resources to meet the needs,” according to Dr. Sala.

Dr. Sala prays the church will be able to influence the society from within, and that outsiders will be wise about training and equipping Christian leaders in Cuba. “The next decade will be decisive in this beautiful island in the Caribbean that is home to 13.3 million people.”