Central Florida Presbytery Partnership with El Centro Presbytery in Cuba

For 10+ years, Central Florida Presbytery has had a partnership with El Centro Presbytery in Cuba. Food and medicines are sent monthly to the 12 Presbyterian Churches in El Centro. Some congregations in Central Florida Presbytery have formal partnership or relationship with a specific congregation in El Centro to offer assistance in other ways, and build lasting relationships.

Central Florida Presbytery regularly schedules partnership trips to Cuba. These trips are a great way to meet fellow Christians who practice their faith under very different conditions than in the U.S. and see the partnerships in action. The journey offers a powerful opportunity to worship alongside Cuban brothers and sisters and deliver much-needed supplies and encouragement. Our primary mission is to build connections between our churches and theirs, to show the Cubans that we care about them and they are not forgotten, and to support them in their community outreach.

Eric Saegebarth, Cuba Partnership Team Member, writes this in the most recent Cuba Partnership Network Update: “Cuba is inspirational with the way they live by creating beautiful things out of very limited resources. Only 7 of our churches have solar power, so they can share their power and water. They have become the centers of their communities. Blackouts average 20+ hours in a day. Power is needed to pump the local water. Rationed food is scarce. Small local shops (tiendas) provide some provisions. Black market is the last source. Food shortages are a real problem with many people eating only one meal each day.”

Click here for the full Cuba Partnership Network Update

Click here for information about the 2027 Cuba Partnership Trip