Saint Croix

This island has had a long and checkered past. After being jostled between the French, Spanish, Dutch, and English for 300 years this island became a U.S. territory in 1917 for the meager price of $25 million.

Travel to this tropical paradise can be done by US citizens with the bare essentials. One needs only a photo ID to board a plane since St. Croix is a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Church of the Nazarene
In 1932, an independent church was launch in the capital city of Christiansted, St. Croix. This congregation never really flourished. In 1943, the independent pastor left the congregation to the Church of the Nazarene and as a result the Church of the Nazarene sent Rev. and Mrs. Lyle Prescott to take over the struggling church. Within a year Prescott saw his membership doubled. However, Prescott had other leadership obligations in Puerto Rico as well. Sadly, this dual responsibility caused enough tension that the Prescotts turned over the work in St. Croix to the Pilgrim Holiness Mission and moved to the new work opening in Cuba. This was a great disappointment to the Prescotts because they had fallen in love with the folks of St. Croix.

Twelve years later their hearts’ desire was granted and the Prescotts were transferred to Puerto Rico. Being so close geographically, the draw to revisit St. Croix was irresistible. On his visit he was received warmly and in 1961 the Church of the Nazarene again decided to open the work in these islands. In August of 1961 the Prescotts moved back from Puerto Rico to St. Croix. The first service was held in the house of a local woman. Later that year, another church was started across the island in the town of Frederiksted. Services were started in Frederiksted in March of 1962. In October of the same year, the church received an answer to prayer in the form of an affordable piece of property, a one-acre tract. The church grew and prospered during the next several years until 1970 when Rev. Prescott was tragically drowned in a fishing accident.

The work was so well started that it could not now be abandoned. In June of 1970 Rev. and Mrs. Bustle were asked to take over the work. They did, with the church continuing to grow until 1974 when the Bustles were asked to start the official work in the Dominican Republic. From that time there have been no resident missionaries in any of the Virgin Islands. St. Croix became apart of the Leeward / Virgin Island District in 1978.

The Church of the Nazarene continues to be an influential force in the life of this island.

Sources:
Parker, J. Fred. Mission to the World: A History of Missions in the Church of the Nazarene through 1985.