Dear Saints,

This is exciting! I received my monthly minister's letter from the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God yesterday, and saw it had a big report on local revival with the AG churches in Cuba. I felt I should post some parts of the letter for you:

"Just 17 years ago, in 1990, the Cuban Assemblies had 90 churches with 12,000 people and no house churches. It was illegal for five or more persons to meet in a home. Today the Cuban Assemblies of God numbers 871 registered, 1,017 registered house churches (with some as large as 500 members), and 5,230 cell groups (ranging from 40 to 50 people).

Cuban church growth began in the late 1980's with a powerful manifestation of God's presence. People were slain in the Spirit [i]en masse[/i] in many churches. Unbelievers and skeptics came in to see what was going on, tried to hold on to the walls for support, and eventually fell to the floor themselves. Powerful miracles took place. One pastor's wife, whom I met personally, was raised from the dead. Her husband is now one of the three district superintendents.

One pastor rented a truck to gather and dump all the idols people had given up. In some places, psychiatric hospitals were emptied of patients. People screamed as others came out of wheelchairs. Another one of the leaders of the Cuban church told me that in one single day his church went from 200 to 2,000 people. Another pastor told me that one evening he got up to preach and began a prayer before the sermon. He began, "Father, tonight..." but before he could proceed, the whole congregation - most of them unsaved - repeated his words, "Father, tonight." He next prayed, "I want You to bless the Word." Again, the entire audience echoed him. At first, he didn't know what to do. Something like this had never happened before. He decided that if they were going to pray responsively, he would just pray them into the Kingdom. And so he did.

The crowds around the churches became so great that they couldn't get into the meeting places. They were blocking traffic out on the streets. The Cuban government called the Assemblies of God leadership and told them this had to stop - that the masses were putting a strain on the public transportation system, and that they would have to meet in homes. The Cuban leaders to me that this decree "was like pouring gasoline on the fire of church growth."

The church in Cuba certainly had great foundations. Dedicated missionaries plowed the ground for decades at considerable personal sacrifice. The church was established and a Bible school founded that trained the first and second generation of Cuban pastors and leaders. The Cuban church expects and requires its ministers to undergo extensive training and proving. Because of government restrictions, they have not had a Bible school since March 15, 1963. The present general superintendent was a student there at the time, and he was escorted off the property by soldiers with bayonets, as were other students. However, the Cuban church did not let this end their training of their ministers. They began cranking out courses in a basement on an old mimeograph machine. The focus on study has served the church well because it is doctrinally grounded and not subject to the whims and fads that come from other countries. In fact, the Cuban church retains a roving mission on Doctrinal Purity to insure throughout the island that false teaching is spotted early and dealt with. We know from Scripture and from the stories of God's work in the world that all great moves of the Spirit have been preceded by long years of preparation. The Cuban church, despite great hardship and persecution, had been faithful in the little things.

Then, revival came."

- George O. Wood, General Secretery of the Assemblies of God

_________________
Paul Frederick West