Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, Rural Retreat Lutheran Parish is a two-point parish in the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA). St. Paul, located in Crockett, was the first Lutheran church in Wythe County and the oldest congregational records date back to 1776. Grace, "the church on the hill", in Rural Retreat was originally referred to as Oak Grove in 1866 and later became known as Hawkins Chapel. The two churches united to form Rural Retreat Lutheran Parish in the 1920's.

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See "Our Story" to read more of our history.