14 April 2026

Cuba has been in the news recently because of an American blockade causing suffering amongst its people. It has also appeared in ‘Transform’, the magazine produced by the Scottish Bible Society. It was one of the countries featured in an article, ‘Reaching Around the World’.

Apparently, the Cuban Bible Society was founded in September 2023. ‘The big frustration is that we don’t have enough Bibles especially not for children and for young people who have just come to faith.’ said the Cuban Bible Society President, Joel Ortega Dopico.

They have initiated a very ambitious project entitled, ‘One million Bibles for Cuba’. They are hoping to reach 50,000 house churches and new churches which are being established across all the denominations. The growth seems phenomenal.

‘Our churches are full of children. And they are important to reach others like their parents.’ said the President. Some of these churches have over 400 children and thousands of members.  New Kilpatrick had 600 children and over two thousand members in the 1960s. It is possible in Scotland too!

Ortega tells of visiting an open-air service, 700 km from Havana. When he arrived, there were over 3,000 people present. He and his colleagues had 3,000 Bibles to distribute to individuals and 2,000 for the churches.  Half way through the service, all 5,000 Bibles had gone!

It is encouraging to hear about the excitement which the Bible generates in other lands where  children and young people are an enthusiastic part of the church. If anything is going to recapture such an enthusiastic response in Scotland it will be the Bible, the living Word of God, ‘sweeter than honey and more precious than gold’.

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