The oldest ELCA church resides in the U.S. Virgin Islands

The witness of seven historic Caribbean Synod Lutheran churches, several established more than a century before the United States was even a country, reveal a lot about the struggle for liberation amid white privilege, oppression, slavery and economic and social status. Their stories also point out the difficulty of any church to be prophetic, bold and true to the gospel while serving a culture whose values and practices clash with those of Our Lord. These are issues many North American churches also need to face.