1934 – 2002

Noble Alexander was born on February 12, 1934 to Cristobal and Beryl Alexander in San German Oriente, Cuba. He served as an assistant pastor in Cuba from 1959-1962.

On March 20, 1962, after preaching a sermon on the origin of sin, he was ambushed and taken to prison where he was tried and convicted of conspiracy to assassinate Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Cuban security forces interpreted Noble’s sermon, which described Lucifer’s struggle for supremacy, as a veiled reference to Castro’s regime. Noble was therefore sentenced and served over 22 years in prison where he endured hard labour and torture. During this time, his wife, Yraida, divorced him and married a Communist leader.

While in prison, Noble continued to do the work of an evangelist by establishing and pastoring underground churches within the confines of prison. These included prisons at the Isle of Pines, Las Villas, Boniato and the Havana prison Combinado del Este. These secret churches experienced phenomenal growth but not without a heavy price. Pastor Noble experienced brutal beatings, starvation and repeated and lengthy times in solitary confinement. He was secretly ordained in prison in 1979 by Pastor Pedro de Armas who was also a prisoner. Noble’s spirit was braced during those torturous times by his indomitable will and commitment to God and the persistent thought, “I will die free!” which became the title of his book recounting his experiences in prison.

It was while Noble was in prison that he met our USA Director Tom White, who was imprisoned in Cuba for distributing gospel tracts. Inside the prison, White says Noble became his “prison pastor.”

As an American, Tom was able to receive a Bible while he was in prison. “Each week,” Tom recalled, “Noble would request a page of the Bible for his ‘cell’ meetings. I would tear the page from my Bible, roll it up as tight as I could, and work it into a bar of soap. One day a guard intercepted the soap as it reached Noble’s cell. Infuriated at discovering the Bible page, the guard demanded to know where it had originated. Noble refused to tell him it was from me. For this he suffered dearly. And although I knew Noble was locked away for the 90 days, until a few years ago I never knew it was because of the Bible page.”

As a result of the diligent work of Tom White and Christian organizations in Washington D.C., Pastor Noble Alexander was finally liberated from prison and stepped off an aircraft in Washington D.C. on June 26, 1984.

In 1986, Noble began his ministerial work in the United States and was ordained in 1991. On December 12, 1983, he married Carmen Mendez of Peurto Rico. Over his 15 years of ministry, he pastured several churches throughout the Northeast.

A few months ago, Pastor Noble Alexander became ill and was hospitalized for a short time, but his faith in God remained steadfast. On the morning of July 20, 2002, while surrounded by his family and close friends and after singing We Have This Hope, Noble went to be with the Lord. He was the longest held prisoner for Christ in the history of the Island of Cuba, yet his spirit always demonstrated his joyful freedom in Christ.

Countless other believers could tell stories of his sacrifice on their behalf. His ministry here on earth will be missed, yet we celebrate with him as he receives his eternal reward.

Dr. Job preached the Gospel with Noble Alexander in Canada, USA and Netherlands.

With permission from Job Anbalagan gloryofhiscross@yahoo.co.in