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Friends United
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Cuba Yearly Meeting
People of the Mustard Seed
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of seeds, but when it is grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree." Matthew 13:31-32
Christ's message resonates powerfully in Cuba,
a country with shortages of everything but sugarcane, where daily life
requires discomforts we North Americans could not tolerate. Cuban Quakers
know Christ's power in their own lives, and are not about to keep it to
themselves. There is a renaissance now of Christianity in Cuba. Quakerism
is growing there like a strong tree from a mustard seed.
After many years of scarce building materials, plentiful insects and tropical rain, several small rural meetinghouses have collapsed. Two larger meetinghouses are at the point of falling in. Cuban Quakers want desperately to rebuild and renovate, in order to continue the phenomenal growth of the last several years.
The government requires that all churches pay for their building materials entirely in U.S. dollars. Most Quakers are paid in Cuban pesos and can give only pesos to the meeting. Economic conditions in Cuba are dire, and the gift of pesos means sacrificial giving for Cuban Quakers.
The children often come to meetings for worship first, out of curiosity. They go home and tell their parents, and then they come, too.
Sunday morning is time for the children's meeting at the five monthly meetings in Cuba. The children give solos or lead the adults in singing children's Christian songs, with rhythms redolent of the Spanish and African mix of the Caribbean.
The children also read from Scripture or recite
inspirational poetry. Sunday School classes for adults and children follow.
On Sunday night, everyone returns for a more formal meeting for worship
with preaching and more singing.
Growth in attendance at meetings for worship has increased by 281% between 1990 and 1994.
"With the crisis in values and the economic situation, people are feeling insecure," Julieta Perez, co-pastor at Banes Friends Meeting said. "They are looking for support, and believe the Church can help them, both materially and spiritually, in every aspect of their lives. Many come to us with no Christian formation, and we must form them."
Candidates for membership at Banes must attend Bible and Quaker studies classes for two years. They must pass an exam on their studies and give their personal testimonies. They must actively participate in the life of the Meeting; their lives must show that they are growing in Christian faith.
Prayer meetings are held on Thursday nights at Velasco Friends. Velasco Friends has 91 members, and nearly half again as many candidates for membership. The meeting room is nearly full, and the meeting for prayer begins with singing:
Enlighten my soul in Your Spirit, Lord.
Enlighten me, transform me.
Let me feel the fire of Your love,
here in my heart, my Lord."
Those whose prayers have been answered line up to place an offering of gratefulness into the basket and speak of their joy. Then, out of the silence, anyone may offer a prayer of petition.
Women will meet for worship on another night, although the men often join them. The youth group meets as well, with older adults often participating.
"You can spend your whole week in meeting," Yosmani Mujicha said. Yosmani, the pastor's son-in-law and volunteer purchasing officer for the Yearly Meeting, has spent days finding building materials for construction projects.
Yosmani lives with his wife, two sons and his mother-in-law in the parsonage, under the same leaky roof as the Velasco meetingroom. His youngest son, Pedro Pablo, is only five months old.
Old Spanish tiles on Velasco's roof absorb water and become heavy during summer rains. The timbers on Velasco's meetinghouse roof already have water damage and insect tracks visible from the benches. "If it rains during meeting, we all dodge the drops," Alma Ajo, pastor at Velasco, said.
Only the walls at Delicias Chapel, a small rural meetinghouse, still stand. Yet twenty-six Friends gather for meeting for worship under a nearby tree.
"The roof began to break down in spots about 1975. There was nothing that could be done. There were no materials. In those years, we were just trying to hold the Yearly Meeting together," explained Ramón González-Longoria, clerk of Cuba Yearly Meeting.
"It rotted and started falling down in pieces. So all we could do was meet for worship underneath the half of the roof that was still good. Then, the rest of the roof fell down, all in one night."
The risks of letting a meetinghouse collapse are clear. Fifteen years ago, Bocas Chapel meetinghouse fell down and the government seized the property. Cuba Yearly Meeting recently regained title, and the chapel has been rebuilt.
Without a chapel or parsonage, the yearly meeting has been unable to place a trained pastor there. Other missionaries have come into the town, and the attenders are drifting away from Friends' beliefs.
Consensus decision-making on which Cuba Yearly Meeting relies is difficult in a country where communication is taxing. There are few cars, the phone system is unreliable, and receiving a fax costs the equivalent of a month's wage.
The leadership of the yearly meeting must travel between cities by bike, small motorbike, or by standing under a tree, waiting for an open truck to come by.
Searching for materials, meeting with architects, deciding on plans and priorities, coordinating construction will all be easier, faster and better with a car for yearly meeting use.
How can I help?
Friends United Meeting asks individuals or meetings
to adopt one of the projects, providing the estimated amount of funds
to complete the project. Smaller donations toward FUM's continuing support
of Cuba Yearly Meeting are also welcome. FUM has a license from the U.S.
Treasury Department to send U.S. dollars to Cuba Yearly Meeting.
Meetings may also sponsor work teams or send individuals to be on a work team to help in church construction. Inquire about the next scheduled work team to Cuba, by contacting Terri Johns at Friends United Meeting.
Donations may be sent directly to FUM. Contact us via the response form or the address below. All contributions for Cuba church repairs should be designated for the Cuba construction fund.