The only Bible seminary open to Cuban nationals.
UPDATE: Through several individual donors and a generous donation from a church, we have been able to meet the need in Cuba and provide for their bathroom constructions. This means that they are able to gain approval from the government and continue to expand and operate in the region. Thank you for your gifts and partnership!
Within the country of Cuba, you’ll find many seminaries, of many denominations, but not all are open to the Cuban public. The majority are training centers for missionaries coming in or going out - and almost all are contraband (not allowed by the Cuban government). There are only two government-approved seminaries in the country: the first is in Santiago de Cuba, and the second is Seminario Bíblico William Carey, in Velasco.
Of these two, Seminario Carey is the only seminary that focuses on giving theological education to local pastors.
When we talked to Jatniel, the leader of Seminario Carey in Cuba, he reassured us that the government knows exactly what is happening with the seminary: local pastors are meeting together to be trained in theology and teach the Bible to others. This of course begged the question - how could a Communist government approve of something like this? Even Jatniel couldn’t explain why the government so openly accepted the Christian work of the seminary, but he praises the Lord for this opportunity. Not only has the government given their approval of the work, but they’ve granted a permit for the local group to construct a seminary building. Part of the government’s compliance towards the building permit stems from its insistence that the men no longer meet in houses (such as Jatniel’s) where children are present.
This building will be used by the 28 local students of Velasco throughout the week as they study the Bible, and 3 times a year it will be used as an intensive training center for pastors across the island. These pastors - 24 in all - will come for a week at a time, learn as much as they can about theology and the Bible, and then return to their churches and share the exact same classes with their congregations, some of which have up to 200 members.
This method of training leaders, who then train others, has led to Cuba being Seminario Carey’s largest study center, with even more students than our headquarters city of Córdoba. Prior to the Seminary’s presence in Cuba, almost every single national pastor was serving out of goodwill and a servant’s heart, but with no experience or Biblical training. Now, the new seminary building will allow these pastors to grow in their understanding of the scriptures and spread the understanding to other Christians in Cuba.