Evangelical Seminary of Theology
Matanzas
EVENTS /JANUARY 2010
Credits
Contacts Leadership
Professor Interviews
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI
REGIONAL COURSES FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER TRAINING
VISITORS FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY
BOOK DONATION FOR THE LIBRARY
INTERCHANGE WITH THE SEMINARY OF THEOLOGY OF MONTREAL.
FROM MEREDITH COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA
TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR PABLO ODÉN MARICHAL ON HIS 70TH
BIRTHDAY
THE SYNOD OF PRESBYTERIAN-REFORMED CHURCH IN CUBA MEETS
AT SETH
VISITORS
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI
On January 13th our Seminary united in the pain
that is undergoing the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake of
January 12th. During the worship at SET chapel “Resurrection”,
Reinerio Arce Valentin, Rector of the Seminary, made a call to join Haiti in
this moving time, of disaster, death and suffering. Reinerio also called us to
pray, so that the nations, churches and people of good get together and give
their prayers, talents, experience, and economic resources in helping these
brothers and sisters; In this way we will all may contribute to the true
reconstruction of Haiti and its human and social development in the hope of
being the solidarious instruments of God in their midst.
REGIONAL COURSES FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER
TRAINING
On January the 23th SETH School of Christian
Education, “Rafael Cepeda Clemente” opened a new regional course for
Sunday School Teacher Training in the Church “Christian Agrarian
Brotherhood of Cuba” in the municipality of Jovellanos, Matanzas. The
course enrollment was of 24 students. They belong to the following churches:
The Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba: 5, Christian Agrarian Brotherhood
of Cuba: 9, and The Free Evangelical Church: 10. Professor Nelson Davila
Rodriguez started the course “The Most important psycho-pedagogical
characteristics of the age groups participating in the educational ministry of
the Church".
The territorial course for Sunday School
Teacher Training has continued in the Presbyterian-Reformed Church of San
Nicolas de Bari. In the current month of January, Professor Clara Luz Ajo
taught “Theology”. The enrolment has continued to be of 21
students.
The same course has also continued in
the Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Luyanó in January. Professor Nelson Davila
Rodriguez taught the subject “The use of the Bible in Sunday School; 22
students continue enrolled.
VISITORS FROM BOSTON UNIVERSITY
From January 4th to10th a group of students
from the School of Theology of Boston University visited us. Doctors
Bryan Stone and Shelly Rambo, professors of the chairs of Practical Theology
and Systematic Theology respectively, headed the group.
The reason for this visit is related to the
course they are teaching on “The Gospel and Empire," which explores
the relationship of the Empire and Christianity. Doctors Bryan and Shelly
commented to our newsletter "Acontecer" how interesting it is for
them to study this relationship in Cuba: "The relationship of the empire
towards Cuba has been a relationship of power. The history of Cuba
has to do with the history of domination and dependence. And what makes it
special is that the Cuban people resist the powers and it is interesting to see
how they do it. Cuba is a striking example of the resistance to
domination. It comes from the time of the African slaves, who also resisted the
Spanish domination through religious syncretism.
“The empire has been changing its
strategies and instead of military conquest it applies economic conquest. It is
clear that the blockade or economic embargo coming from the cold war mentality
of the past century, is affecting Cuba. Our country lacks knowledge about the
reality in Cuba. When we told our family we would visit this country, they were
very afraid. Now I think that we would not fully understand our reality in
America, if we had not come to Cuba. Coming, seeing and sharing with so many
people at different times and places has been very revealing. We think we are
coming back: there has been a wonderful hospitality and the program has been
terrific, this trip has meant more than what we had expected. "
DONATION OF BOOKS FOR THE LIBRARY.
The Library has
received a donation of books on philosophy, Bible, history, social issues and
ethics, from the personal library of Carmen Lansdowne, a feminist theologian
and Canadian pastor of the indigenous group Heiltsusk of the United Church of
Canada. Carmen visited us from January 7th to February 1st with the aim of
donating the books, learning about the Seminary and Cuba as well as improving
her Spanish skills. Theologian Lansdowne is a member of the Executive Committee
and the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. Currently she is
doing her Ph D. on Theology of the native Mission.
