This is a sacred season — Passover, Easter, Ramadan and the sobering fear of sickness and death all around us.
It is a time to take stock of ourselves, as individuals and as a country. It is a time to reflect on who we are, and what we stand for, what our faith is, and how we put it into action.
IFCO asks you to join us in a new reflection/action project. The first action will ask you to do is to “sign on” to the letter written by the National Councils of Churches in Cuba and the US, asking to end the Blockade of Cuba. Although these are both ecumenical Christian bodies, please use this letter to reach out to people of many faith and justice traditions. Download and read the letter here.
- Please ‘sign on’ to this letter, as an individual and/or as a group.
- More importantly, please share it – by telephone and email – with progressive congregations and people of faith in your community. Ask them to sign on as well.
- Use this link for your signature.
We hope to collect thousands of signatures to demonstrate that people of faith and conscience support the end of the US Blockade on Cuba and favor (as the letter asks) collaboration, unity, and peace in the search for appropriate responses and solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic and world crisis.
Sharing Stories
As part of the Faith in Action project, we’ll be sharing news and stories of the experiences of people of faith in both Cuba and the US. As we get to know each other better and share our common yearnings, the collaboration, unity and peace we strive for becomes possible. Please send us your stories to include in this exchange. (Email them to ifco@ifconews.org)
For example, here’s a note from Rev. Jose Padin, Pastor of La Fernanda, a Presbyterian Church in the edge of Havana:
Since we are in a pandemic and everyone is at home, it was impossible to celebrate Maundy Thursday with Holy Communion in the church. The idea occurred to me to send a message of less than a minute, (we do not have capacity in our cellphone in Cuba for more than a minute) including the announcement of the Biblical text of Luke and First Corinthians.
I suggested each member of our church, sitting at home at their dining table where they eat, (at 3 in the afternoon) should read the Bible (Luke and First Corinthians), say a prayer and sing hymns which I sent. After spending some time praying they would finish with a piece of bread and a little wine. In that way we all receive communion together.
It has been a success, the community has grown in faith and we felt less alone. To God be glory and honor. (His note in the original Spanish below)
(Here’s a copy the Easter Sundaybulletinof this Cuban church)
Spanish original: Como estamos en Pandemia y todos en casa, el jueves de Santa Cena que siempre celebramos era imposible hacerlo en la iglesia y se me ocurrió la idea de enviar un mensaje de menos de un minuto, (nosotros no tenemos capacidad en nuestros cell en Cuba de más de un minuto) incluyendo el anuncio del texto de Lucas y el de I de Corintios que corresponde.
Pues preparé que en las casas de cada miembro de nuestra iglesia en la misma mesa donde ellos comen, (a las 3 de la tarde) se leyera la Biblia ( Lucas y I de Corintios), se orase, envié algunos himnos para que lo tuvieran y dedicáramos un tiempo a orar y finalmente con un pedazo de pan y un poco de vino, de esa forma todos comulgamos.
Ha sido un éxito, la comunidad ha crecido en la fe y hemos roto la soledad. A Dios sea la gloria y el honor.
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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