Pastor Shane L. Johnson, D.Min.8/15/10

New Life Church

It was the very first thing I noticed I have not seen this large scale joy since I was a

boy growing up in the church The source of this joy is Christ, and the work of the

HS The oppression of Communism leaves little else to

be joyful about This joy comes out on their faces, in their worship,

and their preaching They love the Lord; they love and respect their

pastors; the church does ministry wherever they are

They enjoy each other- table fellowship every Sunday at Pastor George’s church

The Cuban church is not allowed to build church buildings, per se

They are largely a nation of house churches- pastors knock out walls in their houses and have church

Most all the pastors are bi-vocational- welders, farmers, mechanics

They make about $20/mo as pastor, and their people tithe off their produce, livestock

I asked what we could do to help- they reluctantly responded regarding economic help

They work around communism and denominational restrictions- Willie

They minister 24/7- on their jobs, in church, on the street

Denominations mean much less in Cuba- what matters is partnering to get the job done

It does not spread wealth; rather it reduces people to a common level of poverty

It robs people of incentive to get ahead- there are very few ways for people to better themselves

The state cannot provide basic needs for everyone- hence, the black market

I met a neurosurgeon who made $20/mo We were watched from the time we got off

the plane, until the time we got back on the plane, including in the churches

No gun ownership + crime is low, mainly stealing

At this point, I am not called to be an overseas missionary

I am called to be a missions pastor- modeling mission, communicating mission, raising funds, going and helping to train overseas leaders, leading teams from the states

I don’t have much to complain about, and am blessed beyond measure- my Lord, my wife, children, my call as pastor/teacher, my church, my education, my home and possessions

I don’t want my Cuba experience to fade

The church is about connecting people to a relationship with Jesus

We need to be Spirit led in all we do We need to pray more We are blessed to have each other We need to pursue God’s call for us A MVP may help with that- fellowship,

evangelism, worship, discipleship, missions We are to step up our missions emphasis-

hosting pivotal missionaries, raising more missions funds and investing them strategically

We have pivotal people in this church who can help the Cuban church- pastors, farmers, medical people, educators, skilled workers

We have many resources and are doing very little with them

We have too many choices We are way too self centered, even in the

name of ministry- I want, I need, I can’t… Sometimes in the name of relevance, we

are creating a monster of narcissism, making us bloated and ineffective in impacting culture

Many of us know little about real sacrifice

As a church, draw close to the Lord in prayer Ask the Spirit to lead us as a team Allow the Spirit to burn off pettiness and sin Pursue God’s desires for us regarding our MVP Enjoy our fellowship together- be intentional

about it Be intentional about relationships with the lost Ask the Lord to make us ready for the people

He wants us to have I see an open door for ministry in Cuba Thank you for your vision in sending me to

Cuba