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  • Virgin Islanders


    I. Historical Perspective

    A. Background -- On his second voyage in 1493, Christopher Columbus dropped anchor at what is now known as Salt River Bay, St. Croix, and sent a landing party ashore in search of fresh water and fruit. After a brief skirmish, the natives repulsed the Spanish invaders. In 1555, Spanish forces invaded the islands and claimed the territory. By 1596, most of the native inhabitants had been killed or had left.

    In 1666, Denmark occupied St. Thomas. Black Hebrews from Africa were first introduced to St. Thomas in 1673 to work in the cane fields as slaves. In 1684, the Danes claimed neighboring St. John and eventually colonized it. In 1733, they abandoned St. John after a slave uprising. They purchased St. Croix, which had been in the possession of the French since 1651. Meanwhile, slaves continued to be imported form Africa  By 1742, there were 1, 900 on St. Croix alone, and sugarcane production was bringing prosperity to the islands. Between 1801 and 1917, the islands were occupied by the British and Danish. Slavery was abolished in 1848 after a serious uprising. Sugarcane production dropped, and there was a decline in economic activity.

    American interest in the islands began during the Civil War period. In 1917, the United States purchased the three islands for $25,000,000, and the Virgin Islands became an unincorporated territory of the United States. The treaty of cession promised U.S. citizenship to the inhabitants.

    B. Language(s) – English, Patois

    C. Religious Background – There are many different religious groups and denominations on the islands, the strongest and fastest-growing being the Seventh-Day Adventists. There are several Baptist groups, including the General Conference of Independent Baptists (the largest group), Free Will Baptists, National Baptists, and Southern Baptists.

    D. Southern Baptist Work – Since the beginning of the SBC ministries in the Virgin Islands, many different state conventions and associations have sent workers to help with construction, building repairs, VBS summer ministries, and other preaching and evangelistic events. Over the years, hundreds of decisions for Christ have been reported.

    E. Past Challenges – Several of the Southern Baptist churches continue some form of cooperation with Puerto Rico, but their regular presence is hindered due to the distance and lack of finances.  Cultural differences also limit full cooperation.

    II. Current/Future Challenges

    A. Population – The population of the U.S. Virgin Islands is overwhelmingly of African descent. Since American ownership of the islands, the population increased steadily, reaching over 100,000 in 1998. St. Croix estimates about 55,000; St. Thomas, 37,000; and St. John, 13,000. There is a strong element of Spanish-speaking people on the islands.

    B. Evangelism – In the last couple of years, there has been a significant change in attitude toward church work. The presence of the North American Mission Board and the cooperation of several Southern Baptist stateside churches and individuals who visited the islands to participate in VBS, short-term camps, open-air evangelism, and building repairs produced momentum and excitement. There has been training in evangelism and Sunday school growth/leadership with an emphasis on new church starts.

    • The NET serves as a tool to train your congregation to get out of the pews and into their communities in order to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Other evangelism resources are the Family to Family Manual, Heart Call (women’s evangelism), and Sharing God’s Special Plan for Children. These can be ordered at LifeWay Christian Resource Center.

    C. Church Planting – There is a great need for evangelism and new churches in the Hispanic communities. We are praying for leadership in this area of the harvest. Leaders must have a desire to serve and be in touch with the Hispanic culture. We envision a bright future. Several lay leaders and pastors have participated in training events in assessment, mentoring, and basic training for church planters, as well as other courses in Puerto Rico and at LifeWay Conference Centers at Ridgecrest and Glorieta.

    D. Ministry – There is a Southern Baptist ministry to the deaf on the islands of St. Croix.  Rev. David and Mrs. Marshall Mitchell, missionaries and directors of the Puerto Rico Deaf Ministry, have directed this ministry for the last 15 years. Over the last six years, Rev. Mitchell has come to St. Croix on a monthly basis to work with the deaf.  Much effort is being made to expand this ministry to reach and minister to this community.

    E. Other - Perhaps the greatest need for the work in the U.S. Virgin Islands is for partnerships with state conventions, associations, and local churches. At present, there are no partnerships for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

     

    Research collected by Richard Lee, former employee of the North American Mission Board.