| The Lutheran Church in Puerto Barrios
English, not Spanish, was the first language of the Lutheran church in Puerto Barrios. Recent Jamaican immigrants asked Lutheran missionaries to begin a church where they could worship in their mother tongue, English. For many years services and Bible studies were conducted in English. An afternoon service in Spanish was added later to serve others. Over time, the numbers of Spanish speakers and English speakers changed and now Spanish is the language used in the church.
In the 1970's missionaries began working among the Garífuna people, a culture made up of descendents of Caribe Indians intermarried with escaped African slaves. A chapel and later a community center were built as ministry grew among the Garífuna. In the 1990's the ministry wained, the two buildings fell into disrepair, and eventually were virtually abandoned. Today, the chapel is gone and the community center is scheduled for rebuilding and reopening to serve to community.
The Lutheran Community Center
|