Religion, Sustainability Movements, and Ecumenism: A Case Study in Santiago de Cuba
Issue: Vol 12 No. 4 (2018)
Journal: Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture
Subject Areas: Religious Studies
DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.36303
Abstract:
The Centro Cristiano Lavastida de Servicio y Capacitación (Lavastida Christian Center for Service and Training) was founded in 1995 in Santiago, during the economic crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc. This ecumenical center has promoted the growth of agroecology, permaculture, and other sustainability initiatives through collaborative work with state organizations as well as international movements and NGOs. The founders of the Centro, as well as some of its staff, have historical connections to the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Cuban Council of Churches (CIC), which is affiliated with the WCC. The CIC is a statesponsored Protestant ecumenical organization that has promoted greater dialogue between the Cuban government and churches. The Centro is part of a larger network of civil society organizations that have responded to the state's diminished capacity to serve as sole provider of social welfare by engaging more deeply in social and ecological projects.
Author: Rose T. Caraway
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