Church is Havana good time in Cuba
Parishoners visit as part of partnership programme
They might seem worlds apart – but a group of Castlemilk Parish Church parishioners found some similarities when visiting Cuba recently.
The six-strong group travelled to Havana as part of their partnership with Luyanó Presbyterian Church.
The partnership is to last for three years, with visitors from Cuba coming to Scotland last year.
It was time for the Castlemilk regulars to return the favour and they headed off abroad.
For Castlemilk minister Rev Sarah Brown, there were a few similarities as well as differences in the trip.
She said: “The church we were staying in was quite similar to what we have here in some ways.
“They have a breakfast club, they put on exercise classes and they have a water supply to support the neighbourhood and help them get clean water, so they are trying to do things for the community, like we are.”
However, there were a few differences and Sarah added: “The big surprise was food, and how it is sourced there.
“There are ration books and you sometimes can’t get anything. That was so alien to us, that there was simply no food and the big thing we got from that was how people were so accepting of that happening, whereas here you would hear people moaning about something being sold out.”
While there the group got to enjoy entertainment like a trip to the ballet, but the most important aspect was making connections for the future.
The plan is that members of one church will visit the other every six months or so.
Sarah added: “We had home visits to meet people and it was about relationship building, and some of the more different issues (about living in Cuba) will be looked at in the future.
“Our youngest in the party was 13, James O’ Hara, and he was keen to be involved playing football and learning Spanish.
“It was quite different for his granny who was there too, because she has mobility issues and had to adjust to life there.
“We had a couple of folk from the woodwork project we run, and they enjoyed visiting a carpentry workshop and seeing what would be considered old fashioned here - there was some different health and safety regulations too!
“I hope it can widen the world perspective for the church, while also showing that we have similar responses to both of our communities.”