In 2008, God allowed Pastor Delvis Mercado to go to Cuba with the teachings of the School of Christ. Since the first School we have continued to train and equip the Body of Christ. This has prepared them for the work of the ministry as called by God in Ephesians 4:11-13: “ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”
Doing the work of the School of Christ in Cuba has not been easy because of governmental controls. Our leaders and workers have had to face hardships caused by these controls, sometimes being threatened, and jailed, among other things. We have to deal with physical and spiritual hunger. It is very difficult for pastors and leaders to attend the SOC because the majority of them have to work just to supply food for their families.
We face the tradition of witchcraft and awful religious bondage here on the island. We know that this is nothing more than the opposition of hell. We continue to preach the Gospel and keep moving forward in spite of the difficulties. God is faithful and we continue to see Him move through the School of Christ in these difficult circumstances in Cuba.
Pastor Mercado traveled to Cuba to hold two SOC graduations; one in Havana and the other in Guantanamo. What a blessing to see a total of seventy-six students graduate. The fire of God is burning in Cuba. The testimonies from pastors and workers of what God has done in their lives during the SOC is the encouragement that moves us forward.
Alexander Claro, who pastors a church in rural Guantanamo, was so shaken by the message on “Restoring the Message of Pentecost” that he ran out of the class and told the SOC worker that the message of the School of Christ was too strong. He made the decision to remain at the School and the Holy Spirit began to deal with him. He was brought to repentance and now he is a true man of God and loves the SOC teachings.
In January, 2019, we started a School of Christ in the rural area of Malacara. We have twenty students committed to the teachings and discipline of the SOC.
We continually pray for the Lord to give us His direction for the work of the School of Christ in Cuba. We have now formed two teams: One led by Pastor Samuel Alvares and the second led by Pastor Jose Reynosa. We believe this division of labor will help us in areas where travel is very difficult and very expensive. We must continue the work of the School of Christ.
Help us pray for this nation and that the saints will be encouraged to “stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…” (Galatians 5:1).
Delvis Mercedo – SOC Fieldworker