By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Cuba is one of the most restrictive countries in Latin America. The average salary — provided by the government — is $25 a month. And while limits on religious expression have loosened somewhat in recent years, it’s practically impossible to buy a copy of the Bible.

For the past nine years, nearly 300 missionaries have taken part in The Gathering Place at North Syracuse Baptist Church’s initiatives in Cuba, which provide Bibles and other religious education material, school supplies, leadership training, sports ministries and construction projects.

“Everybody who goes over there, I think, comes back a changed person,” said Dr. George Miller, lead pastor at NSBC. “They also come back ready to go back.”

Miller’s journeys to Cuba began nearly a decade ago when he was invited to teach a leadership course there. While U.S. tourists are prohibited from visiting Cuba, certain American visitors are allowed in for educational or religious trips.

Miller brought a member of the NSBC congregation with him: Dan Sorber, owner of Syracuse-based businesses LiftSafe FuelSafe, Broadway Café and Arctic Island.

Sorber’s interest in Cuba was piqued while on a family vacation to Key West, Florida, Miller said.

“While they were there on vacation, a mother and son washed up on the shore trying to escape Cuba,” Miller said. “That touched his heart and soul.”

That event, coupled with Sorber’s first trip to Cuba, led Sorber to dedicate his time and his businesses’ profits to improving life for the people he fell in love with.

“They continuously have a positive outlook, a positive attitude, even when things are difficult,” Sorber said of the Cuban people.

Sorber said he and his wife, Gwen, were planning out their retirement years, which are fast approaching. Golf and fishing would eventually lose their luster, Sorber said, so he wanted to find a more fulfilling way to fill his golden years.

“I’d like to finish strong,” he said. “Where could we make the greatest difference with the skills and talents the Lord has given us?”

Building churches, building relationships

In 2010, Sorber led a series of construction projects, repairing roofs of homes damaged in the 2008 hurricane season.

“That was a tremendously successful project, and that was done at the request of the Cuban government,” he said. “I think we have been incredibly privileged to be able to have relationships with the Cuban government. God has opened up amazing doors with the U.S. government’s State Department and Cuban government officials.”

Much of Miller and Sorber’s success with their mission work has been borne by their building of relationships with the Cuban government. They are able to travel to Cuba on religious visas.

“They’re not easy to get,” Miller said. “We get them very easily because we’ve been getting them for a number of years.”

In addition to repairing homes, Sorber has also headed the construction of two youth centers and two churches. His volunteers, who travel to Cuba six to eight times a year, are now restoring a third church.

Sorber has also helped fund four “microfinance” projects so Cuban people can generate more income: a deli, an ice cream shop, a bakery and a sewing operation. He also purchased a 55-acre farm.

“My vision is to come alongside the Cubans, specifically Cuban pastors and churches: love them and encourage them, try to provide some financial help, try to provide construction help, try to provide teaching and training,” Sorber said.

Building faith

While Sorber and his crew construct spaces for Cubans to worship and to play, Miller’s missionaries focus on religious and educational initiatives.

Last year, Miller said, they distributed 10,000 Bibles and 4,000 Helios units, which are solar-powered handheld devices with audio of the Bible in Spanish and 120 hours of Bible teaching. Miller said a shipment of 5,000 more Helios devices is planned for this spring.

The mission also supports training for pastors and helps them develop churches.

“We can help support a pastor full-time with only $1,200 a year,” Miller said.

The Gathering Place at NSBC’s missions also include distribution of “edu-packs,” or backpacks filled with school supplies and some religious literature. The mission has distributed 5,000 edu-packs in Cuba with 2,500 more to come this year.

“These kids were so appreciative,” Miller said. “The people are just so wonderful, so thankful.”

Miller said carrying out NSBC’s missions in Cuba can be difficult as far as politics are concerned. In December 2014, President Barack Obama restored diplomatic relations with Cuba and eased travel restrictions for humanitarian and educational work.

“The Cuban people were excited about that. It gave them hope that the relations between the two governments would improve,” Miller said.

But in 2017, President Donald Trump tightened those restrictions once again.

“Politically speaking, when Obama loosened the travel ban, it gave great hope to the Cuban people,” Sorber said. “Now, President Trump has rolled back some of the travel opening, frustrating our Cuban friends — and rightly so.”

Both Sorber and Miller said the current travel restrictions and the economic embargo, which has been in place since 1954, hurt Cuba economically. Lifting either would require action from Congress.

“It’s not hindering our ministry,” Miller said, “[but] when you cut off tourism, that’s when you hurt the average person. U.S. tourists spend a lot of money.”

“Enough is enough,” Sorber said. “Congress needs to lift this embargo. It’s done nothing but hurt the Cuban people for 60 years, and it clearly has not worked.”

Despite political and logistical frustrations, both Sorber and Miller are passionate about their work in Cuba.

“As a church, we feel real blessed and privileged to have a ministry in Cuba. We’re helping people in churches, poor communities. We’re meeting needs in people,” Miller said. “When people are disenfranchised, when people are marginalized, we need to help them out.”

Sorber said being able to give back has been a great “faith-builder” for him and his wife, Gwen.

“We’ve supported missionaries our whole lives. It’s been an enormous blessing — a stretch for us — but an enormous blessing,” he said. “It’s been an amazing journey.”

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Refugee describes religious oppression in Cuba

One of the North Syracuse Baptist Church’s objectives in its missionary work in Cuba is to encourage religious expression, but they must be wary of the watchful eye of the state.

According to the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2016, religious activity is heavily monitored in Cuba. To be officially recognized, religious groups must apply to the Ministry of Justice, outlining their funding sources, proposed activities and leadership. If the application is accepted, the group still must seek approval from the Office of Religious Affairs (part of the Ministry of Justice) to hold meetings, make major purchases or repairs and print or import religious literature.

“Groups that fail to register may face penalties ranging from fines to closure of their organizations,” the report reads.

Adonis García can attest to the restrictions on religion in Cuba. García, his wife and their son moved to the U.S. about a year and a half ago. He has been working at The Gathering Place at NSBC for nine months.

“Working here has been a blessing,” García said. “Because I’m a Christian, life has been a little easier. … I can pray here and no one can stop me.”

In Cuba, García said, there is no freedom of religion, no freedom of the press. Businesses are controlled by the government, and the allotted salary and food are not enough to get by.

A government representative attends church services to make sure pastors and the congregation are not speaking out against the government.

“In the church, you can’t say, ‘What’s going on? There’s no food,’ because the representative will call the police,” García said.

Religious events are restricted, and it is difficult for would-be pastors to attend seminary and work.

“The seminaries are pretty closed up,” García said. “Here, a seminarian works part-time. In Cuba, seminary is full-time. They study all week and work in the mission, but they’re not paid. It’s hard.”

García and his family escaped Cuba by way of Brazil. His wife, a doctor, took on a medical mission in Brazil, and the family headed to the U.S. afterwards. His wife is now working toward her certification to practice medicine here. While getting settled can be difficult, García and his family have found community at The Gathering Place.

“We have a life thanks to God, centered on God,” he said. “I’m grateful to be here with my family.”