THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL IN CUBA
by Elmer Lavastida Alfonso
We cannot overlook the historical fact that, before the first seeds of the Gospel were planted in Protestant format, the
Island of Cuba spent four centuries under the influence of Spanish Catholicism.
The Early Years
In the 19th century, there were isolated cases of Protestant presence in Cuba. Diego (James) Thompson came as
“colporteur” of the Bible Society of London. He was arrested in Santiago de Cuba in 1838 for distributing Scriptures in
Spanish, and later on was expelled from the island by the Spanish authorities.
1883 was decisive for Cuban Protestants. Four men returned to the Island who had been converted in Protestant
churches in the United States during their exile as Cuban Patriots: Pedro Duarte (Episcopal), Evaristo Collazo
(Presbyterian), Enrique Someillan (Methodist) and Alberto Díaz (Baptist).
Even though in 1883 Alberto Díaz was connected to the Episcopal church and supported as a “colporteur” by the Bible
Society of Philadelphia, in January of 1885 he came in contact with William Wood, Baptist pastor in Key West, who came
to Havana and performed the first baptisms by immersion in the Bay of Havana. That first congregation was organized
and called Gethsemane and Díaz was named as its pastor.
We cannot omit Adela Fales, a young girl whose parents lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, in the US, but later moved to Key
West, Florida. Because of Fales’ insistent plea, her pastor, Wood, went to Cuba and made contact with Alberto Díaz. This
episode is known as “The Mission of the Girl.” In 1887, in only two years, the number of baptized persons reached 169 in
the five congregations in and near the city.
The North American churches wanted to control the evangelization of Cuba and the Home Mission Board of the Southern
Baptist Convention sent Charles D. Daniel to Havana. He began an English-speaking congregation that met for worship in
the same building where the Gethsemane congregation worshipped. It was not long before a conflict developed between
Díaz and the North American mission represented by Daniel. This clash went as far as the public courts which passed
sentence against Díaz, and finally the Cuban congregation was expelled from the building together with its pastor. The
congregation that remained in the building changed its name to Calvary Baptist Church.
(Continued on next page)

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