Evangelical Seminary of Theology
Matanzas
EVENTS /OCTOBER 2009
Credits
Contacts Leadership
Professor Interviews
9th MEETING OF
BACCALAUREATE IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
RETURN OF PROFESSORS HAM
SPINDER Y WIL ART
REGIONAL COURSES FOR SUNDAY
SCHOOL TEACHER TRAINING
LECTURE BY PhD. ISABEL
GRAESSLÉ “CALVIN AND WOMEN, IRRITATION AND ADMIRATION”
SISTER CHURCHES VISITING US
DEPROMI WORKSHOP AT SET
COLLABORATION OF THE CUBAN
Ph. D. GUILLERMO ARIAS
9th MEETING OF
BACCALAUREATE IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Then 9th meeting
of the baccalaureate in Christian Education was held from October 12-16. The
courses delivered were “History of the Church” and
“Theological Ethics” by professors Carlos Molina Rodriguez
and Ofelia Ortega Suárez respectively.
RETURN OF PROFESSORS HAM
SPINDER Y WIL ART
Last October, professors Ham Spinder y
Wil Art were welcomed with great joy. They came back to collaborate by teaching
in our Seminary and they have been sent by the Mission Department of the
Protestant Church of the Netherlands in an effort to continue
strengthening the bonds of relations and exchange between both institutions.
REGIONAL COURSES FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL
TEACHER TRAINING
Last September the Christian Education
School at SET opened a new regional course in the Presbyterian Reformed Church
of Luyanó for training men and women as Sunday School teachers. 25 people were
enrolled: 11, from the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of Cuba, 8 from the
Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba, 4 from the Episcopal Church, 1 from the
Methodist Church and 1 from the Free Evangelical Church. In this course
Professor Nelson Dávila Rodríguez delivered the course “Most Relevant
Psychopedagogical Characteristics 
of the
different Age-groups engaged in the Educational Ministry of the Church.”
In October professor Iván Gonzalez Tassé delivered the subject matter
“Old Testament”.
The
course for Sunday School Teacher Training of the Presbyterian Church in San
Nicolás de Bari continued in October 2009. In this occasion professor Francisco
Marrero Gutiérrez delivered the course “Old Testament”. 21 people
are enrolled in this course: 16 from the Presbyterian – Reformed Church,
2 from Western Baptist Church, 2 from the Fraternity of Baptist Churches of
Cuba and 1 from the Catholic Church.
LECTURE BY PhD. ISABEL GRAESSLÉ:
“CALVIN AND WOMEN, IRRITATION AND ADMIRATION”
On October 31st came to Cuba Dr. in
Theology Isabel Graesslé, director of the International Museum of the
Reformation in Geneva, 
Switzerland. She came to
deliver the official speech for the unveiling of John Calvin´s bust as the
closing ceremony of the Jubilee celebration organized by the
Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba. During the celebration Rector Reinerio
Arce Valentín, also the moderator of this Church Synod, expressed thanks to the
World Reformed Alliance and to the United Presbyterian Reformed Church of
Scotland, both donors of the bust, to the French Sculptor François Bonnot, who
made the bust, and to the Director of the International Museum of the
Reformation, as well as to the Cuban authorities that made it possible to place
the bust in a significant place of Havana. He also gave thanks to the Council
of Churches of Cuba, the Memorial Center Martin Luther King Jr, and to SET, all
of them project co-sponsors.
In the framework of this celebration
SET invited PhD. Graesslé on the evening of November 2nd to deliver
the lecture “Calvin and Women, Irritation and Admiration”.
Regarding this lecture she stated: “In his lifetime, Calvin found three
groups of women: The first group was constituted by the women in his family:
his wife, mother and sister in law. The second group was made of the”
raging” women who were very aggressive with him. They were very modern
women of the 16th Century, and the third group were the
“crowned heads”, these were like queens who were interested on the
issues of the reformation. But undoubtedly, the most interesting woman was
Duchess Renata Diferara. She had an extensive and interesting correspondence
with him consisting not on love letters but on letters based on total
confidence. All these women were related with the Reformation and with Calvin.
She also stated; “This conference allowed us to re-encounter a more human
Calvin, a man that had friends and that also got angry…..”
SISTER CHURCHES VISITING US
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF
TRINITY, ATLANTA GEORGIA
Reverend David Burns,
pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Trinity, from Atlanta Georgia came with a
group of brothers from October 13-16. With great joy SET welcomed these brothers
that have joined it in its ministry.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
"SUN CHEON NAM BU" FROM KOREA
Very happily, we received
Reverend Beung Sik, Park, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church "Sun Cheon
Nam Bu" from Korea. He came with the elder Byeong Sun Jung and Reverend In
Sik Hong from the same church. In the morning Rev. Park had a biblical
reflection in the chapel “Resurrection”. He also shared some time
with SET board of direction and community, who welcomed these brothers who have
responded to a fraternal calling of collaborating with our institution.
DEPROMI WORKSHOP AT SET
The Department of Program
and Mission of the Presbyterian
Reformed Church in Cuba sponsored a workshop for leader training. It was
organized by the Presbytery of Matanzas and held in our premises from October
16-17.
COLLABORATION OF
Ph.D.GUILLERMO ARIAS
Professor
Guillermo Arias, Ph.D. in Educational Science, the president of the Chair L.S.
