Uhistory

COMMUNITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

HISTORY

The Methodist Church of America, later (1968) becoming a part of the United Methodist church, made a significant contribution to the religious, social and educational development of St. Croix with the development of institutions at 7‑11 Hogensburg and Hermon Hill.

The late Mr. Felix Pitterson and his late wife Dona Consuelo Santiago donated the Hogensburg property to the Methodist Church in October of 1953 (Community). The origin of the property at Hermon Hill is being researched.

The donation of the Hogensburg property by the Pittersons led to the establishment of the St. Croix Methodist Kindergarten at a time when Kindergarten was not a part of the public or private school system. Initially, the church served as a chapel for the Kindergarten and as a church under the General Board of Global Ministries Home and Mission Program of the United Methodist Church. Missionaries helped establish the program at the sites on St. Croix. There was also a Kindergarten at the Hermon Hill site.

Rev. and Mrs. Stroud are the earliest known missionaries who are known to have resided at the Hogensburg parsonage in 1967. They served in St. Croix after terms as missionaries in China and in South America. In the late 1960s Rev. Stroud and his wife moved to the Hermon Hill site, and the Hogensburg site was home to a Spanish pastor and congregation. In the seventies a Kindergarten operated on the Hermon Hill site and the Hogensburg site (Rodgers).

After the retirement of Rev. Stroud and the return of he and his wife to the mainland, Rev. Boyd Moretz and his wife were assigned as the English‑speaking pastor of the United Methodist Church on St. Croix. Rev. Moretz first lived at the Hermon Hill site, then moved to the Hogansborg site. The Spanish‑speaking congregation returned to the Hermon Hill location and has held services there since that time, approximately 1970‑71 until the present (2004). In the 1970's and 1980's, until as late as 1990, and early morning Sunday service was held at the Hermon Hill Church for the English‑speaking members of the Methodist congregation on the eastern‑ end of the island. The English‑speaking pastor would conduct an early service at Hermon Hill, then the 11 o'clock service at the Hogensburg Church (Nobbie).

When the Rev. Boyd Moretz moved to the Hogensburg parsonage in approximately 1973, he began plans to build a Day Care Center next to the Kindergarten Building. The members of the church and the community supported the construction of the Day Care Center through volunteer labor and the donation of materials. Donations of materials in the form of buiddings/trailers were made by the Hess Company and others. Rev. Boyd Moretz, Horace Graham, Steve Nobbie and Joseph Francois volunteered labor to make the dream of the Day Care Center become a reality. In 1977 the Day Care Center opened, one of the first such centers on St. Croix at the time. Mrs. Beulah Francois was the Day Care Coordinator from 1977‑1980. Mr. Stan Hornsby was President of the Day Care Center Board (Francois). This day care provided a much needed service to working mothers in the community, for which many are grateful.

While Rev. Moretz served at the church, his wife was employed as a Spanish teacher by the Virgin Islands Department of Education at the Lew Muckle School. Mrs. Annie Nobbie and Mrs. Beulah Francois worked at the Day Care Center in its first years of existence. Two missionary ladies remembered as Susan and Louise came to work at the Day Care for two years. Susan became the wife of Mr. Bill Cissel and still resides on St. Croix (Francois). Mrs. Francois continued to work there as a Nursery Three teacher since 1981 (Community).

The Kindergarten School was in existence since the early seventies. In the late seventies the school included Pre‑Kinder classes and Kindergarten classes (Francois). The church functioned in close cooperation with the school. In 1981 the Day Care and School were incorporated to form the Community United Methodist Center (Community). The pastor of the church functioned in spiritual guidance to the center, and as a member of the board. Several members of the church were also required to be on the board. Since 1981, the school has been incorporated and placed under the auspices of the Institutional Ministries of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church (Community).

Rev. Jeffrey Gerber and wife Beverly, who was known for her beautiful singing voice, served the church and school in the early eighties. He was followed by Rev. Bennett, Rev. Varlyna Wright, Rev. Mark Young (1989‑91), Rev. Gilbert Santiago, and the late Rev. Charles Durante.

At present, Sister Neva Edwards serves as Pastoral Assistant of the Community United Methodist Church, with support from the Methodist Church of the Caribbean, St. Croix Circuit. Rev. Jennings Martin provides spiritual guidance and support, administering the sacraments of Communion and Baptism.

Community United Methodist Church continues as a multi‑ethnic, multi‑racial church in the West Indian and Wesleyan traditions, while ethnic churches seem to be the norm in many parts of the United States. Recently, "the membership in Europe and the United States has declined noticeably since 1968, (while) membership in Africa and Asia has grown significantly" (Developments). It is our vision to grow as a multiethnic, multi‑racial congregation, to grow in service to our Lord in our church, families, and communities. We are in search for an ordained minister to guide our work in Christ, to reach out and serve as needed.

The United Methodist Church has developed two churches and a school to meet the needs of the' society at that time ‑Kindergarten and Day Care, plus the religious needs of the Hispanic and the multi‑ethnic and multi‑racial community of the Virgin Islands community. The mission, to spread the Word and to provide for the needs of the people, remains the same. In our search for an ordained pastor, we need to consider the needs of our quickly changing society, and how the mission can be carried out within the changing society.

Paper prepared by Nancy Douglas Rodgers for Aldersgate Celebration May 23, 2004. Any further information concerning the history of Community United Methodist Church is welcome, particularly documents of past events. This is a work‑in-progress. May 15, 2004.