Cuba GLS

Here's a post from the Willow Creek Association blog.

The Church is Not Forgotten in Cuba Posted: 14 Jul 2014 10:23 AM PDT

Earlier in 2014, Willow Creek Association was granted permission to work with local Cuban church leaders to present the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in Havana on June 20-21. The impact of the GLS was immediate and powerful. One pastor said, “I have been a pas­tor in Cuba for 30 years. And this is the first time I have received any training. I’m sure this is true of everybody here.”

It is the vision of the Cuban GLS team to take the GLS to other cities in Cuba beginning with Santa Clara and Santiago. It is their desire to have GLS sites throughout the island, building up, inspiring, and equipping Cuban church leaders to change their country for Christ.

As we left Cuba, one pastor pulled us aside with a message he wanted us to bring home. “When you get home, please tell everyone how grateful we are that you did not forget the Church in Cuba. Sometimes we feel very alone here; completely forgotten. But you have shown us that you are thinking about us; that you remember us. Please tell everyone how thankful we are.”

Continue to remember the Church in Cuba, continue to pray for church leaders that the seeds planted at the GLS will bear much fruit and be a catalyst for change in this island nation.

Monday Memo

Hi Five Oakers, Lois and I vacationed last week in the Black Hills of South Dakota. What a beautiful place. And what a refreshing and restful experience filled with conversation, hikes, reading, bike rides and some fly fishing.

Guest Cards

Here is a comment received back on the card we send first-time guests:

// 6-30 We were wowed by the sermon!  Loved the meat, biblical focus & not “fluffy”.  This is very important to us.  Music was great although slightly too loud.  Communion was different than what we are used to, but ok.

Communication Cards

Here are the comments and questions from the weekend Communication Cards:

// Amy’s song gorgeous! Good to see you again Dan.

// Wonderful worshipful service.

// Thanks, praise and forever may our God be glorified!

// Bravo on bringing home the Jeff [Vanderstelt] video from Challenge. Great message.  [If you missed the weekend, we showed one of the talks that our youth experienced at the Challenge conference. I love that we were able to do this and that our students experienced this all week. I've never met Jeff Vanderstelt, but he was one of my biggest influences leading me to develop the Story of God book and course.]

// Good video message. Good timing from Challenge.

// Great to be back from vacation. Nice worship, loved the Challenge speaker. Glad you did “Story of God."

// Thanks for the old hymn. It made me cry, it was so beautiful!

// Amen.

// Would love to hear more hymns in the worship songs.

Blessings, Pastor Henry