Cuba (BHI/MNN) — Some 10,000 people attended Cuba's first evangelistic
outdoor rally since the 1950s.
The event was held by Bright Hope International church partners in Santa
Lucia's public square at the end of last month. It's an unlikely development in the
Communist-run nation, especially with the government crackdown on evangelical
churches.
As improbable as it sounds, the rally dovetails neatly with the reports of
an impossible revival that has been building for nearly 15 years.
Exciting times are ahead. Bright Hope President and CEO C.H. Dyer says hundreds
of people came forward to receive Christ at the meeting. The next day, he
writes, "People brought their idols and smashed them to show their
devotion to Christ alone."
In a country writhing in the throes of economic uncertainty, Dyer says the response
was a timely encouragement for Christian workers. "Cuba has been under
pressure and oppression. Matthew 16:18 comes to mind: 'On this
rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.' God's
mighty hand was upon our church partners."
When Bright Hope started serving Cuba over a decade ago, less than 1% of the
island had an evangelical presence. However, by the fall of
2011, it was at 91%. Today, with Bright
Hope's help, there's a pastoral network in place that supports church planters
and offers leadership training.
Bright Hope has helped to rebuild churches, provide hundreds of bicycles
for pastors, and supported pastor training workshops and evangelistic Christmas
dinners that fed thousands. These holistic programs have created a solid base
from which the church is set to explode when Cuba is opened.
Cuban church leaders are predicting that in the 9-18 month period after
Cuba's political sanctions are lifted, thousands of people will be exposed to
the Gospel for the first-time. Bright Hope is excited to continue building the
local church in Cuba so that many more people will come to know Christ in the coming
years.
