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Bienvenidos a la / Welcome to the

Cuba Partners Network, PC(USA)

Founded over thirty years ago by member congregations, the Cuba Partners Network has a long and rich history of encouraging and supporting vital partnerships between the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) and the Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Cuba (IPRC).

We are committed to developing relationships which are grounded in companionship, cultural humility, and co-development – whether between congregations, presbyteries, the IPRC Synod or the Ecumenical Seminary in Cuba (SET).  

 

Companionship is visible in regular WhatsApp calls and chats between Cuban and U.S. church members who pray for one another.  Cultural humility is listening first and speaking last, taking time to learn about one another’s reality instead of making assumptions.  Co-development is operating in partnership, with each partner bringing their own gifts to the table, planning together, doing together. 

The Cuba Partners Network works closely with PC(USA) World Mission through two Regional Liaisons for the Caribbean, Rev. José Manuel Capella-Pratts and Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri.

Due to the long-time strained relationship between the governments of the United States and Cuba, we understand part of Christ’s call to us is to walk with our brothers and sisters in the churches in Cuba, visiting one another as we are able, praying for one another and communicating as often as possible.

Whether you are an individual, a congregation or a presbytery, we invite you to explore the possibility of becoming a part of the Cuba Partners Network! 

Con la paz y la esperanza en Dios / With peace and hope in God,
 

Elder Susan Keil Smith (Albuquerque)
Rev. Deborah McEachran (Baltimore)

Co-conveners  (2024)
PC(USA) Cuba Partners Network

 

For a detailed history of the development of the Network, click here.

The Cuba Partners Network facilitates connections between the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba (IPRC) and the Presbyterian Church (USA), including congregations and presbyteries of other US reformed denominations exploring or currently in partnership.

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For information on the campaign
for a Seminary campus in Havana, “Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors)”, please contact Jack Kern at jackckern@sbcglobal.net

Read the SET Havana campus 
vision statement here

Videos:

     SET Havana   
      3 mins, 10 secs in English
 

     Why SET Havana is important    
      3 mins, 30 secs, in Spanish (subtitled)

"SU VOZ"

Daily Devotions from the

Presbyterian-Reformed Church

in Cuba

Click here read  Su Voz online
(in English and Spanish) 

 

To subscribe and receive "Su Voz"
daily in your email inbox, click here.

For more information on the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, click here.

What We Do

We build and strengthen connections between U.S. and Cuban partners

The Network provides an organized structure through which entities of the Presbyterian Church (USA) can develop relationships with the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba (IPRC).

Together we:

  • Seek and nurture partnership opportunities to strengthen our shared faith, striving to work for peace and reconciliation between our peoples and governments.
     

  • Commit to relationships characterized by mutuality in all aspects.
     

  • Facilitate communication among PC(USA) partners and between U.S. and Cuban partners.
     

  • Offer practical resources and guidance for existing and new partnerships.
     

  • Pray for one another, sharing joys and concerns through the Ministry of Pastoral Solidarity.
     

  • Provide information and support to PC(USA) partners to assist them in advocacy for change in U.S. policy toward Cuba and normalization of U.S. Cuba relations.
     

The Cuba Partners Network participates at General Assembly level to continue its advocacy for walking together with our brothers and sisters in the Cuban church, and to encourage thoughtful consideration and reflection upon recommendations presented by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy.

About

CPN at a Glance:

585+

Members

130+

Congregations

2+

Denominations

1

Lord & Savior
Partners
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Read the PC(USA)/IPRC Mutual Mission Agreement
Click here to read in English  –  Haga clic aquí para leer en español

Many of the facts about our partners are a great surprise to many people, who assume that the church in Cuba had been eradicated or existed only as an underground remnant.

Not so! – the Cuban Presbyterian Church endured loss and hardship for over 30 years as many pastors and lay leaders emigrated and as the Marxist government made being “religious” a social stigma, but a faithful and self-consciously Christian community persisted in public worship and witness. Its schools were confiscated but not its churches. Being a Christian in Cuba was not dangerous but it was a great and difficult disadvantage. Those who persisted in such a course had to do so quite deliberately.

While the situation is considerably different now, even as the Cuban Presbyterian Church celebrated its centennial in 1990, and the world now gradually emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the church continues in fervent prayers of thanksgiving to a gracious God for its continuing survival as well as for its longevity.

Our ministry partners

The Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba (IPRC)
The IPRC has approximately 15,000 members in 33 “organized churches” in three presbyteries – Central, Matanzas, and Havana. In addition to the organized congregations, there are 21 “dependent churches,” missions and house churches. For historical reasons, all these are located in the central part of the nation. There are a total of 36 pastors, with 23 pastors directly serving congregations.

The IPRC is one of the founding members of the Cuban Council of Churches (CIC), whose current president is a Presbyterian pastor, and is actively involved in the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), and the Association of Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in Latin America (AIPRAL). The church subscribes the Westminster Confession of Faith, Heidelberg Catechism, Second Helvetic Confession, Apostles Creed and the Barmen Declaration.

For more information on the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, click here.

The Evangelical Theological Seminary at Matanzas (SET)

The Seminary seeks to provide a high quality, diversified theological education program to prepare young church leaders to meet the challenges of growth in existing local congregations and in pursuing new church developments throughout Cuba.

SET is owned and operated by the IPRC, together with Cuban Episcopal, Baptist and Quaker churches. It was founded as a Presbyterian institution in Cárdenas in 1920. The seminary relocated to Matanzas when sponsorship became ecumenical in 1946. Currently the seminary is looking to expand its footprint by adding a full service campus in Havana as well.

For more information on the Evangelical Theological Seminary at Matanzas, click here.

Speakers
Past Events

Recent Gatherings

A few of the many CPN Gatherings held since our beginnings in 1985

Gatherings in U.S. - 2024, 2023, 2019

Gathering in Cuba - 2022, 2016

Virtual Gatherings  - 2021,  2020

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Contact

Contact Us

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Questions?


Please send an email to CPN
via Kathy Wennerstrum
CPN Communications 
Coordinator
 

Would you like to subscribe to receive CPN mailings

and/or daily meditations from the IPRC's "Su Voz" ?

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©  2024 by PC(USA) Cuba Partners Network

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