Faith-based disaster response groups are admittedly feeling the major challenge faced in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. “There’s a lot of chaos out there,” said David Harding, international disaster response coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Devastation in…
Trump action won’t faze Cuban-U.S. church relations, pastor says
Donald Trump’s decision to negate the normalization of U.S.-Cuban relations may further American isolationism, but it will not sever the relationships between churches in the two countries. The “prophetic role of religious partnerships … will continue their fight for normalized…
Baptist leaders say Trump’s Cuba policy is a step backward
Baptists working to foster fraternal relationships between churches in the United States and Cuba criticized President’s Trump plan to roll back some of the steps that President Obama took to open relationships between the two countries. “Effective immediately, I am…
Ban on Baptist author’s book short-lived
Stan Dotson didn’t mean to start an international incident when he wrote a book about his 11-month stay in Cuba, but his publisher said Nov. 18 the matter has been resolved and Cuba: A Day In the Life should be…
NCC welcomes US abstention in UN Cuba vote
The head of the National Council of Churches applauded a symbolic non-vote on a perennial U.N. resolution as a step forward in normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba. The U.N. General Assembly has previously adopted 25 resolutions calling…
Like a good neighbor: The U.S. and Cuba
The United States is not there — at least not in relationship to our close neighbor, Cuba. Thanks to the tenacity of the church in the U.S. committed to God’s justice and love, and to President Obama, our neighborliness is…
Christian engagement growing as Cuba-U.S. ties improve
The level and frequency of United States-based Christian activity in Cuba has been rising since the normalization process between the two countries began in late 2014. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Florida has been building on existing relationships with Baptists and…
Anniversary cruise turns into spiritual experience for pastor, wife
It was just supposed to be a cruise to celebrate 15 years of marriage, see some of the Dominican Republic and even do a little service work, Tony Lankford recalls. Lankford, senior pastor at First Baptist Church in St. Simons…
End U.S. embargo on Cuba, faith leaders tell Congress
Two dozen faith communities joined in a letter March 16 urging members of Congress to end the nation’s “long-standing and counter-productive” embargo on Cuba. “We have listened to the call of our partner faith communities in Cuba, with whom we…