Virgin Islands
638
Total Church Membership
2
Congregations
History
The first missionaries called to St. Croix were Elders Thomas Williams, Eric Leach, Gregory Collier and Kurtis Gibbons, who arrived 28 January 1981. They held meetings in the home of a member, Jack Cluet, with about 15 attending. A branch (a small congregation) was organized 8 February 1981. A meetinghouse was later built on the island. Branches have been established also on St. John and St. Thomas.
On St. Thomas, various expatriate families lived on the island. In 1969, one of these was the Earl Keele family. He arrived May 1969 and his wife, Celia, and two children followed in August. The family held a home Sunday School as part of the San Juan Branch in Puerto Rico.
In 1970, another family, James and Carolyn Boykin, joined the group. The first convert was baptized in January 1975. Other families arrived and the St. Thomas Branch was created 13 December 1977. The first missionaries came to the island in June 1978. The first branch meetinghouse was opened 16 July 1978.
A devastating hurricane, Hugo, struck St. Croix in September 1996, destroying the homes of many members. A shipment of food from the mainland and use of the branch meetinghouse helped alleviate the disaster conditions.
For Journalist Use Only
Rafael G. Gutiérrez
Caribbean Area
Office: (809) 487-0120, Ext. 2233
Fax: (809) 533-2340
E-mail
Africa
Total Church Membership
849,568
Members
2,721
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
6Temples
Asia
Total Church Membership
1,298,181
Members
2,113
Congregations
Missions
45Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
10Temples
Europe
Total Church Membership
507,748
Members
1,296
Congregations
Missions
35Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
14Temples
North America
Total Church Membership
9,637,503
Members
18,423
Congregations
Missions
175Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
120Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
Total Church Membership
599,065
Members
1,308
Congregations
Missions
17Missions
FamilySearch Centers
Temples
11Temples
South America
Total Church Membership
4,320,129
Members
5,629
Congregations