By Vimal Udupa. Bristol
Herald Courier. Jul 6, 2001 - 12:32 AM
Bishop Ricardo Periera speaks about the growth of the Methodist Church
in Cuba in recent years while visiting Wheeler United Methodist Church in
Blountville Thursday morning.
BLOUNTVILLE _ After decades of religious persecution, Methodism is
experiencing a tremendous revival in Cuba, according to the head of the church
there.
Bishop Ricardo Periera said that at the church where he serves, 15-20
people a week are "making the decision for Christ,'' adding that the
overall Methodist Church membership has increased from a low of 1,000 to about
20,000.
"In Cuba, faith has to be very, very aggressive,'' he said. "In
Cuba, the church has to be more involved with the people.''
Periera has been in the United States since late May and visited Wheeler
United Methodist Church here on Thursday to talk about his experiences as a
bishop on the Communist-held Caribbean island.
He said the history of the Methodist Church could be divided into the
period before the Communist revolution and the period after. The Methodist
Church was brought to Cuba in 1883, and up until 1959 it spread throughout the
island.
After the revolution, U.S. missionaries, along with 90 percent of Cuba's
pastors and many church members, left the country.
New church buildings could not be built, and young people who went to
church were prohibited from attending the university, he said.
As a result of the persecution, the church went into decline in the 1960s
and 1970s. However, it was kept alive by a small group of pastors and followers,
he said.
For example, to get around the ban against building new churches,
parishioners would allow their homes to be used for church services.
Today, 50 to 100 new "house churches'' are being established every
year in Cuba, he said.
Periera said the government's attitude toward religion has changed in the
past few years, with religious groups facing less persecution.
The strength of the church is reflected in a youthful clergy and
membership. Sixty percent of the thousands of new members are younger than 30,
and 75 percent of all the preachers in Cuba are under 35, Periera said.
"In Cuba, people don't talk about parents bringing the children to
the church, but just the opposite,'' he said through a translator. "The
children and the youth bring their parents to the church.''
He asked that Americans keep such accomplishments in mind when they pray
for Cuba and said they should not pray with pity but with great faith.
At the same time, Americans should be grateful for what they have, he
said.
"People (in Cuba) have to start praying in the morning because they
really don't know what they are going to eat during the day; they have to pray
because they don't know if they are going to have any clothes to wear, and they
have to pray because they don't know whether they are going to have shelter,''
Periera said.
"Here, all these basic needs and comforts ... are taken for granted.
They respect that, and they pray very much for the American people so that in
your own context you'll be grateful to God for whatever you have.'' | 