INTERCHANGE WITH THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF
MONTREAL
A group of Canadian Senior students from different denominations:
Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians and United Church of Canada coming from the
Presbyterian College of the Theological Seminary of Montreal, were
welcome by Evangelical Seminary of Theology of Cuba where they stayed for
4 days, from January 7th until January 10th. At the head the group
came Dale Woods, Doctor of Ministry 
and College director
of Pastoral Studies, accompanied by the pastor and translator Glynis Williams,
also a graduate of that institution.
In his words to this newsletter, Dr. Woods
expressed, “This trip to Cuba is part of our curricular course ¨Global
Mission¨ that has the purpose of getting familiar with the different social,
religious and cultural contexts. Our meeting here with the rector, Reinerio Arce
Valentín and the students was very interesting and informative; it enabled us
to understand the role of the seminary and the church in Cuba and it also
helped us understand the challenges faced by the churches. We could hear the
experiences of young people, the way they study and the kind of work they do in
the churches. It was very interesting to learn about this country and
especially about Cuban culture."
FROM
MEREDITH COLLEGE, NORTH CAROLINA
The American Professor Dr. Margarita Suarez, Doctor in Religion and Culture and
professor at Meredith College in North Carolina came back to Cuba. After ten
years, this is Dr. Suarez’ fifth stay at SET from January 4th to l
February 3rd. She came back with the aim of 
writing hundreds of
pages of stories of Cuban theologian women.
Very willingly, Dr.Suarez expressed for this
newsletter: "My stay at SET in 1999 and in 2000 had the purpose of doing
my PhD. I wanted to understand feminist theology in Cuba, but there were not many
books. So I worked with theologians and pastors and I learned what the most
important characteristics of feminist theology were for them. I wrote the
theology they told me. Now on this occasion, I want to go deeply and observe
what has happened in ten years, to know how the theology of women has changed.
My case studies will be Dora Arce, Clara Luz Ajo, Gisela Perez, Marianela
de la Paz, Ofelia Ortega and Raquel Suárez.
I chose this country for my thesis because my
father was a Cuban. Since I was a little girl I wanted to understand the Cuban
side of my life, as a way of rescuing my identity. I still remember how I felt
when I came for the first time with the Antonio Maceo Brigade; it was a true
miracle for me.
TRIBUTE TO PROFESSOR PABLO ODÉN MARICHAL ON
HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY
"I feel very well in my seventy years of
life. Indeed, I never imagined I would be happy to reach my seniority"
said the Honorable Canon Pablo Oden Marichal Rodriguez, in the modest tribute
offered by the Seminary teachers and students for his seventy years of age, 
a long life of service as a pastor,
professor, rector and vice-rector of SET; a tireless fifghter in the ecumenical
movement, president of the Council of Churches of Cuba for four years and a current
member of its Board.
In memory of this moment, Oden - also a
Member of the Cuban Parliament, a member of its Standing Committee on
International Relations and the Vice President of the Cuban Parliamentary Group
Cuba-UK Friendship - has represented our country in international forums like
the United Nations, or inter-parliamentary meetings in different
countries. He was given by the rector, Reinerio Arce Valentín a commemorative
plaque on behalf of the entire SET community with the passage of Matthew 5:6
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall
be filled ".
MEETING AT SETH OF THE SYNOD OF THE
PRESBYTERIAN-REFORMED CHURCH IN CUBA
The Synod of the Presbyterian Reformed Church
in Cuba took place in a warm and orderly atmosphere in the 
premises of our
seminary on January 29th- 30th. It was chaired by the elders Reinerio Arce
Valentin and Francisco Marrero Gutiérrez, Moderator and General Secretary of
the Synod, respectively.
