2013 Cuba Reflections Report - Covenant Presbyterian Church

Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Plans for 2013 2013 begins our seventeenth year of partnership in ministry with our sister church in Cuba, The Presbyterian Reformed Church en Luyanó, in which the following is currently planned: 1. In January Daniel Izquierdo, newly installed pastor of our sister church and recently elected General Secretary of the Cuban Presbyterian Church, visited Covenant. This visit was in great part facilitated by Setauket Presbyterian Church and the Presbytery of Long Island Cuba Work Group. During Daniel’s visit, Concierto Cubano 2013 was celebrated. Daniel had much to share about his personal faith journey and the Church in Cuba. Click on Eye-­
Opening Partnership for the Concierto Cubano 2013 poster and for Stephanie Schultz’s report or go to pages 2-­5. 2. In July, Evangeline Herring and Amy Johnson formed a Covenant team to help, for the sixth consecutive summer, with vacation bible school at our sister church. Click on The Times – They are a Changing for Evangeline’s report or go to pages 6-­8. 3. In late October, 14 Covenant folks participated in Covenant’s 28th ministry trip to Cuba. Click on Cheerful Chimers in Cuba for a report from Linda Rutherford and Cheryl Banks or go to pages 9-­
12. Dreams for 2014 include Concierto Cubano III, hosting two VBS leaders from Luyanó to participate in Covenant’s VBS in June, our seventh trip to assist with VBS in July, and Covenant’s 30th ministry trip in October. Reports on the above activities follow. (Page 1 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Eye-­Opening Partnership January 2013 By Stephanie Schultz Pastor Daniel Izquierdo Hernàndez, Moderator of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba, was on the Covenant campus for several days in January. Daniel, who was installed at our sister church in Luyanó in September, spoke at several venues during his visit, sharing insights and experiences that he’s had as a pastor in Cuba. (Page 2 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 While it has become easier to be Christian in Cuba, with the end of communism and a more open government under Raúl Castro, the exodus of many pastors has challenged the church. According to Daniel, the 49 branches of the Presbyterian Church are served by just 22 pastors. This situation has affected his vocation. “Being a pastor in Cuba is a lot of work for a little pay,” Daniel said. Growing up Christian in Cuba Daniel’s Christian roots run deep. His grandfather was a Presbyterian pastor in the 1930s when most churches were run by missionaries. Daniel’s grandfather had a different point of view. “My grandfather had his own Cuban style way of doing things,” Daniel said. “He was a revolutionary, a pioneer doing social outreach to Cubans in need.” (Page 3 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Anchored by his grandfather’s strong faith, Daniel grew up in a committed Christian family. His father was a lay leader who taught many Bible studies. When Daniel told his dad he wanted to preach, his dad encouraged him. “I delivered my first sermon when I was 10,” he said. But Daniel did not rush into becoming a pastor. Instead, he studied architecture and loved his career. When he moved to Santa Clara to take care of his grandfather, he began to feel that God was calling him to be a pastor. “I wanted to be sure,” Daniel said. “’God, let me know,’ I prayed. ‘I want to be faithful to Your voice, but I need to hear it.’” After two years of prayer and discernment, Daniel went to seminary, was ordained and quickly called to San Antonio where he was the preacher for 11 years with no plans to move on. “There was so much going on in San Antonio when I was called to Luyanó,” he said. “But they told me that the hiring team was considering three people for the post and that each ranked me as their first choice.” Convinced that the unanimous vote was a sign about the next chapter in his life, Daniel made plans to move to Luyanó. Making a Difference in Luyanó When Cuba was taken under communist rule in 1959, the people’s reaction was fear. Half of the church’s membership left and only 15 pastors remained to serve 30 congregations. In 1967, the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba was formed. Daniel said during the long years of Communist rule, two things prompted Cuban Christians to gain optimism. First, in 1984, Jesse Jackson visited the country and invited Castro to church. “For the first time in my whole life, I saw Fidel attending church.” That was quickly followed by the 1985 publishing of Fidel and Religion, a book that Cubans lined up to purchase. “Everybody wanted to see what Fidel had to say about religion,” Daniel said. In the late 1980s, the church was growing. “I think Castro realized he needed