The presence of a Cuban missionary gave extra meaning to a church unity effort involving 10 Cass County, Texas, congregations last week.
George Wilson of Cuba preached during one of the seven days of community revival Aug. 29- Sept. 3 before being whisked aboard an airplane to return to his country of Cuba before Hurricane Irma hit.
Wilson is an evangelistic friend of Chris Miller of Atlanta Church of God and has spent 15 years in bringing a message to churches in America. He has also formed and helped keep faithful approximately 150 churches in Cuba, Miller said.
"He has a specific lesson learned from his experiences," Miller said. "He comes to us and preaches a message of church unity. He tells us that he's learned churches need one another to survive and be effective."
This, too, is the message and work of a group of pastors and lay people who've met weekly to pray together here in Atlanta.
"Our work toward church unity began some two years ago," Miller said. "Several of us pastors and lay people had been meeting weekly to pray together, and we grew to trust one another. We decided to join together in a quarterly Sunday evening church services (at) one another's host church. And that grew into having seven-day summer revival together, too."
Miller said the community quarterly services will occasionally have 300 people from the 10 churches agreeing to host. He estimates participants have come from as many as 20 of the approximately 60 churches in Cass County.
In the summer week of revival, services are usually held at the smaller church, which would not have enough room to host one of the quarterly Sunday evening meetings.
"But it sure is encouraging for the smaller country churches to receive the build-up of enthusiasm when their church is filled by others attending from across the county during revival," Miller said.
Miller had gone to Cuba when the country became more open and was guided by his friend George Wilson.
"I returned a changed person. The Cuban Christians had ministered unto me," Miller said of his first journey, which had been 10 years in the making.
"George had come to visit us every summer and other churches as well, staying two or three months, for 15 years all across the United States.
"His purpose is to continue building on the inclusiveness of Christianity. His is a remarkable story," Miller said.
The unity effort here has involved the following churches who've hosted Sunday evening unity services: First Baptist Kildare, Sand Hill Assembly of God, Atlanta Church of God, Bethsaida Y Baptist, Center Hill Baptist, Faith Tabernacle, Huffines Baptist, the Atlanta Church of the Nazarene, Calvary Tabernacle, Enon First Baptist, New Hope Baptist and Friendship Baptist.