Youth 2000 Bible a ‘great revelation’ for young Christians in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba — A project to reach young people with God’s Word in a dynamic and relevant way is well under way in Cuba, with many thousands of copies of the Youth 2000 Bible already distributed to churches across the country. The new Bible has been welcomed by church leaders, and young Cubans have hailed it as a ‘great revelation’.

Tool

Funded through the UBS global expansion program Opportunity 21, the project’s aim is to provide churches with a powerful evangelical tool after the impact of the much-publicised Catholic and Evangelical Celebrations, which took place across the country in 1998 and 1999 respectively (See World Report 343 and Special Report 19). The celebrations – the first public Christian events to be held in Cuba for 40 years – generated a surge of interest in Christianity, especially among young people.

Celebrations

Mario Gomez of the Nazarene Church was among the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the Evangelical Celebrations in Havana.

“1999 was a very important year in my life,” he said. “I attended the worship services in parks and stadiums, and I enjoyed the music, dances and poetry. But most of all I enjoyed the Bible teaching – I was fascinated. I received the books and brochures that were being given out, and later I was given the Youth 2000 Bible, which I found very appealing. In fact, I am enjoying it more and more every day.”

Fully understood

Elisa Gonzalez, a new member of the Free Baptist Church in Havana, said that she only fully understood the Bible’s message when she started reading the Youth 2000 Bible.

“I am new in the faith and, until recently, had never had a Bible in my hands,” she said. “Last year a friend talked to me about salvation and gave me a New Testament and I started going to church with her, but at first I did not understand what was being preached, or even what I was reading.

Revelation

“I had access to many religious brochures and publications, which helped me to gain some understanding, but the greatest revelation was the Youth 2000 Bible. The explanations that it contains about how the Bible was written and the special subjects that it highlights…lifted a veil for me.”

The text of the colourfully presented Youth 2000 Bible was originally prepared by the British and Foreign Bible Society in the 1980s and has been recently revised by European and Latin American Bible Societies.

Church leaders, who are using the new Scripture extensively in church activities, are finding that the full-colour illustrations and 80 pages of helps for teenage readers are attracting many young people to read God’s Word and apply it to their lives.

Within reach

“Finally we can count on a Bible that is within the reach of the youth of our congregations, and especially those who are new believers,” said the Rev Marcial Miguel Hernandez, President of the Free Evangelical Church and Executive Secretary of the Cuban Council of Churches.“The introductory notes allow new believers to see the ample universe of the Scriptures in an easy and simple way. I wish we could have more Bibles like this one.”

Welcomed

The Rev Alberto Cajides, a retired preacher responsible for the distribution of Scriptures from the Bible Commission of the Cuban Council of Churches (CIC), welcomed the Youth 2000 Bible, which he described as a “valuable tool” in the hands of church leaders.

“All my life I have taught new believers what the Bible is, what the Gospels are, how to look for verses, and then explained the themes and main teachings in this book,” he said. “But all this is included in the Youth 2000 Bible, which makes this information very accessible for readers.”

He added that he was thankful to the UBS and other organisations for providing Scriptures for Cuban Christians.

Passion

“The Holy Scriptures have been my life’s passion, but in the 1970s we had very few Bibles,” he said. “In these times, the Lord has worked like he did in the wedding at Cana – he saved the best wine for last, allowing us to have Bibles for all our brethren and for newcomers to the church.

“I have really enjoyed the last few years of my life as a preacher – my hands have touched thousands of Bibles, New Testaments, and other Scripture materials that…have been sent to us by generous hearts.”