The meeting was attended by 63 delegates and 12 guests, which included:
Dean Lewis and John Walter, of the Presbyterian Church USA; Angela Quinn, of
the United Reformed Church of Scotland; Jennifer Williams, of the United Church
of Jamaica and Grand Cayman and Gi Sung Kim, of the Presbyterian Church
of Korea.
On Saturday 30th at the end of the morning session Caridad Diego Bello,
director of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Cuba, accompanied by Maria de los Angeles Perez, official of
the same department, expressed her greetings to the Synod and spoke with the
participants about relevant issues of the work of the Church in Cuba.
This meeting is held annually with the participation of the commissioners of
the three presbyteries of Cuba, to discuss the work of the previous year and
plan the future work of the Church.
VISITORS
THE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CHICAGO
On January 15th we were visited by a group of
brothers and sisters of the Presbyterian Church of Chicago, who were interested
in seeing and hearing about the experience of our seminary in the production of
plants and vegetables in the Organic Garden Project. The visitors were looked
after by the administrator, Ricardo Torres Farfan and Moraima Gonzalez of SET
Public Relations.
OAKHURST BAPTIST CHURCH, FROM DECATUR
Sisters and brothers of Oakhurst Baptist
Church in Decatur, Georgia, visited our seminary in the morning of January
18th. The group was lead by Wayne Grinstead, the current Secretary of Missions
of the US Baptist Alliance, who met and shared with SET direction.
THE CANADIAN CHARITABLE SOCIETY "Thomas
Merton"
A group of 23 members of the prestigious Canadian
Charitable Society Thomas Merton visited SET on January 19th. After touring the
facilities, they had a long dialogue with the Vice rector Oden Marichal
Rodriguez
1ST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH OF BOULDER, COLORADO
Don Wallace and a group of the 1st Presbyterian
Church of Boulder, Colorado in the U.S., visited us on January 26th,
accompanied by pastor Joel Ortega Dopico. The rector, Reinerio Arce met
them and had lunch with them in the cafeteria together with the students and
teachers of our center.
We came to the vice Rector Oden Marichal
Rodriguez to congratulate him on his 70th birthday. After being asked for an
interview for the newsletter “Acontecer” he kindly
agreed.
Newsletter "Acontecer”: How does
it feel to be 70 years old?
Oden Marichal: I feel very well at my seventy
years of life; indeed, I never imagined I would be happy to reach this age.
Logically, this does not mean a total satisfaction with everything I've done.
However, I have the peace of mind that everything I've done; I have
always tried to do it honestly. It does not mean either a total satisfaction
with everything that has happened in my life, but I also have the satisfaction
that I have faced with responsibility the things that have happened to me; that
I have been consistent with the principles and values which have shaped my
character. This, of course, has elements of religious faith, but in general, it
is also characterized by the faith in the potential of human beings, faith in
the national community where I belong, faith in the destiny of history- of
which we are all co -actors and co-builders.
N.A: What made you to decide to study
theology and what has been the influence of the Seminary on you?
OM. As a student, I arrived at the Evangelical
Theological Seminary of Matanzas on Tuesday, October 11th, 1961 -15th years
after its foundation-, and I have been linked to this institution for almost 49
years now: for 42 years I´ve worked as a professor, of which I´ve spent 24 in
the direction of the seminary (15 years as a vice rector and 9 as a rector). I
go into these details to be make clear that the seminary has been a great
contribution in my life, not just intellectually, but also existentially.
Entering a Cuban seminary in 1961, in the
mist of the most profound and radical changes of all its history, was
something that surpassed our understanding of what was to come for the
Church, an institution in the previous society with a vocation rooted in the
past. The seminary itself had to undergo a traumatic process of social
readjustment of ideas and social commitments, before it was able to make
significant contributions to ecumenical theological education in keeping with
its epoch.
