On October 14th, 2016, we received the update on the status of the Church of the Nazarene in Cuba, sent by the Cuba East District Superintendent, Luis Ramon Batista, after Hurricane Matthew hit the island.
The district has 63 churches and 22 Church Type Missions, 21 of them are from the province of Guantánamo, 28 from Holguin province and 14 in the East provinces of Ciego de Avila, with an average membership of 1053 brothers and sisters.
In the province of Guantanamo: the churches of Alcalá, Barigua and Assumption were destroyed. Pastors and their families lost everything.
The churches of Bariguita, Guandao, La Cidra, La Maquina and church type mission (MTC) of Savannah, were left without roofs, including the five parsonages, these pastors and families also lost much of their belongings.
The sanctuaries of Baracoa Town, Baracoa, Boma, Chafarina, El Valle, La Maquina, Marianas, Palo Gordo and MTC of Acueducto and El Roble were not directly affected, however, the parsonages and church members were severely affected; such as the ones in Baracoa Town Pastor, who completely lost his home.
Access to these places is limited. In the case of the Patana town, they are getting medical help via helicopter, as they have detected uncontrolled diseases and diarrhea outbreaks. The district has already taken some provisions to the pastors.
We continue united in prayer for Cuba and Haiti and we motivate our churches and districts to give towards this disaster relief.
Source: Dr. Carlos Saenz, Mesoamerica Regional Director, Church of the Nazarene
