Cuban Church Closed on Easter

by Mackie Landers

LOS ANGELES (Compass) — Cuban government authorities closed a Baptist church in a Havana suburb on Easter Sunday. Members of the church must comply with the April 23 closure order or face fines or a court trial for contempt, said a pastor of another denomination who spoke on condition that his name not be used. He said that the closed church is affiliated with Cuba’s Western Baptist denomination, a sister denomination of the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States.

However, the Baptist congregation has divided into five cell groups and will continue to worship. Each cell group averages 70 members in attendance.

Explosive growth of church membership and a church building shortage has forced believers to worship wherever they can, even in small apartments, illegally. While most of these Christians want their own buildings, which the government requires for legal status, those same authorities routinely have denied requests to build new churches. In recent years, churches often have been allowed tacitly to function, even without permission.

“What a difficult situation for evangelical Christians,” a Compass source said. “We still don’t have complete freedom to honor the Lord Jesus Christ … yet we thank God for all things, trusting and hoping in our Lord and Savior.”

The source said that national church leaders are trying to help Cuban churches of various denominations become legal. The government-approved Cuban Council of Churches supports the building of an inter-denominational church that will serve all the community’s Christians.

Copyright © 2000 Compass Direct News Service. Used with permission.

Lift this up in Prayer

15

people are currently praying.

Latest Worthy News

Fair Use Notice:This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Books by George Whitten

Identity in Messiah Revealed https://identityinmessiah.com

Identity in Messiah is a 60-day devotional journey designed to help you exchange the world’s labels for Heaven’s declaration. Each devotional combines rich Biblical teaching, Hebraic insights, practical application, and carefully selected Scripture passages to lead you into a deeper understanding of your position in Messiah.

Get it on Amazon

The Biblical Fall Feasts https://biblicalfallfeasts.com

In The Biblical Fall Feasts Revealed, George Whitten leads readers on a stirring devotional journey along the Hebrew month of Elul, the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), the Days of Awe (Yamim Nora'im), the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), and the Eighth Day (Shemini Atzeret). With Scripture as the foundation, each chapter uncovers the prophetic beauty threaded into God’s calendar and shows how these sacred seasons still speak with urgency and hope today.

Get it on Amazon