Christ Church Exeter’s companion church in Cardenas, Cuba.
On March 14, the Rev. Mark Pendleton, Rector of Christ Church in Exeter, will travel to Cuba for a brief five-day mission of reconnection and resupplying of much-need medicine and water system spare parts. His wife Leslie, and Mike Hays, an Exeter parishioner, will join him. Though limited by the Cuban government as to how much they can bring into the country, a successful donation campaign by parishioners has supplied them with over-flowing suitcases. Christ Church has donated and installed many water filtration systems, assisted by various grants from the Diocese.
Rev. Mark Pendleton and Bishop Rob in Cuba in 2019.
Cuba has been extremely isolated over the last two years due to COVID and the added sanctions put into place by U.S. administrations. Cuba was readmitted into The Episcopal Church as our last General Convention, but communications, travel and financial transactions remain difficult. Rev. Pendleton serves on the board of the Friends of Episcopal Church in Cuba a registered non-profit corporation now registered in New Hampshire.
This trip will be the first church delegation to the island since the beginning of the pandemic.