Baptist minister from Cuba visits Berks as part of program

Baptist minister from Cuba visits Berks as part of program
7/4/2009

"Hands Across the Gulf" is a partnership between the Pennsylvania
Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ and the Fellowship
of Baptist Churches of Cuba.
By Susan Shelly
Reading Eagle correspondent

Christianity is not only alive but thriving in Cuba, a visiting pastor
told members of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference (PSEC) of the
United Church of Christ during a recent visit to Berks County.

The Rev. Antonio Santana, president of the Fellowship of Baptist
Churches of Cuba, visited several Berks County churches in June as part
of "Hands Across the Gulf," a partnership program between the PSEC and
his organization.

During a breakfast meeting with a group of pastors, church members and
staff of the Southeast Conference, Santana described the workings of the
Baptist church in Cuba and praised its partnership with the conference.

"We have many dreams in our church, and we welcome the relationship
between the United States and Cuba," Santana said, speaking through a
translator. "This relationship will facilitate the exchange of dreams
between our countries."

The Rev. Joseph H. Irwin Jr., minister of communication for the PSEC,
said the United Church of Christ has a longstanding relationship with
Cuban churches, and representatives of the national church have visited
Cuba every year for the last two and half decades. The relationship
between the PSEC and the Fellowship of Baptist Churches got its start in
2007, when a PSEC delegation led by Old First Reformed United Church of
Christ in Philadelphia visited for a week.

Irwin, a member of Old First Reformed, was a member of that delegation.

"I was along on that trip, and I just fell in love with the Cuban
churches we visited," Irwin said. "I thought that even though their name
is Baptist, they're a lot like the United Church of Christ in their
stances on women in the church, and human rights and other issues."

Santana said there has been a major theological shift in Cuba since
1992, when the country's constitution was amended to guarantee freedom
of religion.

"People now have the freedom to attend any church they want - Christian
or other," Santana said.

The largest religious group in Cuba is made up of Roman Catholics,
followed by Baptists. There are a significant number of Afro-Cuban
religions, along with smaller numbers of Jews, Muslims, Evangelicals,
Pentecostals and others. Seminary training is available for those in the
Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist and Quaker faiths, Santana said.

A primary focus of the Fellowship of Baptist Churches of Cuba is its
youth, considered those between the ages of 20 and about 35, Santana
said. In fact, he said, youth leadership is essential to the Fellowship.

"Sometimes we think it's older adults who have the experience of doing
things, and that they should be the leaders," Santana said. "But in our
church, it's the other way around. We are youth centered."

The youth who serve their churches respect their elders and preserve
their dignity, he said, and older people are very receptive to youth
leadership.

"There is a lot of respect between the generations," Santana said.

Christian education is stressed for both youth and adults, and
congregations within the Fellowship of Baptist Churches are working
together to promote a sense of community and service, and to establish
Gospel-based ministries throughout the country.

Santana, PSEC representatives and local church members discussed
possibilities for connecting youth of the two countries using technology
such as e-mail and video conferencing. They talked about forging
relationships between congregations and building community among Cuban
and American Christians.

"We know that where we have good results in when we learn from each
other," Irwin said.

Santana has returned to his work in Cuba, but the door between that
country's Fellowship of Baptist Churches and the PSEC remain open, with
hands and hearts extended across the gulf.

Contact Susan Shelly: life@readingeagle.com.

Baptist minister from Cuba visits Berks as part of program (4 July 2009)
http://www.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=146747