Florida Baptists fuel flames of revival in Cuba

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Florida Baptists fuel flames of revival in Cuba

Aug 22, 2006
BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention

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Julia Pernira prays during a worship service at an annual Cuban Baptist Assembly. Young and old alike flood Cuba’s Baptist churches in search of hope and encouragement. FBC photo

CUBA (FBC)—There is a fresh wind blowing in Cuba. One can see it in the eyes of the young Baptist pastors assuming leadership positions within the Western Cuba Baptist Convention. And it is evident in the excitement of an older generation of Baptists who sacrificed their freedom for the faith of those who would come later.

“I have never seen revival taking place any more than I witnessed in Cuba,” said John Sullivan executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, who visited the island nation this past February to preach at the annual convention meeting and be a source of encouragement.

Cuban Baptists have instilled in their children and grandchildren the legacy of their faithfulness to Christ as evidenced by many youth and young adults in worship. FBC photo by Ken Touchton

Seventeen newly constituted churches were voted into the convention during the meeting held at Calvary Baptist Church in Havana, all of them served by young pastors, Sullivan reported. The new churches bring the total number of churches to 181 and 240 missions.

The Florida leader also preached at the McCall Baptist Church, located on the seminary campus, where nearly a dozen persons accepted Christ.

Sullivan also visited three house churches and learned Cuban Baptists had started 1,385 house churches in recent years, he reported.

“They have made the distinction that the church is not a building,” said Sullivan. “That probably spurred the house church movement more than anything else. They plant churches basically the same way we do. Find a core group, find the believers bring them together, start a educational program.”

International Mission Board missionary Roy Cooper greets a Cuban Baptist on the streets of Havana near Calvary Baptist Church. The church hosted the Western Cuba Baptist Convention meeting. FBC photo by Ken Touchton

Sullivan said “I think they are right on the verge of the greatest breakthrough they have ever had. The young people are the ones leading the revival.”

Such fervor for Christ is not unusual among young adults, claimed Sullivan. “Every great revival has been on the shoulders of young people who pushed the envelope.” But growing up in a country with a communistic government has not created fear within these young Christians, Sullivan explained. Because they “have never known any [other] kind of government, they seek to live within the context of it while constantly pushing the parameters.”

As the young Cubans demonstrate their passion for revival, they do so with respect to the foundation created by the generation that went before them, Sullivan said. “These young people saw these early preachers persecuted and put in prisons and paid such a price that it impacted the people of the day. It has created a sense of encouragement to the young adults.”

From generation to generation, Cuban Baptists have kept the Spirit of God alive in their hearts, said Sullivan, “They passed the message on to their children. They told the story of Cuban Baptists and the creative, redemptive activity of God. They told them 'God is at work in the midst of our circumstances,'“ he added. “They were not overwhelmed by their circumstances-even though some of them went to prison for preaching the Gospel. The government thought they could stop the Gospel by putting them in prison. Rather than deter the Gospel, it enhanced the Gospel.”

Multiple generations of Cuban Baptists worship together in churches, missions and house churches. FBC photo by Ken Touchton

Florida Baptists have been in partnership with Baptists in Western Cuba since 1996. This involvement affirmed a commitment made over 112 years earlier when in 1885, the state convention sent the first Southern Baptist missionaries to the Caribbean nation. The current decade-old partnership focuses on evangelism, church starting and leadership development. As a part of that partnership, the Western Cuba Convention is allocated $120,000 from the Maguire State Mission Offering.

Florida Baptists provide 51 percent of the Western Cuba Convention's operating budget, said Culbreth. “Gifts Florida Baptists give are well spent. A dollar goes a long way and every bit of it goes to help pastors and ministry.”

The funding has supported the annuity of retired pastors who have no other source of income and undergirded theological education provided by the seminary in Havana. “We've helped with daily sustenance, medical needs and Sunday School materials,” as well as fund a tape ministry for pastors because there's no Christian radio stations, Culbreth explained.

“The giving for the Maguire State Mission Offering for Cuba is appreciated,” said Culbreth. “It is received with literally tears in their eyes when we take that funding to them. They are in deep prayer during the month of September because they know that is when we take up our offerings.”

“Cuba knows that Florida had cared from the beginning if its existence as the Florida Baptist Convention,” said Culbreth, who each year coordinates dozens of Florida Baptists volunteers to help with construction, evangelism and training events in Cuba.

“I think the legacy of this partnership will be 'we stood by you.' When it seems like the rest of the world was isolated from Cuba, Florida Baptists found a way to stay connected, even through the most difficult time. We have stood by them and helped them when no one else seemed to care.”

Working hand-in-hand in partnership with Cuba Baptists, Florida Baptists are fanning the flames of a new revival in that island nation.