80,000-plus Bibles shipped to Cuba for churches

80,000-plus Bibles shipped to Cuba for churches
by Barbara Denman / Florida Baptist convention , posted Monday, March
16, 2015

MIAMI (BP) -- Three 40-foot containers packed with 83,723
Spanish-speaking Bibles to be distributed among Baptist churches in both
Western and Eastern Cuba are expected to arrive in Havana March 25.
The shipment, slated to leave South Florida during the week of March 15,
is the third Southern Baptists have sent to the island nation since
1999. This latest effort brings the total number of Bibles sent to
nearly half a million, said Kurt Urbanek, IMB strategy leader for Cuba
since 1997.

However, this represents the first time Bibles were shipped directly
from the United States. The extensive process of seeking permission from
the Cuban government to ship Bibles required a great deal of negotiation
with government officials and the Cuban Bible Society, Urbanek
explained. Clearance for this effort was given late 2014.

"We are grateful the Cuban government opened the doors for the Bibles,"
Urbanek said.

In 1992 the Cuban government officially changed its status from an
atheistic to a secular society, helping pave the way for the Bible
distribution.

The shipment of the Bibles and Bible resources, coordinated by IMB,
represents a collaborative partnership between IMB, LifeWay Christian
Stores, Florida Baptist Convention, Church by the Glades in Coral
Springs, Fla., and other individuals and groups.

Last year, LifeWay customers across the country donated funds to
purchase 144,000 Bibles for distribution in several Central American and
Caribbean countries. Of those Bibles, sixty thousand were designated for
Cuba. IMB provided $100,000 for the project. Florida Baptists
contributed $2,000 from the Maguire State Mission Offering to purchase
600 leather-bound Bibles. Others provided funding for additional Bibles
and resources, as well as the cost of shipment.

In the past, the Cuban government required Bibles to be distributed to
all evangelical denominations in the country. But this time 75 percent
-- or 64,000 -- of the Bibles will be allocated to the Havana-based
Western Cuba Baptist Convention and the Santiago-based Eastern Cuba
Baptist Convention, resulting in each group receiving 32,000 Bibles.

With the Eastern Convention reporting 29,063 professions of faith in
2014, Urbanek said the Bibles potentially will cover the new Christians
and only a few more. The eastern churches also will endure a logistical
challenge getting the books across the rough Cuban terrain to Santiago,
about an 18-hour drive from Havana.

Urbanek reported the Eastern Convention added 1,300 new house churches
and missions in recent years.

"The growth is so incredible, that's why Bibles are so important," he
said, noting Western Cuba churches have expanded likewise.

The shipment also includes Bible commentaries, study Bibles and
giant-print Bibles for the visually impaired.

Florida Baptists, who have an 18-year partnership with Cuba Baptists,
have participated in other shipments of Bibles to Cuba, said John
Holloway, team strategist with the Convention's Partnership Missions.

He asked Southern Baptists to pray for "unhindered delivery; no problems
at customs in Cuba; immediate distribution; and the salvation of many."

Barbara Denman is director of communications for the Florida Baptist
Convention.

Source: 80,000-plus Bibles shipped to Cuba for churches -
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