Cuba/Florida Covenant (aka Methodists United in Prayer)
Signed by Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson, Florida Conference United Methodist Church, and Rev. Rinaldo Hernández, on behalf of Bishop Francisco Gustavo Cruz, Methodist Church in Cuba – May 29, 1997.
Affirming our common bond in Jesus Christ and our historical Wesleyan ties, we, the members of the Methodist Church in Cuba and the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, propose a covenant in Christ with one another. Noting Paul's words to the very diverse community gathering in a house church in Corinth, that "...we are partners in the work of service to our God..." (I Cor. 3:9), we acknowledge our partnership for greater service to the mission of God and a stronger witness to the love of Jesus Christ.
In prayerfully seeking God's will for our churches, we have envisioned Cuban churches restored for worship with the collaboration of volunteer teams from Florida, and Florida churches revived with Cuban teams sharing their spiritual enthusiasm and growth.
In prayerfully seeking God's will for our churches, we have envisioned Cuban churches restored for worship with the collaboration of volunteer teams from Florida, and Florida churches revived with Cuban teams sharing their spiritual enthusiasm and growth.
To bring these visions to reality, we will hold the following values as the basis for our common ministry:
- God's love (John 3:16) "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
- Prayer (James 5:16) Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
- Spiritual Development (Col. 1:9) For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
- Mutuality (Ro. 14:19) Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
- Respect (I Thess. 5:11-12) Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you;
- Collaboration (1 Cor. 3:9) You are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building.
As we imagine our work and uphold the values for common ministry, we envision the fruits of our common work. We pledge ourselves to focus our efforts on these priorities of our two churches:
- To pray for one another and develop a common study of Scriptures.
- To engage in the interchange of people as work teams, preachers, laity, caravans, study teams, professors, teachers, and choirs.
- To respond to the priorities of the Methodist Church in Cuba.
- To build relationships between districts and churches in the Florida Conference and the Methodist Church in Cuba for mutual support and encouragement.
- To support the Advance Specials of the Methodist Church in Cuba.
- To enable the training of pastors and lay people for the equipping of Cuban disciples.
- To mutually share the history, current events, culture, and spirituality of both Churches.
The purpose of this covenant between the Methodist Church in Cuba and the Florida Conference, the United Methodist Church, is best expressed in the 1996 UM Discipline, Par 549a:
The purpose of an Act of Covenanting with another Christian church is to encourage a new sense of global common cause, mutual support, mutual spiritual growth, common study of Scripture and culture, creative interaction as ministers in the mission of God's church, cross fertilization of ideas about ways to be in that mission, sharing of resources, and exploration of new forms of service directed at old and emerging needs.
Recommitment Cuba Florida Covenant Proclamation I. Signed by Bishop Timothy Whitaker, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba - August 2009.
Recommitment Cuba Florida Covenant Proclamation II. Signed by Bishop Ken Carter, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba - June 2017.
Bishop Tom Berlin, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba – affirm the ties of the covenant at the 25th anniversary of the Covenant signing
The purpose of an Act of Covenanting with another Christian church is to encourage a new sense of global common cause, mutual support, mutual spiritual growth, common study of Scripture and culture, creative interaction as ministers in the mission of God's church, cross fertilization of ideas about ways to be in that mission, sharing of resources, and exploration of new forms of service directed at old and emerging needs.
Recommitment Cuba Florida Covenant Proclamation I. Signed by Bishop Timothy Whitaker, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba - August 2009.
Recommitment Cuba Florida Covenant Proclamation II. Signed by Bishop Ken Carter, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba - June 2017.
Bishop Tom Berlin, Florida Conference, The United Methodist Church, and Bishop Ricardo Pereira, Methodist Church in Cuba – affirm the ties of the covenant at the 25th anniversary of the Covenant signing
From L-R: Berlin, Aldo Gonzalez, Alida Alarcon, and Bishop Armando Rodriguez (first active bishop of the Methodist Church in Cuba)
