I recently returned from my first trip to Cuba, to be with Cuban Quakers during their annual sessions. I travelled with Jackie Stillwell, Em McManamy. and Marion Athearn, all of whom had been before and all of whom spoke a lot more Spanish than I do.
This was a deeply affecting trip; seeing the physical poverty of the country and most of the people, balanced against the spiritual vitality of the Quakers was a remarkable experience.
The poverty is evident in modes of transportation (50s-era cars, horse-drawn carriages, a bicycle with only one pedal), buildings on the verge of falling down (because of lack of money to maintain them), and a store with almost nothing for sale. While in Puerto Padre, the rice they bought had to be sorted every day before cooking, to remove tiny stones and bad grains.
But the worship! I have been to a few programmed meetings and given the message a couple of times, but my experience has always been that each piece was an entity (now we sing a hymn, now we read scripture, now we have a message), but in Cuba, there is a more organic feel to the whole. I imagine there's a little planning behind the scenes, but it feels as though each piece bubbles up from a simmering pot of spirit. Several things I noted in particular:
- The singing is frequent, is a deeply essential element, and everyone participates vigorously. I think the singing is both a joyful response to God's presence, and I believe that in the singing itself is an experience of God.
- Prayer is frequent and feels very natural.
- While each church has a pastor, others participate with apparent ease. In worship in Puerto Padre our first day, when the pastor asked for reflections during his message, many spoke, one at length. In other situations other people offered prayers, and did not seem to struggle with it (as I do). An 11-year-old girl did a dance interpretation of a song during the children's service. This was quite lovely, and seemed an encouragement of ministry.
I was also moved to hear about ways the Quakers are serving their community. Puerto Padre serves a meal twice a week that anyone can come to. Gibara meeting established a smaller meeting less than a mile away to serve the poorest people of that town, who might not come to the larger (relatively more affluent) meeting.
Noah's piece about Cuba in the February 2020 e-mail newsletter speaks about the Cubans' resilience in the face of unending struggle, and I find myself reflecting on the relationship of struggle and spiritual vitality. Are our lives a little too easy? Jesus said it's easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle than to enter heaven. And I suspect he wasn't just talking about the 1%.
I gave the message at Saturday evening's worship. After giving a few examples of times when Quakers' view of the Truth has changed, I spoke about the need to be continually open to new understandings and not assume we have the full Truth. I think it was well received.
I am so glad I went, I expect this experience will continue to impact my reflections and my spiritual condition for some time.
I could say a lot more, but wanted to get something out while the experience is fresh. If you'd like to hear more about our trip, Marion has written the report for our group, which can be seen here.