THE FIRST CATHEDRAL

'The First Cathedral', is a Christian ministry based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Originally known as ''The 1st Baptist Church'', it was founded in 1968 in Hartford, Connecticut. ^[1]. The Pastor is Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr. In 1998, the ministry broke ground on its first custom house of worship, on a 40-acre plot in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Funding for the construction was raised via stewardship campaigns over twelve years. After two years of construction the 120,000 sq ft. facility was completed.^[2]

Contents

Milestones in development

Ministries

Controversial use of facility

Ministry affiliations

Related Articles

References

Milestones in development

★ 1968, The Church is founded with Rev. Edward R. King as founding pastor.

★ 1970, Rev. Dr. LeRoy Bailey Jr. Begins tenure as second pastor. .

★ 1977, The Church moves to a larger facility

★ 1979, The church becomes known as ''The First Baptist Church of Hartford''

★ 1982, The School of Ministry was founded.

★ 1989, Two apartment buildings for the elderly, managed by the First Baptist Housing Development Corporation were constructed. (First and Second Villages)

★ 1989, The church bookstore (First Cathedral Bookstore) was founded.

★ 1993, Mission in Kenya started.


★ 1995, A kindergarten through 8th grade school was founded (First Academy).

★ 1997, The Praises of Zion, one of The First Cathedrals Choirs releases their first Album

★ 1997, Church Begins Construction on Cathedral Edifice

★ 1999, Church moves to Cathedral Edifice

★ 2001, Rev. Dr. LeRoy Bailey was consecrated into the Bishopric, Becoming known as Bishop LeRoy Bailey Jr.

★ 2003, Bishop Bailey Authors, A Solid Foundation: Building Your Life from the Ground Up^[3]

★ 2004, All Purpose Playfields built (First Cathedral Playfields).

★ 2004, The Church adopted 16 churches in Bangladesh.

★ 2006, Bishop Leroy Bailey Jr. is appointed Archbishop, Becoming known as Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr.

★ 2006, The Church adopted the Thurman Milner School in Hartford, Connecticut

★ 2007, The Church has began a stewardship campaign to fund a future ''Family Life Center''.

★ 2007, The Church embarks to build 3 churches in Peru and one church in Bangladesh.

★ 2007, The Church begins an inter-mural program with The Greater Hartford Chapter of The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Ministries

★ 2002, Began an organization that is a forum for churches of diverse denominations, ethnicities and geographic locations. (Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant)

★ 2004, Began a physical and spiritual health ministry. (The Good Life Wellness Center)

★ 2006, Began a Christian Catering Service. (First Harvest)

★ Multilingual/Translation Ministry Sign Language Ministry.^[4]

★ Annual Multicultural month

★ Praises Of Zion, an award-winning Gospel Music choir.

Controversial use of facility

The First Cathedral, as a means of paying of its debt has been renting the facility to several local high schools including Windsor High School In Windsor, Connecticut, South Windsor High School ^[5] in South Windsor, Connecticut, and Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, Connecticut. ^[6].The Cathedral actions have raised concerns about Separation of Church and State.

Ministry affiliations

The First Cathedral is affiliated with several Ministries:

★ ''Churches United in Global Mission'' ^[7]- A ministry of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.

★ ''Connecticut Coalition of Churches''

★ ''Pastors in Covenant''

★ ''Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant''^[8]

★ ''The Capital Region Conference of Churches''^[9]

Related Articles

★ Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr.

★ The First Word Newsletter

References

1. The First Cathedral. The First Cathedral--Visitors’ Handbook. Bloomfield: TFC, 1999.
2. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60816FF385E0C708DDDAB0994D0494D81
3. http://www.amazon.com/Solid-Foundation-Building-Your-Ground/dp/0883687771''Purchase a copy of A Solid Foundation''
4. DeafToday website
5. News story. http://www.swindsor.k12.ct.us/Highschool/activities/classes/senioract-grad06.html
6. The Hartford Courant Online. http://blogs.courant.com/nightbeat/2007/01/first_cathedral.html
7. Churches United in Global Mission Website
8. ''Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant official website
9. The Capital Region Conference of Churches official website