Christ Episcopal Church Cuba Companion Ministry

noreply@blogger.com (CEC Cuba) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:30:00 +0000

Christ Episcopal Church on Pilgrimmage in Cuba

TRAVELIN' ON DOWN THE ROAD . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:09:00 +0000

It won't be long now!

The Cuba Companion Ministry at Christ Episcopal Church is finalizing plans for the upcoming visit to Cuba. It won't be long until our group of CEC ambassadors departs for a Lenten visit with our Cuban friends. Our travelers leave on February 27 and return on March 4. CEC's ambassadors are currently gathering gifts of needed supplies and other items for our companions at El Buen Pastor. You can assist in one of several ways. If you enjoy meeting and talking to people, your help would be welcomed as we collect items from the Cuba Gift Tree that has been displayed in the CEC courtyard for the last several Sundays. If you are a bargain shopper, take a shopping list and purchase supplies for the trip. If you love a puzzling challenge or you are a packing "engineer," bring your problem solving skills to the packing meeting on February 21 and help organize the baggage for the trip as there are many items to be packed in a very small space!

Hola

Our Cuban friends have been working diligently to make this visit an unforgettable experience. Shown here during their annual Christmas Gift Exchange at El Buen Pastor, the parishioners of our companion church are eagerly anticipating our visit. The upcoming trip promises to be a great experience!

The Cuba Companion Ministry is already looking at dates for a future visit. If a visit with El Buen Pastor is on your Must Do List but your calendar is always too full, now is the time for you to indicate your travel preferences. Since the next trip date has not yet been selected, potential travelers' needs can be considered. A possible time that has been proposed is an October trip. However, the Cuba Companion Committee is looking at all options and welcomes your suggestions. For more information, contact Debbie Hardegree at 904-285-9632, debhardegree4@comcast.net or Kammy Young at 904-285-6127, kyoung@christepiscopalchurch.org.

A VISIT FROM THE BISHOP

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:22:00 +0000

Bishop Miguel Tamayo recently visited The Church of the Good Shepherd.

Bishop Tamayo led the service and brought the day's homily to the congregation.

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Bishop Tamayo welcomes the newest member of El Buen Pastor into God's family.

Parishioners filled the church as they welcomed Bishop Tamayo..

Iglesia del Buen Pastor (The Church of the Good Shepherd) holds a special place in the Bishop's heart. Early in his career, Bishop Tamayo was the rector of a neighboring Bolondron church called Iglesia del San Pablo (St. Paul's Church). At that time, El Buen Pastor was attached to San Pablo as a satellite church. Through his association with San Pablo, the Bishop was also responsible for El Buen Pastor. Church members warmly welcomed their former rector.

A MESSAGE FROM BISHOP TAMAYO --

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

From The Reverend Father Miguel Tamayo Zaldívar, Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Uruguay and Interim Bishop of the Diocese of Cuba. . . .

Although the Episcopal Church in Cuba is more than one hundred years old, it is still a missionary Church. It is made of about 50 congregations (both parishes and missions) spread along the island. The number of clergy goes up to 30, and there are 4 seminarians who are being trained for ordained ministry in our diocesan/ecumenical Seminary in Matanzas, near Havana. We also have a program called "The New Ministries" to train Lay Ministers and Permanent Deacons which have had a great success graduating last year almost 50 students.

The Church is growing in numbers, but more important than that, it is also growing in commitment to our Lord in order to be, as he asked, "the salt and the yeast in our society".

We thank our Good Lord for all the support we are receiving from our Companion Diocese in Florida, particularly through its parishes like Christ Church Ponte Vedra Beach.

Bishop Miguel Tamayo
Iglesia Episcopal de Cuba

DID YOU LEAVE OUT THE WATER AND STRAW FOR THE CAMELS?

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:30:00 +0000

Anticipation . . .

These smiling faces are eagerly awaiting a visit from the Magi. Children from El Buen Pastor joined the Three Kings Day celebration at church! On the evening of January 9, our Cuba Companion Ministry friends celebrated Epiphany with an evening of fun! In the same way that American children leave milk and cookies for Santa of Christmas Eve, Cuban children leave straw and water for the Magi's camels!

In Ponte Vedra Beach, Christ Episcopal Church parishioners and other friends of the Cuba Companion Ministry gathered on the evening of January 7 at the home of Marlene and Harry Skilton for a post-Epiphany Three Kings Day Celebration in honor of our friends in Cuba. Authentic cuisine, delightful company, and meaningful conversation made for a perfect evening. Thanks to all of you who took time from your busy schedules to join us. Our evening together was a great start for this growing ministry.

A NEW FRIEND FOR A NEW YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Get to know The Reverend Carlos Exposito

Carlos is the Rector of La Iglesia del Buen Pastor (The Church of the Good Shepherd) in Guira de Macurijes, Matanzas, Cuba.

Fact Sheet:

Studied English at the University of Havana from 1973 to 1978.
Taught English for 21 years at Higher Education Centers in Cuba.
Entered Evangelical Seminary in 1999 in Matanzas, Cuba, completing his training in 2004.
Worked at three different churches as a lay minister while a seminarian.
After graduation, served as a lay minister for two years at The Trinity, in Bermajas, a small town near Bolondron in Matanzas province.
Started work at El Buen Pastor after being ordained a deacon.
Ordained to the priesthood in 2008.
Currently teaches Theological English at the Evangelical Seminary in Matanzas when he is not serving the people of El Buen Pastor.
Currently studying spirituality at Shalem Institute in Maryland.
Married to The Reverend Cristina Borges, Rector of La Iglesia del San Pablo in Bolondron, for the past thirteen years. Together, Carlos and Cristina have a 9-year-old daughter named Sophia. Carlos also has a 23-year-old son and a 20-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.

A MESSAGE FROM THE REVEREND CARLOS EXPOSITO

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:02:00 +0000

Dear parishioners from Christ Church in Ponte Vedra Beach,

Blessings and best wishes to all of you during this Christmas Season and the coming New Year! I am writing from "El Buen Pastor" (The Good Shepherd) in Guira de Macurijes, Matanzas, Cuba. This is a small Episcopal Church in a very small town, with not so many parishioners, ministries and room as you have. Yet, we always do our very best to keep the Lord's mission going in this part of the world where He had put us to serve and hasten the coming of his Kingdon. And we are not alone in this task, for we have such wonderful companions as you in Ponte Vedra Beach. For more than a year now the relationship between our two churches has been growing stronger with each passing day. This is a true gift in the Spirit for both sides. A new trip to Cuba is being planned for next February-March, and God knows what new fruits in the Spirit it may bring about. We keep you all in our prayers, individually and in our Sunday celebrations too. We long to see some of the known faces again, and the new ones, for we are sure new and everlasting friendships will emerge.

Merry Christmas and a very special and Happy New Year for you all.

Love and peace,
Reverend Carlos Exposito
Rector

Welcome to our new Cuba Companion Ministry blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Debbie) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:45:00 +0000

It's so new and shiny that we are still playing with the bubble wrap and ribbon!! We are thrilled to offer you a way to stay up to date with the ministry and our companions in Cuba.

Here are just a few of the things you can look forward to seeing on our new blog:

Updates about our companions in Cuba
Messages from the clergy at our companion church, La Iglesia del Buen Pastor (The Church of the Good Shepherd)
Photos of our friends in Cuba and our visits to El Buen Pastor
Details about upcoming trips

Thank you for stopping by. We hope you will check back often.

The children of La Iglesia del Buen Pastor in their annual Christmas pageant costumes.