Writing Your Church’s History – A Virtual Roundtable Discussion

Telling the story of a local church – how it came to be and how it has grown and changed over time – is a worthwhile project. Church histories provide opportunities to record memories, gather important facts, and to discover where the church has come from and where it is headed. Whether your church is forty years old or four hundred, its story deserves to be told! 

Every church has a history, but that does not mean there is only one way to write the history of a church. This roundtable discussion features authors of recent church histories to share their experiences – and offer some sage advice – on how they wrote about topics as varied as the church’s different structures, its stained glass windows, and its history of enslavement. They will reflect on what inspired them to write the book, how they did the research, and where they decided to published the history 

Join us for this program to be inspired to write your own church’s history, or just to hear some great ways Congregational churches are celebrating their community histories. 

This event is free and open to all, but registration is required. Click here to register.

After registering, you will receive an email with information about attending the webinar. 

Email any questions to programs@14beacon.org. 

Speakers

Valerie Velazquez de Louzonis, is a native of Brooklyn and a lifelong member of Plymouth Church. She possesses degrees in the arts, fashion design, and art history, and holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership in the Arts. Her professional life includes work in fashion design/merchandising, arts education, and arts administration for the NYC Department of Education.  

A childhood fascination with the unusual historical subjects of Plymouth’s sanctuary windows led to years of research resulting in the writing of Facets of Freedom. In this, her first publication, she combines her interest in art history with the compelling story of one of the most famous churches in the annals of American History. Valerie and her husband Joseph Louzonis, a classicist and retired college dean, live in Brooklyn Heights, New York.  

Rev. Peter Laarman joined the First Unitarian Church of Providence following ten years as executive director of Progressive Christians Uniting in Southern California. He served previously as senior minister of New York’s Judson Memorial Church. In 2022 Peter began investigating the Providence congregation’s many links to slavery in New England, the Caribbean, and the Deep South. A 2025 book about this history–“A Church in a Triangle”–will be followed this year by a graphic novel for use in R.I. schools and colleges. With support from the RI 250 Commission, “Sugar Rush: The Caribbean Roots of Rhode Island’s Rebellion” will be printed in English and Spanish.  

Will Vaus was born in Sleepy Hollow, NY and grew up in La Jolla, CA. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of California at San Diego and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Will is the author of 18 books including Mere Theology: A Guide to the Thought of C. S. Lewis. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor of The First Congregational Church of Yarmouth. Will and his wife, Becky, have three grown sons: James, Jonathan and Joshua. They live on Cape Cod.