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Dispatches from the Front Report from Cuba -- Pastors for Peace in Central Ohio by Bill Lewis September 20, 2003 Sunday evening, August 24, 2003, Pastors for Peace in Central Ohio sponsored a meeting about Cuba at the Olentangy Christian Reformed Church. Caleb Steindam, resident of Columbus and participant in the July 2003 Pastors for Peace 14th Friendshipment to Cuba, summarized the impressions he gained of Cuba while on the trip. Also at the meeting, David C. Jehnsen, Chair and Founding Trustee of The Institute for Human Rights and Responsibilities (IHRR) of Galena, Ohio, outlined the exciting initiatives being taken to equip Cuban churches and their leaders to meet challenges of the future. USA-Cuba relations have plummeted to a new low, fueled in part by a series of provocative actions by the USA government and its officials. It was in this context that Pastors for Peace, an action project of IFCO (Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization), arranged for the 14th Friendshipment of aid to Cuba, including medicines, hospital supplies, school supplies, and even school busses and ambulances. Churches in Cuba, recipients of Friendshipment aid, had asked that it be dedicated to the older folks in Cuba. Cuba is a third-world country with a first-world health care system. Free medical care for everyone in Cuba has increased the life expectancy of its citizens to 73.41 years for men, and 78.30 years for women, earning Cuba the rank of 50th in the world. By comparison, the USA ranks 53rd with life expectancies of 72.95 years for men and 79.67 years for women. The longer life expectancy means that the number of senior citizens has grown in Cuba. Acknowledging that fact, the Friendshipment was dedicated to this growing segment of the Cuban population. With an eye to the future, churches and religious leader in Cuba know that they have profound opportunities to participate in the fundamental transitions and social changes that Cuba is experiencing, and will experience in the days to come. To that end the IHRR and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Center in Havana, Cuba, have jointly developed an elaborate training program, already in process, that prepares religious leaders to meet the challenges of social and political changes with healthy, non-violent values and strategies. Correlated with the training program, a People to People Cuba/USA Exchange Program arranges for unique opportunities for mutual counsel and cooperation between Cuban leaders and folks in Central Ohio. At the Sunday meeting David C. Jehnsen, Chair and Founding Trustee of IHRR, outlined the rationale for the training and exchange programs and described the progress made so far in qualifying people, both in Cuba and the USA, to be agents of wholesome social and political change. Schooled from an early age in the Church of the Brethren, Mr. Jehnsen has had extensive experience in special projects and systems related to conflict resolution and social change for democracy. He has completed the course work and qualifying paper for an Ed.D degree at Harvard University. With Bernard LaFayette, Jr., he has co-authored The Leaders Manual: a Structured Guide and Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence. The book is recognized as the most authentic text about Martin Luther King, Jr’s., philosophy and strategies for non-violent social change. Those interested in participating in the initiatives of Pastors for Peace or the IHRR should contact the Rev. Bill Lewis at 614-459-0634. |
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