At the start of 2025 I participated in the Bishops Academy in Puerto Rico. About 40 ELCA bishops and another six bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada were there for four days of learning, cultural immersion, and fellowship.
On Sunday, Jan. 5, I worshiped at San Esteban Lutheran Church, a small urban congregation in Bayamón. The two dozen members and their pastor welcomed several visiting bishops with warmth and festivity to their celebration of Three Kings Sunday, a major holiday in that country. The story of the foreign visitors to the infant Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel resonates deeply with a country that has embraced a history of indigenous people, enslaved people, colonization, and a resilient spirit of independence. Those overlapping layers of distinctive culture were evident throughout our stay.
The academy offered an opportunity to learn about Lutherans in the Caribbean. Our learning sessions were held at the synod-owned camp, which is also the location for the synod office. Meals were hosted by synod staff and volunteers and were such delicious signs of welcome and hospitality. Bishop Vivian Davila was a spirited and gracious leader throughout our days there.
Puerto Rico has never been a Lutheran-dominated island, yet one of our presenters, church historian, Dr. Jose David Rodriguez, noted that an “evangelical” presence (that is Lutheran) was recorded as early as the 16th century, given the international shipping trade on the island. A formal Lutheran outreach began in the 1890s. Much like the origin of some congregations in this synod, the outreach was led by seminarians from the Augustana Synod. And like this synod, the missional efforts embraced healthcare, education, and the needs of ordinary people along with the start of congregations.
ELCA teaching theologian Dr. Carmelo Santos drew us into theological anthropology from a Puerto Rican perspective. He used ordinary sayings from his culture to illustrate what it means to have confidence in one’s own heritage and to resist the messages that undermine a people’s integrity and confidence. “Can my wound help me understand your wound?” he pondered, a discerning question for all of us to consider in our fractured world.
Dr. Evie Landrau shared the Afro-centric story of Puerto Rico and introduced us to current economic challenges facing her country. These include food insecurity, gender violence, and under-resourced development and recovery efforts.
This year’s Bishops Academy helped me start 2025 with a focus on listening to the stories of people whose experiences are not like my own in a place I had never been before and whose history I really had not known. What full days those were! Whether any of us travel from home or not, it is a gift to belong to global church that is filled with variety and unique cultures, as well as a common faith in Jesus Christ. I hope you have good opportunities to learn this year, too.
Yours in God’s service,
Bishop Patricia Lull