More than 1,000 young people in eastern Cuba met in First Baptist Church of Moa Dec. 5 for a major celebration of the church's recent renovation.
They came from seven provinces that make up the Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba (BCEC).
Elmer Lavastida, pastor of Second Baptist Church “El Salvador” in Santiago de Cuba, said, “This gathering was a great witness to the community and a perfect opening ceremony for the church with the new sanctuary that seats over 1,300.”
The building was finished after a long conflict with the government, which ultimately approved the construction.
Lavastida said the congregation of over 800 held 24-hour prayer vigils for several weeks until the legal problems were solved, “and so this was a festival of joy and thanksgiving.” Members opened their homes to visitors attending the event.
The BCEC, which will celebrate its centennial with a special assembly Feb. 21-27, recently cooperated with churches in the western end of Cuba for an week of services, part of the “There is Life in Jesus” continental crusade throughout Latin America.
Lavastida reported hundreds of persons made professions of faith in Havana and in Pinar del Rio province. A “service of victory” was held in the refurbished sanctuary of the church in Minas de Matahambre in Pinar del Rio to celebrate the completion of the crusade with new converts.
“If this continues,” Lavastida says, “soon our sanctuaries will not be able to accommodate growing churches. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”
BWA News