MISSION
The members of First Presbyterian Church believe in sharing Christ’s love through service to others near and far. When crisis occurs, we are there to offer peace and hope.
Los Palos, Cuba
Cuba Work Group
First Presbyterian Church is part of the Cuba Work Group of the Presbytery of Long Island. Our partnership is with the Presbyterian Church in Los Palos, Cuba and with The Rev. Izett Samá Hernández. Several times a year the loving people of Los Palos host members of the Long Island Presbytery. We share with them material benefits and they share with us the Gospel.
We are gearing up for our next visit in March. If you’d like to know how to support this ministry, please contact the church office and ask for our Mission Elder, Sandy Jungck.
Rev. Izett Samá Hernández
This fall, Pastor Izett visited The Presbytery of Long Island and First Presbyterian Church of Southampton. She shared with us the details of her ministry in Los Palos and how we can best support her people.
“My work now is in a community in the countryside,” Hernández wrote. “We have a very active church with a lot of social projects to help people in many ways. Our country now has a difficult economic situation and we try to help the people know how we can make changes in our community by themselves.” -Rev. Hernández.
Presbyterian History in Cuba:
The Presbyterian Church in Cuba was formed within the Synod of New Jersey in 1904. Although the exact dates have been argued there is no question that the Presbyterian Church USA started the IPRC (Iglesia Presbiteriana Reformada de Cuba) in the very early 1900s. Besides the Synod of New Jersey, the Setauket Presbyterian Church on Long Island has in their historical records that they sent funds to help start a Presbyterian Church in Havana around that time.
First Havana, a partner with Old First Church, is a tall stone church with stained glass windows that resembles the Churches in Princeton, New Jersey. A common saying is that when the Spanish went out, the USA missionaries went in and that is how the Presbyterian Church was started in Cuba.
1959 - The Cuban Revolution ended all communication with the USA. Thus the Presbyterian Churches could no longer communicate with each other.
1980 - The presbyterian Church USA sent leaders to Cuba and met with the leaders of the IPRC, with the intention to restart communication between the two National Presbyterian Churches. It was the 1980 conversation between the IPRC and the PCUSA that allowed the exchange of visitors and the development of partnerships.
1986- Lucy Fetterolf visited Cuba with Paul Seto, PC USA Global Missions and four other men from the Synod of New Jersey, visiting 11 Presbyterian Churches. Pastors said to us at that time, “Only the love God could bring you herem through all our defenses. There were weapons on the rooftops, Russian ships were in the harbor, and Russian was the second language taught in school. The Soviet Union was heavily supporting Cuba. In 1986, letters and church bulletins were exchanged, and a shared Bible study was held. Old First Church related to the churches in Cardenas, Juan G. Hall and El Fuerte. It was another exchange of letters and bulletins before Cuban guests were invited to join. Later, it was suggested that Old First relate to First Havana, a city church.
1990- The Session of Old First Church voted to approve a partnership with First Presbyterian Church, Havana. It was signed by Don Chilton, Clerk of Session. First Presbyterian Church Havana also had a Session vote with a signed agreement.
One of the great pleasure Cuban Presbyterians have is that they can VOTE. They can’t really vote in their country, but they can vote in their church. Also in 1990, PCUSA, Clifton Kirkpatrick, issued a pamphlet about the change in focus from top - down approach to more energy coming from the individual churches.
Since then we have had many exchanges of guests and sent many groups to Cuba. We could always get easily into Cuba, sometimes they just gave us a slip of paper and didn’t stamp our passport. The problem was to come back into the United States after visiting an “enemy” country. Thus, we always got a Treasury permit. The US Treasury regulations have special license that allows religious groups to associate with each other despite the political conditions. Every visitor to Cuba had a Treasury permit.
Meanwhile, the Cubans didn’t know how much they were supported by the Soviet Union. They found out in 1992 when the Soviet Union collapsed, and they were in breadlines, and food lines with home grown vegetables. That is when we began to give financial help to rebuild the churches.
On December 17th 2014, President Obama shook hands with President of Cuba, Raul Castro, and an agreement was made to have easier exchange of people between the US and Cuba. This would allow direct banking with Cuba. We still have an embargo against Cuba which can only be changed by a vote from the House of Representatives and the Senate, but this would facilitate travel and direct banking exchange between the two countries.
However, on June 16th 2024, President Trump reversed the order and on October 3 2017, fifteen Cubans were expelled form the embassy in Washington, D.C. and the embargo act continued.
Currently in Cuba, the Cuban government’s positions on building and land use is that if a building is condemned, they can tear down the building and keep the land. In 2019, the Presbyterian Churches have been repaired and often are so attractive that they become community centers. Presbyterian partners have not only given support and love but have established community within Cuba.
Heart of the Hamptons
Heart of the Hamptons
Many members of First Presbyterian Church volunteer for Heart of the Hamptons. Heart Of The Hamptons website
The Pantry
The Heart of the Hamptons pantry is well stocked and organized with non-perishable food including soup, cereal, canned goods, pasta, canned tuna, frozen meat, fruit and peanut butter. Baby food, formula and diapers are also available. Fresh produce from local farms is available during the summer months. They currently serve nearly 400 registered households.
The Clothing Room
The Heart of the Hamptons Donated Clothing Room provides quality, new and used clothing for people and families in need. The Clothing Room also provides new and used clothing to students in our local school district when school administrators contact Heart of the Hamptons about a specific need. During the winter months they provide winter coats, blankets, hats, scarves and gloves.
Maureen’s Haven
Maureen’s Haven
Maureen’s Haven brings a variety of organizations and houses of worship together to help meet the needs of homeless men and women during the cold winter months. Host facilities and supporting organizations provide much more than a place to sleep and a nutritious meal. They provide support through embracing the values of human dignity, respect, service, compassion, teamwork, diversity and love.
First Presbyterian Church is a proud supporter of Maureen’s Haven. For more information contact our church main office or go to the Maureen's Haven Website.