May 8, 2006

Dear Friends,

It was a joy to visit Cuba recently—and a special treat to travel there with Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase.

Rick in Cuba

During a five-day visit, the Spanish-speaking moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) visited 13 congregations of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba. He preached four times at special worship services in each of the Cuban church’s three presbyteries and on Sunday morning at First Presbyterian Church in Havana.

thanks for the five baptisms and eleven new members that God had “added to their number” the previous week.

Cuban Presbyterians loved Rick’s enthusiasm, his youth, and his ability to converse and preach in Spanish. He was warmly received by congregants of all ages at each stop of our journey through the three presbyteries.

Evan Silverstein, of Presbyterian News Service, accompanied us on the visit. For more on the moderator’s visit to Cuba, including photographs, see the Presbyterian News Service archived stories, “Moderator visits ‘resurrection church’” (#06212, April 13, 2006) and “Tripped up” (#06220, April 18, 2006).

Life is hard

“La vida es difícil” is a common refrain in Cuba to describe the state of the economy. After hearing this several times, a first-time visitor to Cuba asked me, “What does that mean? What does it look like in the lives of families?”

A troubled economy, scarcities, two currencies, and Cuban creativity all combine to make daily life unpredictable.

The medicine N needs costs 40 cents in Cuban pesos. However, since it is rarely found in the pharmacy, she is forced to buy it “on the street” for 10 pesos. Products on the black market are not necessarily cheaper!

convertible pesos—which are available only to those who receive hard currency from outside of Cuba (either from family members or by receiving tips from tourists). Fortunately for J, powdered milk is available on the black market (at least this week!) for one CUC ($1.12), and this month, at least, he has some CUCs.

Transportation is a huge problem. Even with money, it is not possible to buy a car without government permission. Even with a car, it is not possible to buy gasoline without hard currency. Even with hard currency, it may be difficult to find the gasoline. Most people rely on overcrowded public transportation with its unpredictable schedules. It may take a seminary student as little as two hours or as many as fifteen to travel 105 kilometers to the church where she works each weekend.

In the midst of difficult circumstances, Cubans invent, recycle, share, create, and carry on. The same care and inventiveness that keeps 50-year old cars running also keeps everything from appliances to underwear to bicycles in usable condition far longer than we can even imagine. And Cubans are exceedingly generous in looking out for one another, sharing what they have, and combining efforts to find or create what they do not have.

Forty years ago

Cuban pastor, professor, theologian, and church leader Sergio Arce sent the following message (excerpted) when former stated clerk William P. Thompson died recently: “Dr. Thompson defended our right as Cuban Presbyterians to make the decision to nationalize our church, and he believed it was the responsibility of the Church in the United States to accept our decision in a spirit of gratitude to God. He and I corresponded because I was the General Secretary of the Cuban Church during the transfer of the Presbytery of Cuba of the Synod of New Jersey to the National Assembly of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba. Dr. Thompson attended the inaugural worship of the new Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, officially expressing the authorization given by the Synod of New Jersey and the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church. He also expressed his personal satisfaction that God would be glorified from that moment forward by the presence of a Cuban Presbyterian Church.”

The 40th anniversary of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba will be celebrated at the upcoming PC(USA) General Assembly in Birmingham, with the presence of the Rev. Dr. Hector Mendez, moderator of the Cuban church.

Blessings,

Tricia Lloyd-Sidle

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 55