Cuba Mission Trip

March 6-16, 2025

A work team from Meridian Street will travel to Cuba March 6-16, 2025.

Destination: Cuba
The trip will begin and end in Havana with an opportunity to see its sights. The exact location of our work is yet to be determined. The request has been made that it be somewhere in the Havana area. We will be notified by the Methodist Church of Cuba of the location and nature of our work early in 2025.

Trip Sponsor:
UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) and the Methodist Church of Cuba. There are over 320 Methodist Churches in Cuba with 10,000+ members and over 30,000
additional participants in church activites.

Detailed trip information is below.

For a printable version, click here.

Ready to sign up?
Click here for the application. Download the form, complete it and send it to trip leader, David Gorden at degorden@sbcglobal.net.

The work: Light construction - to meet the needs of a particular Methodist church or facility of the
Methodist Church of Cuba. Recent hurricanes have caused extensive damage to the country and
needs are great.

Cost:

Approximately $2000 per person.
Some financial assistance can be expected from the MSUMC Missions Committee.
Further financial assistance is available from the church for anyone needing it.
Cost includes: Flight, visa, insurance, housing, meals, transportation.
All costs associated with the work trip are tax deductible.

Accommodations:
Provided by the Methodist Church of Cuba and/or a host church. Accommodations in Havana are at the Methodist Center which has nice rooms and dining facility. Outside of Havana, expect accommodations to be comfortable but basic.

Immunizations:

The following are recommended (not required) for visitors to Cuba - typhoid, cholera, hepatitis A, polio, rabies, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, meningitis, chickenpox, shingles, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).

Documents:
Passport and Visa required. Visa will be obtained through UMVIM as a group. Passport must be valid for at least six months past Cuba arrival date.

Group and Age Restrictions:

Group size is limited to 12 persons. Participants much be at least 21 years of age. Those 18-20 years of age may obtain permission from UMVIM to join the group if traveling with a parent.
Note: Spaces will be filled in order that applications are received. A waiting list will be compiled if necessary.

General Notes:

The Cuban government allows the Methodist Church to have one group of no more than
12 persons visit the country monthly.
MSUMC sent work teams to Cuba in 2008 and 2009. The 2008 group worked on the restoration of the Methodist seminary in Havana. The 2009 group helped with construction of a parsonage for a small church in a community in eastern Cuba.
Because of group applications that must be submitted to both the Cuban and US governments in advance of the trip, the deadline for trip registration is December 31, 2024.

Trip Leader:
David Gorden Telephone - (cell) 317-710-1105 Email - degorden@sbcglobal.net