unity within the country, and in April 1990, he met with 70 Christian leaders. The several hours long meeting was broadcast live. Today, 80 percent of church members are new Christians, Daniel said, but explained that the church is growing through church houses. “People who don’t feel at ease in church are more comfortable going to a house. Eventually many relax enough to visit an actual church.” (Page 4 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 The church in Cuba faces many challenges. “We must teach newcomers about Christian faith, and determine how to best present the Gospel, a task often led by lay leaders,” Daniel said. “We also need to find funding sources to create sustainable projects, and we need to train new pastors.” At the same time, the church is working to meet the physical needs of many. Together with a Presbyterian church in Minneapolis, Luyanó and Covenant volunteers have created a system to filter water for Cubans. The Luyanó church offers exercise programs for the elderly and various food programs for many. “Most of the land is owned by the state, but they will give you plots for growing food. A food program is an example of something sustainable that the church can manage on its own.” Much of the activity at Luyanó, according to Daniel, is the result of friendships with Covenant members. “Our partnership with Covenant has opened our eyes to things that we can do,” he said. (Page 5 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 The Times-­ They are a Changing July 2013 By Evangeline Herring When people ask me about the mission trip to Cuba this summer, I usually say that it was one of the best trips out of the seven times that I have been there. When they ask me why, I say because before the trip I was ready to let God take control of everything. So what does that mean for me? I was going to go with the flow even when the flow was rough, and I was going to keep my mouth shut, which for those who know me well, you know that is very hard for me. Our job in Cuba is to help during VBS. Since they are the ones doing all the planning, we bring support, our spiritual gifts, all the craft time material and money. Throughout the years, the persons in charge of VBS have asked if we have any suggestions of how they could do things better. In a country where the government has taught them to do things one way, and always that way, we had plenty of suggestions! (Page 6 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Just to give you an example of what they encounter: VBS runs from 9:30am to 3:00pm.They don't know how many kids are going to show up. In 2008, our first year helping with the Cuba VBS, an average of 35 kids came. This year they averaged 70. That makes things difficult especially for grouping, craft time, snacks and lunchtime. So chaos, frustration, tiredness often take over from the first hour of the first day for everyone involved with VBS, since we have to adjust many things on the fly throughout the day, every day! But there I was, in peace, letting God take control, keeping my mouth closed. During craft time, I was in charge of two groups aged 12-­‐19. I had over 25 teenagers desperate to have fun. I would have thought that my teaching experience with teenagers would help me manage all of them. Well, I was wrong. Many of them had never seen the beautiful things that we were going to make, and they were eager to get started. But in middle of all the mess, they had fun, they loved their craft and I was exhausted. Things needed to change but I was letting God take control. The last day of VBS, we had one last meeting with everyone involved. Amy Johnson and I sat as far away as we could since the conversation was already heated when we entered the room. The teachers were tired, frustration took over, and finally they came to the conclusion that they needed to change things for next year. Now God was in control... Suggestions poured out from everyone. Everyone in the room was very excited about future changes. It was God's time for things to start changing. It was not God’s time 5 years ago or even last year. It was never God’s time even as we had given plenty of suggestions throughout the years. It was just now was the right time, on HIS time. (Page 7 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Every year that I have been involved with this trip, there have been lessons. Lessons about learning about Cuba, about how they live there, about how the church does amazing things with whatever they have, lessons about truth, forgiveness, humility. What was the lesson this year? Well pretty simple: just let God take control of things and completely trust that things are going to happen on his timeline. Now I have to apply this confession to every aspect of my life, at home, at work and especially here at church. (Page 8 