Reflections on Cuba

A sermon delivered by the Rev. Roger Scott Powers at Light Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, on Sunday, January 29, 2006

II Corinthians 4

It was a little over a year ago that Light Street Presbyterian Church joined with Ashland Presbyterian Church in a mission partnership with the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cabaiguan, Cuba, and its nearby mission church in Paraiso. Last January, Bonnie Cosner, Carole Norris-Shortle, and JoAnn Ruther, joined members of Ashland Presbyterian Church on a delegation to Cuba. And last September, we hosted the pastor of the Cabaiguan and Paraiso congregations, the Rev. Mairolet Vega-Comas. Many of you were able to meet her here at the church during a fiesta we held in her honor. Just a week ago, Carol Eshelman, JoAnn Ruther, and I, along with Wendy Kunz and JoAnne Torrie from the Ashland church, returned from Cuba after a week-long visit.

If you had asked me a year ago what came to my mind when I thought of Cuba, I would have come up with a variety of popular images: Fidel Castro dressed in olive green fatigues. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Bay of Pigs. Or, on the lighter side, Ricky Ricardo, Lucille Ball's Cuban husband on the television comedy "I Love Lucy." And the lively music of The Buena Vista Social Club.

Now, a year later, I think of the Cuban people I've actually met face to face, people I've talked with, eaten with, worshiped with, prayed with, visited with, traveled with. I think of Mairolet, a young and talented pastor and musician, who not only pastors three congregations, but serves as moderator of El Centro Presbytery, and continues to pursue graduate studies toward a Ph.D. I think of Aya, the church administrator of the Cabaiguan church, who also leads Bible studies, works with women's prayer circles, and visits with church members in their homes. I think of Ada, one of the senior members of the church, who makes beautiful greeting cards from dried corn husks and palm leaves, and whose nephew breeds rabbits (hundreds of them) in her backyard. I think of Francisco, who is also known as Pancho, the treasurer of the Cabaiguan church and a prankster with a great sense of humor. I think of Esteban, who was so helpful in editing the Spanish translation of my sermon before I delivered it on Sunday. I think of Lourdes, who plays guitar and helps lead singing in worship, but who also suffers from asthma. I think of Daniella and Julia, two adorable little girls who worshiped with us on Saturday afternoon in the little Mission Church in Paraiso.

What a difference a year can make. My vague notions about Cuba have been replaced with the names and faces of particular people and with the sights and sounds of particular places. Cuba is now a concrete reality for me in a way that it never was before.

Our mission partnership with the Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba is enabling us to build relationships and strengthen ties with our fellow Presbyterians in Cuba in spite of the continuing conflict between our governments. To the rest of the world, we may be defined by our nationalities, as Cubans and Americans. But in the sight of God, we are all members of the human family. We are all children of God, sisters and brothers in Christ. So, the Church, through Jesus Christ, is able to bring us together across the political and economic lines that would ordinarily divide us, in order to worship together, sing and pray together, break bread together, and engage in mission together.

We took an American Eagle charter flight from Miami to the small airport in Cienfuegos. (Light Street now has a license from the U.S. Treasury Department allowing church members to travel to Cuba legally for the purpose of engaging in religious activities.) After clearing immigration and customs, where all our bags were searched but nothing confiscated, we emerged from the airport terminal where we were met by Mairolet and about ten members of the Cabaiguan congregation. We all piled into the church's minibus and began the two and a half hour drive to Cabaiguan, stopping for pineapple ice cream and gas along the way.

At the church we stayed in two small dormitory rooms located above the church's kitchen and laundry facility. The two-story building was built by local church volunteers with funds provided by the Ashland church. Each morning we would wake up to the cockadoodledoos of roosters crowing at dawn. Breakfast was usually papaya and/or banana, toast with butter, fruit juice, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and when available, eggs (hardboiled or scrambled).

On Saturday morning, we participated in a monthly adult education class with about twenty church members. Each month the class focuses on a different topic: marriage, parenting, aging, etc. This month's topic was self-esteem. The class included singing, passing the peace, Biblical reflection, brainstorming, group discussion, small group Bible study, prayer, and concluded with lunch for everyone.

On Saturday afternoon, we took a taxi (a horse-drawn carriage, actually) to the other side of town where the Paraiso mission church is located. One of the poorer neighborhoods in Cabaiguan, Paraiso has been one of the places where the Cabaiguan church has focused its mission work. We met with adults and children from the neighborhood who attend the Paraiso church, and we joined with them in an informal worship service.

The church building in Paraiso is really a small chapel with two adjoining back rooms, one for church school activities, and one that had been used in the past as a health clinic and dispensary. The Cabaiguan church has wanted to renovate the Paraiso church building for some time. Now they can. Our delegation was able to bring with us $7,000 in mission funds from Baltimore Presbytery for building materials, along with architectural plans for the renovation. All of the labor will come from local church and community volunteers.

Sunday in Cabaiguan was a very special day. Early in the morning, the tree-lined avenue outside the church is transformed into a bustling, open-air market, where venders sell fresh meat and poultry, fruits and vegetables, fast food, tapes and CDs, household goods, even pet goldfish.

One difference between their service and ours is they don't print a worship bulletin. Paper and copying supplies are expensive and difficult to obtain. Another difference is that even though they have hymnals, most songs are sung from memory. In addition, because of the church's open-air architecture, the boundary between the church sanctuary and the world outside is much more fluid there than it is here. The sounds from the outdoor market flow freely into the sanctuary and the singing of the congregation flows freely out into the streets. There is nothing to prevent birds and insects from flying in and out of the church. And a dog or cat can wander in and out of the church unimpeded.

On Sunday night, we were treated to an encore performance of their Christmas Concert, featuring the adult and children's choirs. Many people who had wanted to hear the concert in December didn't make it because of rain. So, the Cabaiguan church decided to give a second Christmas Concert on January 15. That way our delegation could hear it along with everyone else. The adult and children's choirs had about 18 voices in each -- 36 voices combined. Some of their songs were accompanied by guitar and bongo drums. Others were sung along with prerecorded accompaniment from a CD. Interwoven with the music were readings of the Christmas story. It was a beautiful evening.

On Monday, we took a day trip to the old city of Trinidad with members of the Cabaiguan church. Much of the rest of our time was spent walking around Cabaiguan and visiting church members in their homes. On Wednesday night, elders, deacons, and church school teachers gathered with us for a farewell dinner. On Thursday, we took the long drive to Havana, where we stayed in the dormitory of the Second Presbyterian Church, and explored the historic district of Havana, before departing on Friday afternoon.

Life is difficult in Cuba. Most Cubans we met appear to be getting by, but just barely. They live a subsistence lifestyle. They struggle to obtain the bare necessities of food and clothing. Simple things like soap and laundry detergent are sometimes hard to find and are very expensive. Things we take for granted -- a soda or a lollipop -- are luxuries most Cubans can't afford. Cuba has twice as many doctors per capita as the United States, but medicines are scarce. That's why we brought about 60 pounds of donated medicines with us to give to the church in Cabaiguan. Housing, too, is in short supply, so, many families double up with three and four generations living under the same roof.

Given their constant struggle to survive, we kept asking how they do it. How are they able to survive under such circumstances? The answer we "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. . . . we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and bring us with you into his presence.

It is their faith that gives them the strength to carry on in the face of adversity. It is there faith that enables them to keep on keeping on. It is their faith that gives them hope in the future.

There is much more I could say, but I want to give Carol and JoAnn an opportunity to share some of their reflections as well. (These reflections are not recorded here, yet, but may be posted at a future date.)