Vigotsky and Senior professor of the School of Psychology of the University of
Havana was invited by our institution to deliver two lectures to the 2nd year
students as part of the subject matter “Educational Ministry of the
Church II” taught by Professor Nelson Davila Rodríguez. One of the
objectives of this subject matter is analyzing the relationship between human
development and education, focusing on the main developmental theories.
Ph.D. Arias made a panorama of these theories putting special emphasis on the
historic-cultural approach led by L.S. Vigotsky and its importance for
Christian education.
PhD. Guillermo Arias has
carried out a profound research work, both in Cuba and in Brazil, on the theme
of the historic-cultural approach in child development. Very kindly he spoke
for this newsletter; “My ideas regarding the historic-cultural approach
include not only Vigotsky’s thought but also Leontiev, Luria and the
Cuban vision and interpretation of this, by Josefina López, Gloria Fariña,
María Febles and others. I give many examples on the way in which it has an
influence on good or insufficient educational 
organization, so that
pedagogy has a correct conceptual orientation. That is, one emphasizing
education as a generator of human development; and that also includes the role
of society, because education cannot be separated from the family, the school
and the society. The historic-cultural approach reinforces Martí’s
thought that “education begins in the cradle and ends only at one’s
death”. That means that we are constantly educating others, educating
ourselves, learning, developing ourselves and changing. “
In answer to the question
about the importance of the historic-cultural approach for the development of
Christian Education and the way in which it can be used by the communities of
faith, PhD Arias said; “The church is part of the civil society, of the people’s
groupings. As all other institutions it is influenced by culture and science.
Therefore, as part of this society, it also educates. Undoubtedly, the
historic-cultural approach is a vision of the development of human
subjectivity; it is far more holistic than other visions and it integrates the
emotional elements with the cognitive ones. If the church wants to develop an
educational work, this psychological conception is very suitable for this
purpose. A family fulfilling its educational role must be based, even though,
intuitively or empirically, on child development.
Churches, religious
institutions, schools, the TV, if well equipped with the right conception of
development can achieve the goal of this country: the formation of new
generations. The historic-cultural approach can fulfil this function. That is
why I am here, full of love, and willing to work with you, to organize
the content of education, to define its methods and make such education promote
child development. Because I think that the church can be prepared for all
this.”
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
President of the Board: P.P. Daniel Izquierdo Hernández,
Th.M.
Vice-President of the Board: Bishop Miguel
Tamayo Zaldivar
Secretary of the Board: P. P. Ismael Madruga Sotolongo , Lic.
lll
Rector: Reinerio Arce Valentín, Th.D.
Vice-rector: Pablo Odén
Marichal. Th.M
Dean: Francisco Marrero Gutiérrez, Th.M.
Vice-Dean:
Iván González Tassé, Th.M.
Chaplain: Marianela de la Paz Cot,
Th.D.
Daniel
Montoya Rosales, Th. M.
Clara L.
Ajo Lázaro, Th.D, Theology, Sergio
Arce Martínez, Ph.D, Theology, Dora E. Arce Valentín, Th.M, Biblical Sciences, Reinerio Arce Valentín, Th.D, Theology, Carlos M. Camps Cruell, Ped.D. Theology, Alina Camps Iglesias, Lic, Complementary Courses, F. René Castellanos Morente, Ph.D, Biblical Sciences, Nelson A. Dávila Rodríguez, Sc.M. Practical Theology, Marianela de la Paz Cot, Th.D, Practical Theology, Iván González Tassé, Th.M. Practical Theology, Adolfo Ham Reyes, Ph.D. Philosophy and History, Odén Marichal Rodríguez, Th.M. Philosophy and History, Francisco Marrero Gutiérrez, Th.M. Biblical Sciences, Héctor Méndez Rodríguez, D.Min. Practical Theology, Daniel Montoya Rosales, Th.M. Practical Theology, Ofelia Ortega Suárez, D.D.h.c. Theology.
VISITING PROFESSORS
Prof.
Ildefonso Acosta Escobar Music, Prof. Wil Arts, Ph.M. Practical
Theology, Dra. Mercedes Cárdenas Hodelins Complementary Courses, Carlos Expósito Irarragorri, Lic.
Complementary Courses, Esther Fuentes
Oliva, Th.M. Practical Theology, Carlos R. Molina Rodríguez, Lic. Philosophy
and History, Sonia Montes de Oca Castellanos, Lic. Complementary Courses, Orestes Roca Santana, Th.M. Biblical Sciences, Dr.
Min. Francisco Rodés González Philosophy and History, Daylíns Rufín Pardo, Th.M.
Biblical Sciences, Prof. Hans Spinder Philosophy and History, Iraida Trujillo Lima, Lic. Complementary Courses.
Reinerio Arce
Valentín, Th.D.
Edition, Design
and typesetting
Elizabeth
González R., Ing.
Writing
Rosa Bahamonde
Fernández, Sc.M.
Elizabeth
González R., Ing.
Photography:
Jesús Martínez León
Calle Dos de Mayo Final, Apartado
1439, Matanzas, Cuba
(: (53-45) 24-2866 ext. 34
(53-45) 290575
http://www.cuba-theological-seminary.com/
Hinicio