The First Cathedral

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The First Cathedral A Church for all People
Dedication	September 4th, 1999
Denomination	Non-denominational
Administration
Parish	Houses The First Baptist Church of Hartford
Clergy
Other
Organist/Director of Music	Minister Wayne Robinson
Organist	Minister Wayne Robinson
Website	http://www.firstcathedral.org

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]

1 Milestones in development
2 Goals for Future
3 Changes brought by LeRoy Bailey
4 Ministries
5 Controversial use of facility
6 Ministry affiliations
7 See also
8 References

[edit] 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.

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr

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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.

The First Cathedral's Emblem

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 and completes building 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.
2008, The Church embarks to build a 40,000 dollar orphanage in the country of Uganda

[edit] Goals for Future

Built Family Life Center
Expand Ministry into 83 Countries across the United States

[edit] Changes brought by LeRoy Bailey

In 1971, ^[4] Leroy Bailey was called to be the second pastor of the 1st Baptist Church, which at the time was located in Hartford, Connecticut. At the time of his arrival there were approxiamately 60 members.

LeRoys' arrival brought new revolutionary teaching to the members of 1st Baptist Church . In fact, his first sermon preached was entitled "What in the world are you waiting for?", It was a sermon that began his push for growth in the church.

LeRoy established in his primary years at the church, his goals and objectives through sermons. One of these sermons, preached in 1974, was entitled "Going First Class", which was centered on the biblical passage Jeremiah 29:11:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version)

LeRoy shared with the people in this sermon that was more to life then what they had experienced in the past and that he was determined to lead them into that lifestyle. The ministry grew tremendously. In 1970, LeRoy led the church into a larger facility.

In 1989, LeRoy led the church, now known as The First Baptist Church of Hartford, into a series of stewardship campaigns based on sermons with the themes of faith, equality, obedience and the hope for the future. For example, The third campaign entitled "Rise Up and Build" which raised funds for the construction of the The First Cathedral Edifice was based on; Joshua 22:26-27:

"That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.'

Joshua 22:26-27

LeRoy allowed the people to contribute to his vision, by hold what he called " dream nights". An opportunity for members to communicate their hopes and aspirations in relation to the future of the ministry

Under LeRoy's Leadership, the church's membership has grown tremendously. As of 2005, the membership numbered over 11,000 ^[5] makking the cathedral the largest church in the New England Region.^[6]

[edit] 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.^[7]
Annual Multicultural month
Praises Of Zion, an award-winning Gospel Music choir.

[edit] Controversial use of facility

The First Cathedral, as a means of paying off its debt has been renting the facility to several local high schools including Windsor High School In Windsor, Connecticut, South Windsor High School ^[8] in South Windsor, Connecticut, and Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, Connecticut. ^[9].The Cathedral actions have raised concerns about Separation of Church and State.

[edit] Ministry affiliations

The First Cathedral is affiliated with several Ministries:

Churches United in Global Mission ^[10]- A ministry of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
Connecticut Coalition of Churches
Pastors in Covenant
Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant^[11]
The Capital Region Conference of Churches^[12]