Worship

Sunday, July 19, 2015 - 10:00am

Address:
Mackey Hall
353 East Pine Street
Wooster, OH 44691

Presented By: Nahid Gordon

During worship, Westminster member and elder Nahida Gordon will share some of her experiences as part of The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as we as a church explore the evolving changes in Cuba. The following article was printed by the Presbyterian News Service:

"Presbyterian Joint Consultation in Cuba
The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to consult with the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba

MARCH 16, 2015

Following up on the 2014 General Assembly’s Cuba assignment—made well before the historic announcement in December 2014 easing U.S. sanctions against its island neighbor—the Advisory Committee will be visiting Cuba March 17-21. The Assembly asked ACSWP to work with the Cuba Partners Network to better understand what it means to be the church in an already changing Cuban context. The joint US team will be meeting with representatives of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba and other noted analysts to discuss opportunities—and challenges—in a transition period that may include the reestablishment of full diplomatic, commercial, and other relations with Cuba. The Cuba Partners Network, one of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s most extensive mission networks, raised funds to make the study possible, building on the many congregation-to-congregation relationships that have developed since the 1959 Cuban Revolution. All ACSWP members going contributed personally to supplement the Committee’s basic meeting budget as well.

Dr. Christine Darden, an Advisory Committee Co-chair, emphasized “this is an official meeting of ACSWP as part of a process to prepare a report with recommendations to the 2016 General Assembly. The report’s focus will be on changes occurring in Cuba, their significance for the public policy positions and mission strategy of the General Assembly, and priorities in our partnership with the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba.”

In addition to four leaders of the Partners Network, the committee will be accompanied by Revs. JoElla Holman, PC(USA) Regional Liaison to the Caribbean, Valdir Franca, Area Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, both in the World Mission ministry of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, and retired minister Dean H. Lewis, Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Cuba Connection.

The Presbyterian-Reformed Church representatives have scheduled meetings and visits to mission sites that illustrate the strength and struggles of the Church. Cuban society itself has changed, both in its enduring commitments to equality in education and healthcare, as well as constitutional changes, such as the modification of its initial determined atheism in the 1990s. Two other actions of the 2014 General Assembly, calling for an end to the trade embargo and Cuba’s removal from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, would encourage both societies to move on from the “Cold War” security emphasis. One group estimates that a repeal of the trade embargo between the U.S. and Cuba could result in a$10 billion annual bilateral trade windfall, while others are concerned that economic and racial divisions could be reopened.

"We are going there to listen to members of the Christian Church in Cuba. We are particularly interested in hearing their perspective about the unfolding situation and learning how that may inform a faithful theological and ethical response for us as U.S. Christians," says Rev. Dr. Ray Roberts, the other ACSWP Co-chair. He welcomed the fact that Matanzas Seminary will be the committee’s base for two of the four days of its brief time on the island, with the other two days in Havana. Ten of the 12 members of ASCWP will attend the meeting, along with one liaison member each from the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns and the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, and a social witness advisor from the Office of the General Assembly.

The Rev. Chris Iosso, Coordinator for ACSWP, affirmed the foresight of the three presbyteries that brought the study overture to the General Assembly “It is vital that both churches be proactive in their partnership, for the gospel and for both our societies in this stage of globalization,” says Iosso.

For more than 50 years the U.S. has embargoed Cuban goods, contributing to crushing economic conditions on the island. But in December 2014, President Obama outlined a new normalization policy to be worked out with the Cuban government, revealing the encouragement given by Pope Francis to President Raul Castro, himself, and their respective governments. The changes are likely to include the following:

Reestablishing diplomatic relations, including opening an embassy in Havana;
Increased information and communication flow, including internet services; and
Expanded travel and commerce."

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