'Ants' lead hundreds of thousands to Jesus
"Between 200,000 and 300,000 Cubans have found Jesus
in recent years," reports Aktionskomittee fuer Verfolgte Christen's
Horst Krueger. "The awakening among the island's 10.5 million
inhabitants began suddenly in the east-coast harbor town Baracoa,"
he reports, "where one church grew from around 65 members to several
thousand in a few years." The church leader was pastor Alipio, head
of the Christian churches in Holguin province. One pastor likened the
population's sudden opening to the gospel to "suddenly opening the
hatch of a grain silo; the ripe corn just falls in." The Ministry of
Justice officially recognizes around 500 churches, including official
house churches. In addition, there are some 3,700 house cells and similar
groups, with an official membership of around 120,000, and another 70,000
on the waiting list. Sunday schools have an attendance of 40,000, holiday
Bible schools up to 70,000. "How is it possible for churches to grow
so much?" asks Krueger, and gives his own answer: "Ants. South
American ants can defoliate a tree or eat 30 square meters of Soy beans
in a single night. The keys are effort and organization. For me, Cuba's
many unknown evangelistically active Christians are like ants who often
travel great distances under difficult conditions in order to build the
Church of Christ in remote areas."
Source: Horst Krueger, AVC (Action Committee for Persecuted Christians),
fax (+41)-32-3554242 and www.jesus.org.uk/dawn
|
