CUBA FOR CHRIST continued
people, women, home missionaries, denominational leaders and evangelists.
Activity in one workgroup was extremely moving. The leader, basing her talk on the Book of Job and the Psalms, asked
each participant to write a prayer of lament, recognizing the suffering faced by many Cubans.
The Cuban Baptist leaders arranged for a delegation to visit with the Minister for Religious Affairs and her colleagues in
the offices of the Central Committee of the Cuban government. Such exchanges, the Baptist leaders believe, strengthen
the hands of the churches, especially when the visiting delegation consists of leaders of an international body like the
BWA.
The minister, Mrs. Caridad, received the delegation, made up of Cuban leaders and BWA personnel, with warmth, and
expressed appreciation for the increased cooperation between the four Baptist bodies in Cuba. She urged Baptists
to continue to play their part in promoting a good and peaceful society. Issues the delegation raised with the minister
included the status of house churches in Cuba, problems faced by pastors and others in Cuba with government policies,
the importation of Christian literature, and the Baptist passion for liberty in Christ and in society.
That evening, the minister and three of her colleagues attended the major evening rally at Calvary Baptist Church. Cuban
Baptists unashamedly and repeatedly declared their hope in Cuba for Christ, a phrase the government leaders could
hardly have failed to note.
Victor Samuel Gonzalez, president of the Western convention and a vice president-elect of the BWA, coordinated the
work of about 150 Baptist volunteers from the four conventions to ensure this Living Water conference was memorable. It
was!
The growth of Baptist churches throughout the island is testimony to the faith and dedication of our brothers and sisters in
Christ on this island.
Among the speakers at the event were Everton Jackson, newly elected executive secretary/treasurer of the Caribbean
Baptist Fellowship; Elmer Lavastida, well-known leader from the Eastern convention; Raymundo Aguilera, a professor
from Havana; John Sundquist and Ronald Bobo, members of the BWA General Council and Executive Committee; Daniel
Carro, first vice president-elect of
the BWA; and Tony Cupit, BWA Living Water coordinator.
PHOTOS: Newly elected executive secretary/treasurer for the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, Everton Jackson, listens
keenly to interpreter Jessie Lawrence, a Cuban of Jamaican heritage;
BWA and Cuban church leaders pose with the Minister for Religious Affairs and her colleagues at the offices of the Central
Committee of the Cuban government;

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