Sometimes it is said that the problem was
that the churches and their organizations were unprepared for the swift social
changes that were taking place. But paradoxically, although nobody was prepared
for the changes, we were at the same time participating in these changes,
because consciously or unconsciously, everybody had -and still has - a class
option. There are even some people who choose a class to which, socially and
economically they do not belong, just because they have been co-opted by it, or
because they have betrayed theirs.
BA: The contribution of the Seminary was
– and still is today- that it constituted a forge leading many of us to a
new way of thinking. This helped us to untie the ties of the past and be true
to the class we represent: that of the carpenter Jesus of Nazareth. The seminary
prepared us for the tremendous changes that were happening - and that are
happening today-in the new society, without betraying Jesus or ourselves. I
think this is its contribution. But it was not -nor is it -a linear or
unidirectional contribution based on intellectual training, but a process of
teaching by learning and of learning by teaching. Summing up, the seminary is
all of us: faculty, students and workers, where everybody brings what we are,
and where each and every one of us gets significant contributions from the rest
of the community.
And as to the question "Why did you
decide to study theology”, I think that “studying theology”
was not, it is not , nor can it be, a past decision , because every day
we decide to "study theology" (actually to do it). We are
always students of theology and we never stop being so, because the reflection
on our personal faith and on the community of faith is always a living and
changing process. I think it was Friedrich E. Schleiermacher (1768-1834) who,
even at the height of his career, signed as “a student of theology."
In the words of Leonardo Boff, theology is a “second act ". The
first act is the daily profession of faith, and, the second, the reflection
about that faith. Therefore, one does not choose to do theology. Instead, one
receives the gift of faith, and if you don’t want that faith to be folly,
you must account for it, being a theology student for life.
NA: Can you tell us about a significant
moment of your Ministry?
OM: I would first like to re-conceptualize
the idea of a pastor as a religious leader, to take it beyond the religious
community (closed) and place it in the" secular city
"(out reach ), extending it until it reaches the real purpose of Christ's
sacrifice for human beings... [Because: "... God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son ..." (S.Jn. to 3.16)], to die for us. If this
re-conceptualization is accepted, then I would say that my ministry has been
beyond the narrow idea of the relationship between a pastor and a certain Christian
congregation, which also responds to a denomination. In that sense I am a
Wesleyan:”The world is my parish.” Then I would say the most
significant moment of my ministry was exactly onJanuary 26th, 2000
- the day when I was 60 years of age - which I celebrated in Miami at the
center of the struggle for Elian's rescue from the hands of his captors; it was
a memorable battle for justice, and I spent it together with Elian´s
grandmothers, Mariela and Raquel -the latter passed away- amid the greatest
hostility imaginable. There I became a comrade, a brother and a friend and, of
course ... a pastor, not because I was "their pastor," but because
they gave me the opportunity to be a pastor ... they made a pastor. Each
dramatic human situation is an opportunity to reaffirm the pastorate, or to
deny it. I think those are significant moments in the life of "a
pastor", when we let the cry for justice compel us to action, for love,
without considering neither cost nor danger.
BA: What has your responsibility as a Member of
the Cuban Parliament meant to you?
OM: First, being a Member of the Cuban
Parliament, that is, representing the people's power within the legislative
functions of the Nation, is a vocation of service, that compared with that of
the pastor-and I can say this because I carry out both
functions- the deputy in Cuba has more genuine elements of
service than that of a minister; because being a deputy is not a
profession or a job; it is not paid nor it gives privileges, but it is an
opportunity to serve the national community, and it is done on a
voluntary basis. Unfortunately, the largest number of churches –
not to be absolute and leave room for any possible exception-
base the function of a minister (deacons, priests and bishops) on payment
or on allowances; it has been professionalized, and has become a job for all of
us as pastors.
Secondly, in my case, for the reasons I have
mentioned, it has been a privilege to be elected three times as an MP for the
municipality of Las Tunas, which is an opportunity for service in several ways
because, I have had not only a duty to represent the people in Parliament, but
also the chance to be a member of its Standing Committee on International
Relations and a Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Group of Cuba-United Kingdom
friendship.