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Cheerful Chimers October-­November 2013 By Linda Rutherford and Cheryl Banks Several years ago I read an article about Travel with a Purpose and sent an inquiry to the company, wanting to know if there was a way to use my music background during the mission. I never received a response. Time and circumstances intervened for several years until spring of 2012 when Tammy Linn did a Minute for Mission about the mission trip to Cuba. Of course, I had attended the Concierto for Cuba and loved the music and had heard many people talk about their experiences on other trips. It was then I realized that this might be the opportunity I was seeking. On Monday Oct 28, fourteen of us departed for Covenant’s 28th ministry trip to Cuba. I was taking a case Handchimes for the church in Luyanó and looking forward to introducing them. About two months before we were to leave, I found out that Cheryl Banks was also going on the trip. Since she is in the handbell choir, I thought she and I would be able to demonstrate the handchimes. (Page 9 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 After we arrived I realized that the best way to introduce the chimes was to play something for the “Youth Event” that was planned for Friday night. The “Youth Event” on Friday was a surprise to me. I “assumed” (even though we were told not to go with expectations) that youth would be maybe teenagers and early twenties. Imagine my surprise when we walked into a room full of people from children to octogenarians!! But they had so much fun singing, dancing, and playing games. I asked several choir members who were on the team if they would play chimes with us at the “Youth Event” and they cheerfully accepted (and gained the nickname – Cheerful Chimers). We played some simple arrangements and then invited anyone who wanted to try the chimes to come up. Daniel had mentioned to Jack Kern that “his plans were initially for the chimes to be a magnet for the older youth and young adults.” There was a huge rush of people and I was so excited because I knew the chimes would be used. (Page 10 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Then the Cheerful Chimers were asked to play something for the Sunday morning service. One of the favorite hymns in Luyanó is “Lord, You have Come to the Lakeshore”. So we played on chimes with Tammy Linn and Marilyn on violin and Iliana, at the piano as the congregation sang along. The people at Luyano are the most, loving friendly people I have met in a very long time. We had many opportunities to meet them, study with them and play with them. Did we provide service while we there. I think we did, maybe not in the sense many equate with mission trips, but they know that Covenant loves them and we certainly felt loved by them. -­‐ Linda Rutherford (Page 11 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba Covenant Presbyterian Church -­ Austin, Texas Cuba Ministry Reflections Report for 2013 Evangeline Herring’s Minute for Mission this last summer moved me beyond words. It was the first Sunday after I had returned from Zambia and she was talking about the children’s ministry in Cuba. Jaco Botes, Emily and I had just spent 2 weeks in Livingstone, Zambia attending teachers training for children’s ministry in villages 30 minutes from town. God was so visibly active all over the world and I had to see more! I was so used to “doing something” on mission, when Linda asked me to help with the chimes I latched onto the fact that I would have something “to do” in Cuba. But as usual, God had a much more precious gift in store for me. We were greeted with open arms of friendship and lavished with warm hospitality. We attended a sewing circle (also donated yarn for baby clothes and blankets), visited Old Havana and walked the neighborhood of Luyanó, visited in church members’ homes, exercised in the courtyard of the church with the seniors, witnessed a breakfast program every morning for seniors, an AA program for the neighborhood held at Luyanó, saw people coming every day for purified drinking water that is available at the church through the “Living Waters for the World” program. We danced at an overlook bridge site on the way to Mantanzas and walked the beautiful beach at Varadero. We danced, sang songs, played games and played chimes at the “Youth Event.” We studied the bible, prayed and worshipped together in English and in Spanish. Going to Cuba without having to be in control of anything else, let me “Be Still”, absorb, observe. In essence, steep in the spiritual spa of fellowship, ministry, bible study, and worship with another part of the Body of Christ. -­‐ Cheryl Banks (Page 12 of 12) For photos, please go to http://picasaweb.google.com/111270944086862594375 For more Cuba information please go to http://www.covenant.org/cuba