Crystal Cathedral Academy

The First Cathedral exists both as a Christian ministry based in Bloomfield, Connecticut as well as the edifice in which the ministry is held . Originally known as The 1st Baptist Church , it was founded in 1968 in Hartford, Connecticut..The Pastor is Archbishop LeRoy Bailey Jr.

The First Cathedral: The Ministry

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.

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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.

• 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 Themed: "Incredible", it was recorded live at The First Baptist Church of Hartford Edifice, purchased in 1977.
• 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.
• 1997, The Praises of Zion, one of The First Cathedrals choirs releases their second album themed: "Forgetting What's Behind", it was recorded live at The First Edifice Edifice, purchased in 1977.
• 2003, Bishop Bailey Authors, A Solid Foundation: Building Your Life from the Ground Up
• 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 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.In addition to the Church edifice in Bangledesh, the church built several wells in the country serving several thousand residents.
• 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 and completes building a 40,000 dollar orphanage in the country of Uganda
• 2008, The Church Begins The First Music Conservatory, with the intention of bringing a Christian Alternative to Learning Music
• 2008, The Praises of Zion records and releases their third album.
• 2009, The "Discovering your Power" begins broadcasts both locally and nationally

Goals for Future

• Build Family Life Center
• Expand Ministry into 83 Countries across the World including The United States
• Launching First Cafe- an informal restaurant offering and alternative to First Harvest, which offers a full breakfast, lunch and dinner

Changes brought by LeRoy Bailey

In 1971, 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 makking the cathedral the largest church in the New England Region.

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.
• Annual Multicultural month
• Praises Of Zion, an award-winning Gospel Music choir.

Annual Events

• Covanant Conference
• Churches Covered and Connected in Covanent Conference held every other year (2001)
• Gospel Explosion (2007)
• Pastoral Anniversary Celebration, March of every year
• Annual Christmas Production (Late 1980s)

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 in South Windsor, Connecticut, Enfield High School and Enrico Fermi High School in Enfield, Connecticut..The Cathedral actions have raised concerns about Separation of Church and State. Despite these concerns The Cathedral continues to average over 100 special events per year

Ministry affiliations

The First Cathedral is affiliated with several Ministries:

• Churches United in Global Mission - A ministry of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California.
• Connecticut Coalition of Churches
• Pastors in Covenant
• Churches Covered and Connected in Covenant
• The Capital Region Conference of Churches
• Dr. Myles Munroe- Bahamas Faith Ministries International

The First Cathedral: The Edifice

In 1998, the ministry at the time known as The First Baptist Church of Hartford 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 (11,000 m ² ). facility was completed. . In the planning phases of the building, church officials planned to remain called The First Baptist Church of Hartford while occupying the edifice called The First Cathedral. The Ministry became known as The First Cathedral as individuals within the community who were unfamiliar with these plans began confusing the two.

. The Cathedral Edifice is considered a radical departure from the Greek Revival and Georgian Architectural Styles used in the construction of most New England Churches.

The First cathedral was intended to be the final Building of The First Baptist Church, The First Cathedral is full of symbolism. Church officials worked with architects and engineers to create an environment that is full of theological and biblical symbolism.

Overall Structure

The First Cathedral edifice is built in the shape of a dove, a reference to the Baptism of Jesus which is recorded in every canonized Gospel.

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