And secondly, I have had the privilege and
responsibility of representing the nation in international forums like the UN,
or inter-parliamentary meetings such as the organization of parliaments of
Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific with the European Union (ACP-EU) at its
meetings in Barbados, Slovenia, Guyana and Angola, or in the Latin American
Parliament (Buenos Aires), or the parliaments of Latin America and European
Union (PARLATINO-EU) in Austria, and the 5th Iberian-American Parliamentary
Forum in Portugal, as well as friendly bilateral meetings with
parliamentarians in Trinidad & Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Britain, Scotland and Wales.
All this work without renouncing the
Christian ethics and vision of life about history and justice, and in defense
of the independence, freedom and sovereignty of all Cubans.
BA: What would transmit to new generations of
pastors and leaders?
OM: That they should be honest- without ever
forgetting that honesty begins with being honest with yourself, because if you
are not honest with yourself, you can not be honest with others. I usually tell
my congregation: Be honest, and think and act freely; with honesty.
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
President of the Board: P.P. Daniel Izquierdo Hernández,
Th.M.
Vice-President of the Board: Bishop Miguel
Tamayo Zaldivar
Secretary of the Board: P. P. Ismael Madruga Sotolongo , Lic.
lll
Rector: Reinerio Arce Valentín, Th.D.
Vice-rector: Pablo Odén
Marichal. Th.M
Dean: Francisco Marrero Gutiérrez, Th.M.
Vice-Dean:
Iván González Tassé, Th.M.
Chaplain: Marianela de la Paz Cot,
Th.D.
Daniel
Montoya Rosales, Th. M.
Clara L. Ajo Lázaro, Th.D, Theology, Sergio Arce Martínez, Ph.D, Theology, Dora E. Arce Valentín, Th.M, Biblical Sciences, Reinerio Arce Valentín, Th.D, Theology, Carlos M. Camps Cruell, Ped.D. Theology, Alina
Camps Iglesias, Lic, Complementary
Courses, F. René Castellanos Morente, Ph.D, Biblical Sciences, Nelson A. Dávila Rodríguez, Sc.M. Practical Theology, Marianela de la Paz Cot, Th.D, Practical Theology,
Iván González Tassé, Th.M. Practical Theology, Adolfo Ham
Reyes, Ph.D. Philosophy and History, Odén Marichal Rodríguez, Th.M. Philosophy and History, Francisco Marrero Gutiérrez, Th.M. Biblical Sciences, Héctor Méndez Rodríguez, D.Min. Practical Theology, Daniel
Montoya Rosales, Th.M. Practical Theology, Ofelia Ortega Suárez, D.D.h.c. Theology.
VISITING PROFESSORS
Prof. Ildefonso Acosta Escobar Music, Prof. Wil Arts, Ph.M. Practical Theology, Dra.
Mercedes Cárdenas Hodelins Complementary
Courses, Carlos Expósito Irarragorri, Lic.
Complementary Courses, Esther Fuentes Oliva, Th.M. Practical Theology, Carlos R. Molina Rodríguez, Lic. Philosophy and History, Sonia
Montes de Oca Castellanos, Lic. Complementary
Courses, Orestes Roca Santana, Th.M. Biblical Sciences, Dr. Min.
Francisco Rodés González Philosophy and
History, Daylíns Rufín Pardo, Th.M. Biblical Sciences, Prof. Hans Spinder Philosophy and
History, Iraida Trujillo Lima, Lic. Complementary Courses.
Reinerio Arce
Valentín, Th.D.
Edition, Design
and typesetting
Elizabeth
González R., Ing.
Writing
Rosa Bahamonde
Fernández, Sc.M.
Elizabeth
González R., Ing.
Photography:
Jesús Martínez León
Calle Dos de Mayo Final,
Apartado 1439, Matanzas, Cuba
(: (53-45) 24-2866 ext. 34
(53-45) 290575
http://www.cuba-theological-seminary.com/
Hinicio