By Lien Estrada
HAVANA TIMES – Niuvis Georgina Pernas is a retired pastor of the Baptist Church of Fraternity in Holguín. She lives alone. A daughter and a son live in Santa Clara, another son in Las Vegas, United States. She has been and continues to be a strong feminist Christian activist. She kindly granted me this interview.
What are your origins?
Niuvis Georgina Pernas: I was born on January 16, 1941, in Guantanamo, Cuba, and was raised by my paternal family, a middle-class professional and merchant family. I was educated at the First Baptist Church of Guantanamo. I attended primary school at the José de la Luz y Caballero Baptist School. The teachers and counselors at the church and school, under the guidance of Dr. Jose Luis Molina, pastor and school director, greatly influenced my Christian and patriotic upbringing.
I will never forget the day, March 11, 1952, when my history and moral and civic education teacher said to us: “Until today, I have been your teacher because, with this coup by Fulgencio Batista, there will be no more morality or civics in Cuba, and history has been broken.”
When I got home, I asked what a coup d’état was. That attitude marked my life. Along with the principles instilled by my family, it gave me a sense of responsibility toward my country, which only grew as I became an adult. This was deepened by the emphasis on “The Christian and Social Commitment,” promoted by the Baptist Worker-Student Coordination.
In 1960, my paternal family was very rigid regarding moral concepts, filled with prejudices, and highly patriarchal. When I went to study architecture at the University of Havana, I became a member of the Baptist Union of University Students, headquartered in Vedado, Havana, where Baptist students from across the country stayed.
It was a space where I developed my leadership skills, held several positions on the board, and enjoyed a very fulfilling social life. I also contributed to missions, sang in choirs, and participated in other church-related activities.
At the university, I had remarkable professors who nurtured my love for the arts. At that time, Havana had a thriving cultural scene.
I had the privilege of attending the International Congress of Architects at the Habana Libre Hotel in 1963, where I witnessed performances by Alicia Alonso with Azari Plisetskaya and Maya Prisetskaya, as well as seeing Beny Moré, Bola de Nieve, La Lupe, and others. Watching these greats perform led me to proclaim our God as not only the Savior but also the Creator, the Artist of all artists. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
How did you come to follow the path of Christ?
My paternal aunt, Clara Bertha Pernas, took me to the First Baptist Church of Guantanamo. At nine years old, during an evangelistic campaign at the sports field of the Baptist school, led by Dr. Luis Manuel Agüero, a Baptist pastor of the Western Convention, I publicly declared my faith.
At the Baptist school, my pastor was anticlerical but a fervent follower of Father Felix Varela, Jose Agustín Caballero, and Jose de la Luz y Caballero. I learned that he remained in Guantanamo with his wife, who suffered from dementia, until their daughters, living in the United States, brought them there. He passed away, longing to see “the palms of Cuba” again.
What inspired you to study Theology to serve in the ministry?
I was inspired by the biographies of many missionaries, my pastor, and the missionary Miss Alleport. Their lives of sacrifice moved me. Albert Schweitzer, who studied medicine later in life to serve as a medical missionary in Africa, also influenced me. He believed in repaying the debt the white man owed to the black man for exploiting their lands. Schweitzer gave concerts in Europe to fund surgical supplies for the leprosarium he built in Lambarene, Gabon. He was also the best organist of Johann Sebastian Bach in his time and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
Where did you study Theology?
At the Western Baptist Theological Seminary in Havana, graduating in 1967. I served in several churches across the country. Since the Baptists did not, and still do not, accept married women in ministry, I worked with the Free Baptists, who called me a missionary pastor. I also worked with the Methodists for four years and eventually with the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba until my retirement.
Now, I serve in any ministry area requested by a church of any denomination, as I developed an ecumenical spirit from childhood in the church where I was formed, which belonged to the Eastern Baptist Convention, a founder of the Cuban Council of Evangelical Churches in 1941.
What was your pastoral experience during the early Cuban Revolution?
It was a challenging time of misunderstanding from both the government and the churches. We faced exclusion for religious reasons, such as [being interned to] the UMAP (Military Units to Aid Production). It was a severe blow. Christians endured unjust measures: university purges, the UMAP, and the imprisonment of around 40 Baptist pastors and leaders, which caused a major church crisis.
However, my trench has always been the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe neither the socialist system established, nor the previous one, fulfilled all human expectations. Yet I contributed as a volunteer teacher, literacy teacher, in agricultural campaigns, etc., always remaining true to my faith. Many left, but those of us who stayed were clear that Christ was for all times.
How many years have you served as a pastor?
Officially since 1967.
What have been the most challenging times for pastoral work?
For Christian workers, there have never been easy times. In Cuba, we have experienced the scattering of the flock but must strive for them to hear His voice. All times have been challenging. Father Arnaldo Aldama once told me, “What difficult times we’ve had for pastoral work recently.” Imagine preaching hope in our country.
Pastor, tell us about those celebrations at the First Baptist Church of Guantanamo that replaced the early Halloween celebrations.
(The pastor laughs.)
Contributing to recreation in churches is important because they are called to bring joy. I remember when I was part of the First Baptist Church of Guantáamo, we used to celebrate Halloween. The church would be decorated with witches and pumpkins.
But in 1959, due to the political and social changes on the island, the young people in the church decided to celebrate the “Malanga Festival” instead. It was held before Christmas. We celebrated it with flans, puddings, and pumpkin sweets.
We are in Advent. What is your favorite liturgical season, and why?
Christmas, because it represents birth. For me, this means that many beautiful things can continue to be born among us.
What is your favorite pastime?
Listening to music while reading poetry. When I turned 48, my poetic sensibility emerged for the first time. It’s worth mentioning that the church I founded in Holguin, “Mount of Olives,” initially included young poets who participated in the liturgy. God gave me the opportunity to recite a poem one Easter Sunday in front of more than 12,000 people at the Holguín Sports Arena.
What was the most fulfilling aspect of your pastoral ministry?
I loved working in the most marginalized neighborhoods with the most excluded people—those affected by alcoholism, single mothers, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. I feel deeply satisfied because I believe I gave much of myself, such as helping establish the neighborhood “El Progreso” in Holguin. We built decent homes for families who had previously lived in precarious conditions in what were called “the trains,” as the homes were made of pieces of cardboard and tin patched together like train cars, on the slope of Loma de la Cruz.
I also greatly enjoyed training leaders from various communities.
I understand you also worked as a Mathematics teacher.
Yes, for 17 years. I also worked for a time in the transportation sector. I believe that a working pastor in a socialist system provides a stronger testimony.
Where have you served as a pastor?
In many places: Reparto Mañana, in Guanabacoa; the Los Pinos-Calabazar-Bejucal-Parraga District in Havana; Unión de Reyes and Pedro Betancourt in Matanzas; La Esperanza in Las Villas; Jaruco, Havana; Santa Cruz del Sur in Camagüey; and finally, Holguín, where I have settled to this day.
What message would you like to share as we bid farewell to this year and welcome 2025?
Consider the sheep that are not part of this fold.
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