First Church! by Wayne Arnason December 5, 2011

There are dozens of "First Churches" among UU congregations all over the country, because that was the common, and optimistic, name for the first U or U church established in a city. Too often it has turned out to be the first and only.

Before leaving off our notes on the ancient Biblical cities whose ruins we visited, we had to mention that in Laodecia, we had the chance to see what might arguably be the real First Church, i.e. the first church building ever constructed, as early Christian communities decided they were big enough to move out of meetings places in caves or private homes. It was a thrill to see this ancient building.

We're going to save some more reflections on what we learned about sustaining and maintaining religious buildings and communities over the centuries for this year's messages about ( what else ? ) the Stewardship Campaign!

Location:Laodicea, Turkey