I belong to the Caribbean region. This is an area that covers many islands. Most of them are very beautiful and really small. The Caribbean is a mixed region. It has been considered a mosaic. There are different languages and cultures in this area, and sometimes this makes communication difficult. There are also different religions and governments. It is mainly a tourist area and a source of emigration.

There are some problems that have always been present in the Caribbean region, for example: poverty, emigration and unemployment. There are other problems that have emerged in the last decades, like Aids and drug abuse.

The largest Caribbean islands are Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad & Tobago. There are chains of injustice in all these countries, and they have similar ways of manifesting themselves.

We find countries like Puerto Rico that have a high level of young people involved in gangs and drugs and a lot of juvenile delinquency. Haiti is the poorest country in all this area. Its economic and political situation shows a lack of stability. There are others countries like Trinidad & Tobago where problems like street children have emerged and not enough people are doing something to help those children. There is the case of Jamaica which is facing problems with young women who become pregnant due to lack of knowledge. There is also a lot of delinquency.

Nevertheless, in all these countries, the church is playing a very important role because it is involved in many projects related to education, preventive work with children and trying to give education and preparation to young women. The church in many of these countries has raised its voice to complain against injustice. There are still many things that should be done.

Historical background of Cuba

I live in Cuba, which is one of the Caribbean islands. It is a communist country and that is why our situation is very special.

Socialism started in Cuba in 1959 and has lasted for 37 years. From the very beginning, the ideal of the system was to break all kinds of injustice and to create a new man capable of assuming his role in a communist society. Although many efforts were made, the objective was never achieved. This model did not work. Nevertheless, the revolution obtained some good results, especially with social reforms in some important fields such as medical assistance, education and social security.

While the revolution was developing and receiving financial and moral support from the former Soviet Union, many people quit going to church. Some of them got very involved in the revolution, while others were afraid of going to church because of the problems that it could bring about in an atheist society. It was a very difficult period for Christian people in Cuba because there were not many people left in the churches. It was thought that one day religion would disappear. Thank God it never happened. God’s love was so wide that there were always a few people preaching the word of God. So, the majority of the churches were kept.

In the 1990s, the collapse of socialism took place, and it affected my country a lot. Cuba lost most of the help that it received from the former Soviet Union. The Cuban economy suffered a big crisis, and the society itself was falling down. The loss of values, the frustration and the scarcity were really hard to face.

At the same time that all these occurred, the government changed its policy towards the church and a new era started. Many people who had left the church 25 years ago started coming back. They all came with the desire of working again and wanting to recover all those years that had gone by. Most of them came back with tears in their eyes and repentance.

On the other hand, many people that had never come to the church are coming now for the first time. All congregations are growing a lot. This is a process that is happening in all churches at the same time.

The problems of youth

Youth is one of the sectors of our society that have suffered the most. Since the crisis started six years ago, young people have lost their hopes and expectations. It is hard to deliver your life to a cause that seems to be lost. Young people feel frustrated and some of them are looking for another style of life. To some it means emigration. This is a very sad reality; however, the church is in the middle of this situation playing a very important role. The church has become a space for young people to share their problems, to face their own realities and especially to be a place of looking for a new hope, a living hope.

Nowadays the church in Cuba has this mission. It has to work very hard with youth because young people in my country need a space where they can be heard and where they can be understood.

The church also has to play a very important role regarding preventive work, because our revolution did a lot during 30 years in order to avoid social problems such as prostitution, alcoholism, unemployment and begging. It is very hard for us to accept that nowadays all those problems that seemed to be solved are flourishing again. Everyday the situation is worse.

The role of the church

Our church has a very important mission, which is to spread the word of God, especially among young people. Due to this gap that existed during 30 years, many young people do not know a word about the Bible. Some of them have never held a Bible in their hands, and the majority do not know anything about God. All this means that the church needs to be prepared. The members have to be open to young people who are visiting the church for the first time. We have to be prepared to give answers to their questions.

One of the biggest problems of youth in my country is the emptiness that they have in their lives. There are many young people who were raised in materialist families. It is hard for them to say, ‘I believe in God’, if they have always heard that God does not exist. As time has gone by people have realized that they need to trust God, otherwise life is extremely hard.

A time for recognition has started in Cuba. People are recognizing that Jesus is the way, the truth and life. Young leaders of the churches are definitely involved in this process. It requires energy and the desire to work. The reaction of most of the churches has been very positive. They are really interested in giving support to projects that involve the work with youth.

In my own experience, I have been very involved not only in the work with youth in my national church but also in my local church. I am an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Havana where a Centre for Family Orientation has been created and a group of psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians and neurologists work together. The main purpose is to give orientation to young people in different fields of life. They prepare lectures and workshops on several topics: for example, divorce, alcoholism, how to choose your partner, how to treat old people, childhood, young women and Aids. All these lectures are intended for young people to advise and orientate them on how to face life in a society of crisis.

My church is very involved in the ecumenical movement. We share workshops with many churches as a part of Latin American exchanges. The topics of these workshops have been liturgy and its renewal, and ecology. We also celebrate musical festivals. These festivals give the opportunity to many bands from different denominations to participate.

My church also has created a library open to the public. This is a great opportunity for people to read religious materials, and we also offer some other books.

There are many other churches in Cuba that are developing these kinds of social work. They are intended to assist the material and spiritual needs of people. These are our own ways of breaking chains.

As Jesus’ witnesses, we are called to testify and give hope. We have to start building the kingdom that Jesus presented to us. Cuba, the Caribbean and the whole world have this mission. God is waiting for us to do this task. If we build his kingdom, we break chains. May God bless us.

Suecia Méndez of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba is Director of Presbyterian Youth in Havana.